San Jacinto Peak

August 29th, 2009 :- I had been thinking about hiking to Mt San Jacinto for the past year and a half but had not got a group to come along. Ashish had planned a trip to San Diego and agreed to hike to the second highest peak in Southern California. Fellow cricketers, Srinivas, Narasaiah and Shiva also were eager to join us on this challenging hike.

Mt San Jacinto rises 10,000 feet from the desert and is a short drive from Palm Springs. Due to the abrupt rise of the San Jacinto mountain, it has been referred to as an "Island in the Sky". The peak is at a height of 10834 feet above sea level. The route to the top of the peak from Humber Park at Idyllwild is 7.6 miles (one-way). The other easier route is from the Mountain Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, a distance of 5.5 miles. We decided to drive to the Valley Station of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, located at 2643 ft above sea level. Mountain Station is located at 8516 ft above sea level and requires one to take the aerial tramway. The hike to the top of the peak thus requires an ascent of about 2318 feet along a trail of 5.5 miles starting at Mountain Station.

We left in two different cars at close to 7 am, although we had planned to leave at 6:30 am. We reached Valley Station close to 9 am and got tickets to the very next tram that departed in the next 5 minutes. A spectacular 10 minute, 2.5 mile trip along the aerial tramway is quite an experience. During the ascent one passes through five unique life zones from the Mexican Sonoran Desert to an Alpine wilderness.

We registered our information at the ranger station that is a short distance from the Mountain Station and lies along the hiking trail. We began our hike at about 9:50 am and going by hiking blogs and experiences of other hikers, we expected to get to the top in about 2.5 to 3 hours.

The first marker of this trail is Round Valley, located at 9100 ft above sea level. A hike of 2.2 miles takes one to Round Valley, a picturesque opening in the wilderness with an expansive meadow at the centre. It took us an hour to get to Round Valley. Srinivas and Ashish were in the forefront on this initial leg of the hike. Srinivas, seemed to be a fast hiker and set a fast pace, inspite carrying a gallon of water and other food stuff in his back pack. Ashish too, seemed to be going along fast, inspite his lack of frequent hiking trips.


Tom, a forest officer checked our permits and advised us about not drinking the cold water coming out of an ever-flowing tap at that checkpoint. The weather was pleasant and we felt much more comfortable, than we would have, had we been outdoors in San Diego or even had stayed at home. The weather in San Diego during that entire week had been unbearable and the demand for power had increased rapidly. A frequent urge to drink liquids resulted in us emptying a few bottles of Gatorade in the first part itself. Our progress was not too brisk but all seemed doing well.

The next stop would be at Wellman's divide, located at 9700 ft above sea level. Although, it was just a mile away, this distance required an ascent of 600 ft and turned out to be quite a challenge. We required more than two breaks along the way and it took a complete hour to get to this opening. At one particular point, I was completely out of breath and my heart was pounding harder than I had experienced off late. Although, we had passed many a hiker along the way this was one point where there was a big gathering of hikers of all ages. The hike from Humber Park connects at this point and quite a few groups fancied the location as a point to rest. We took the oportunity to click few photographs and grab a bite and get some rest.

We still had 2 miles to go before we could hit the peak and another 1150 feet of ascent was pending. The hike from here seemed steep and looked like a challenge for a tired hiker. The path took us along the edge of a mountain and provided good views of Round Valley and the Mountain Station area.

Within the next minutes we had to take a break as the terrain was demanding in an area between two ridges. Ashish and I, continued after a brief break and very soon the switchbacks began along a ridge that turned out to be the one that would eventually take us to the peak. These switchbacks were quite demanding and fairly steep. The mountainside at this point was pretty picturesque with extensive views down into the desert valley below.

We made it to the top of the ridge and approached a marker indicating the peak was only 0.3 miles away. The thought of making the final ascent to the peak resulted in us trudging along within a few minutes of having a much wanted drink. The winter shelter is very close from this point and has good shade around it. Groups of hikers on the way up and down used this spot for rest as well as a place to have a meal. We went inside the shelter to see what it had to offer for a tired hiker, held back by bad winter weather. The shelter seemed strong enough to braze a storm. It had a couple of multi-level beds and few other items for display from older times.

Then began the final scramble to the top. This area is laden with rock of all sizes, mostly large ones. One has to find ones way along or between these rocks as one is comfortable with. There is no trail in this final leg and the top is also mostly rocky. There it was, the top of Mount San Jacinto, a mightly 10,834 feet above sea level. Ashish and I, were the first among our group to get to the top. Srinivas followed next and Narasaiah and Shiva made it within a few minutes after Srinivas. Standing at this height was a thrilling experience and the view down into the desert valley towards the East, about 9.5K to 10K feet below, was one I have never seen before.

Quite a few groups made it to the top, certain others had isolated themselves to different corners of the rocky mountain top, enjoying the views of the desert valley. There are two reference markers by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey. The sign indicating the place and height of the

peak was a popular spot, as every one making it to the top wanted to click a photograph. We were the only group that spent considerable amount of time enjoying the moment and the views in the directions that were open.

Finally, we left the top and stopped immediately at the shelter and took some rest. Later, we munched on to the snack that we had got with us. The walk down began with the 2 mile stretch along the steep slope that offered splendid views upto Mountain Station and the valley beyond. On the way back we first stopped at Wellman's Divide after having completed 2.3 miles of a stretch. My head got a bit heavy along this stretch and this was the first sign of me getting affected by altitude. We then decided to take another halt after Round Valley knowing we had 3.2 miles to go before we could get to Mountain Station. Ashish and the others went along at a rapid pace but I trudged along slowly, not only because of me being tired but also due to the excitement having gone down.

We reached Mountain Station around 5 pm. The final ascent, at the point close to the building at Mountain Station was quite demanding given how tired the entire group was. We had to drop a copy of our permits in a drop box at the Ranger Station. We let a tram go by, but we took the time to rest and grab a bite. Within 20 minutes the next tram departed, with us on it. We left immediately after getting to the bottom and experienced the heat of the desert valley as soon as we entered the car. It is said that on any given day the mountain top and the desert valley experience a temperature difference of 25 to 30 deg F, and this day was no different.
The experience to the second highest peak in Southern California was one to remember for long and quite an achievement for infrequent hikers like us.

Mt Baldy, Mt Giorgino are other mightly mountains in Southern California that beckon ..

http://picasaweb.google.com/ahire.parag/HikeToMtSanJacinto?authkey=Gv1sRgCM-w39WOkLWbyAE&feat=directlink

Trip to Nainital, Mussoorie and Jim Corbett National Park with Kesari Tours :- Day 10

28th May 2009 :- Waking up at 2 am and readying oneself so as to depart at 3 am was a challenge. It was almost 4 am by the time we left our bus after the short ride to the outskirts by jeep. It was a quick trip down the ghats from Nainital. Most passengers slept well but I could not manage a nap. The first halt was at around 8:30 am for breakfast, by which time we were in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The constant intake of supposedly sumptuous food, had upset my stomach and I was struck by an upset stomach. This had happened to many a traveller on this trip but fortunately I was hit on the last day. There was a delay at one point where the highway was blocked due to an incident involving shots being fired. This was UP and such incidents are very much expected. The driver then took us on dirt roads that were being constructed, along dry river beds which at points was so narrow that a single bus could go through. The drivers however managed to get cross traffic along these rudimentary roads.

We reached the restaurant at Delhi at lunch time. The change in temperature reminded us this was peak summer which we had not experienced in the cooler precints of Mussoorie and Nainital. I was in no mood for lunch and only managed to sip a drink. The bus dropped us at the domestic airport at Delhi. Our return flight was at 7:15 pm and it was just about 3:30 pm at the time we reached the airport. To our dismay, a short while later we came to know the flight was delayed by an hour. Prior to getting past security, we noticed Ishant Sharma checking in at Jet Airways counter. He was supposedly travelling to Mumbai to join the team leaving for England for the ICC 20-20 World Cup event.

I sat still at a place watching cricket on a big screen television. Nihar and Varsha entertained themselves at a chidrens play area inside the airport terminal. Further delays followed and the plane finally took off at about 10:15 pm. It was in the early hours of the next day that we reached Pune and almost 2 am in the morning that we reached home.

Trip to Nainital, Mussoorie and Jim Corbett National Park with Kesari Tours :- Day 9

27th May 2009 :- We headed to Ghorakhal temple in the morning around 9 am. It is the temple of Golu Devta, considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva. It is located about 15 kms from Nainital and about 4 kms from Bhowali. Inside this temple, there are about 300,000 bells of all sizes, all of which have been placed there by devotees upon fulfillment of their wish. The temple is located on a hill amidst deodar and oak trees on a hill side that offers good views on the valley.

The bus then headed to Naukuchiatal, a lake located amidst mountains on all sides, that is fed by a underwater spring. There is supposed to be one particular spot in the lake that is visible from nine corners of the lake. It is said that a king who had nine wives used to get to that spot, such that each of his nine wives could see him from one of their nine corners of the lake. We spent time in a shikara in the cool blue waters of the lake. The corn for sale at the boarding point of the shikara was one of the best we had on this trip. It took a while for the entire group to complete their boat ride. The plan for the remainder of the day was of rest for the entire group.

Prior to getting back, a short halt was scheduled at Bhimtal, primarily for photography.

We were coming to the end of the trip and hence not many travellers were interested in spending time at other points of interest. The plan for the remainder of the day was for rest for the entire group. The return trip to Delhi was to begin the bus drive at 3 am in the morning. The distance back is 300 km with about two railway crossings, one crossing by road over the Ganges river at a ghat. Given the trafic in Uttar Pradesh and the average speed, meant there are plenty of chances to get delayed.

We organized a short sight seeing trip with the help of locals that included a trip to Bara Patthar and Tiffin Top (Dorothy's seat).

Tiffin top is the top of Ayarpatta hill (located at 7520 ft) that can either be hiked or one can take a horse ride to the top for a distance of 3 to 4 kms. It is the second highest point in and around Nainital. Dorothy's seat is a stonework bench built in memory of Dorothy an English artist who died here in a plane crash. Nihar, Varsha and I had a horse each. Varsha and Nihar were escorted on the horse by a small kid each working for the owner of the horse. I was left alone as the horse that I was riding was calm, well trained and was used to taking riders on this route many a time. The path was a paved one with rocks placed to form an uneven road. At the edge was a drop of a foot to the dirt road below. The horse preferred to walk through the dirt as it was softer than the hard road formed of rocks neatly placed next to each other. We stopped on the way at a few view points that offered splendid views of the valley. The forest cover was thick and the hill also houses some of the popular spots used for filming movies. As one went up the hills, horse riders were advised to put their weight towards the front, whereas on the way down one was advised to put ones weight towards the back. Nihar and Varsha made a quick trip down but the horse that I was on went along at a slow pace. We then walked further down the hill towards Naini lake, where the hotel jeeps took us back.

The evening being the last, the guides had arranged a few indoor games for adults and kids. A few prizes were given away for those that impressed in these games. It was also the marriage anniversary of Mr and Mrs Sawant, who are both a doctor by profession. A short celebration preceded dinner and then it was time to get whatever sleep one could prior to the early departure scheduled for the next day.