Rene,
By all accounts, starting at Ramon is easier to follow.
Times for doing the Skyline trail (from the desert just to the tram) vary. Fast trail runners will have times in the four to five hour range. Fast hikers will have times in the 6 to 7 hour range. Slower hikers will have times in the 8 to 9 hour range. I think some really slow people have been in the 10 to 12 hour range. I've seen some people sitting by the trailside just wasted and looking grim. Clearly, they weren't ready for the physical demands of 8,000 (!) feet of gain.
If you're interested, here's my write up of my trip up the Skyline Trail. I went from Ramon Road.
HJ
