I bought Squirrel Girl specifically so I could take off practically on a whim and start to really experience God’s country up close while still working. I wanted to get at least 3 nights on this trip to keep testing gear and logistics in the winter (boy did I learn tons of stuff… the curtains have got to go and the GPS has got to come). I was targeting the desert, but it’s prime time out there, so we headed up to Idyllwild instead. The Idyllwild Campground was perfect… just down the road from Deer Spring trailhead and it had a few hook-up sites. Having electricity let me get in some laptop work without having to deal with the solar investment yet. It also enabled the use of a little heater because yes, it got a tad bit chilly at night.
The plan started as just day hiking and working at night, but quickly expanded to a summit attempt of San Jacinto Peak. It meant a 20mile day with 5,000 ft gain and a snow base for the last 3 miles. Maybe a bit overly ambitious, but I’ve been seriously wanting to go “bag a peak” after watching more than one friend make some really stupendous summits the last few weeks. Okay fine, I was just flat out jealous and wanted to go play hard too! Granted my friends had all trained for many months in preparation and had strong support for their journeys but I wasn’t attempting anything near as radical so I figured it wasn’t an unreasonable goal.
I’d been watching the peak weather all week and knew there was a good window on Friday. So I grabbed it and was on trail a half hour before dawn. On a 20 mile day, every minute counted toward more time on trail, possibly at night, so there was no lolly gagging. By 7:15, I’d made the first checkpoint at 2.3 miles. The ground was clear easy traveling and altitude wasn’t much of an issue.
By the Strawberry Junction 4.1 mile mark, I’d climbed about 2400′ and the snow patches were showing up, but the trail was clear and still easy to follow. This was the last location for clear cell phone signal, so my gps tracking and coach check-ins started getting dodgy.
The next 3 mile leg took me along the PCT and “only” gained about 900′. That little extra elevation made all the difference and within a mile I was in the snow.
The micro spikes quickly became essential. (Best investment ever!) The weather was clear, warm and the snow was already starting to get soft and it was only 10am.
The wheels started to fall off after I passed the Fuller Ridge fork about 11am (mile 8). I was running a little behind, having wanted to have lunch on the summit by 1pm latest.
There were only 2.3 miles left to go, but the snow was getting deeper, slipperier, and now there were buried boulders along much of the path. Plus the winds from the last few days has wiped away whole lengths of the trail my predecessors had taken making it much harder to “stay found”.
By 12:30, I’d still not found Little Round Valley Campground, my next check point only a mile from Fuller Ridge, but another 900′ gain. I kept pushing and then slipped and slid about 5-6′ down onto a boulder. It was a benign fall, but a solid warning of what might have happened had the boulder not been there to arrest my slide. Still it took one more warning before I conceded defeat… postholing (something I’d been doing for the last 90 minutes) my right leg all the way up to my HIP. Almost scared the pee right out of me!
I’m a hard headed woman but I’m not stupid, so the summit could wait for another day. Since I was done climbing, I focused on finding a nice spot to take a break, rest, recharge and finally just sit down, eat lunch and enjoy the view…
The trip down was delicious cake the whole way. Along one of the steepest areas (a section that had given me serious fits to climb) I even had an opportunity to play with glissading… another little trick taught by the Sierra Club. Essentially, it’s butt sledding with your poles to control your speed. What a blast!!!!
And the most glorious view with the sun slowing descending to the horizon…
Nothing but beauty, joy, peace along with an amazing memory to add to a growing list. Thank you God for being by my side on the most miraculous of weekends spent surrounded by your majesty.