cactus to clouds

[bluerail]

gee..I think I'm going to rethink my hiking schedule.

[skunkboy]

Another thing to think about bstone, is if you take off in the wee hours of the morning before sunup, and you are not familiar with the trail, you could spend a lot of time trying to find the trail in the dark, with your headlamp. That lower section is a confusing mismash of trails before you even get a 1000 feet up. Become very familiar with the begining of that trail before you even think about tackling it during the middle of the summer, in the dark.

Sincerely and with best regards

Skunk

[bstone]

thank you all again for your help

[CrazyLegs]

my friends and i were wanting to attempt this hike sunday july 18, 2011 starting at about 530 in the morning. None of us have hiked any of these trails before and we are all in good shape. I was curious as to what the average time is from the museum parking lot to the summit and back to the tram is and if we are starting early enough to not get done in by the heat. Also will we need any extra gear aside from lots of water and some snacks? any and all advise is greatly appreciated.

bstone,

A friend and I did the hike on 7/27. We left the trailhead at the end of Ramon St. at 6:15am. We both carried 4 liters of water, loaded up on sunscreen, and had enough snacks for a 12 hr. hike. We reached the ranger station just before 12pm. We were able to carry less water b/c of the spicket available at the ranger station to refill. After getting a permit, we hiked to the summit of San Jacinto and were back at the tram by 4pm.

We are both in above average shape and definitely wanted to see how fast we could do it. It was my first time hiking the Skyline Trail and my first time summitting San Jacinto, but I had the benefit of a hiking partner that had done it before. We had both also done the San Gorgonio 9 peaks challenge the week before, and I had done a few other longer hikes with decent elevation gaines earlier in the summer. Looking back, I think that the hikes that I had done prior prepared me very well for the hike. I would be happy to discuss them further with you and/or discuss how they compared.

At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide whether your fitness (combined with research and preparation) are suitable for the mileage and elevation gain that the hike presents. If you decide to give it a go, good luck and have fun.

[Sally]

Hi CrazyLegs,

Congratulations on your C2C! I would have to agree that you are in above average shape. I think your pre-Skyline treks, such as San G's 9 Peaks, were good training and helped with your success.

I am the old gal that was up at the summit with my daughter when you popped up there on Wednesday. It was a pleasure meeting you and your hiking buddy! I hope to run into you again on the trail!

-Sally

[CrazyLegs]

Hey Sally,

I am glad you recommended joining this discussion board. I look forward to sharing more hikes and getting feedback from the many other people using it that know a lot about the area and other great hikes.

I also enjoyed meeting and hanging out with you and everyone up there. I only wish that I had a Foster's big can too. I will definitely be back to check out more trails and peaks in the area, so I'll keep an eye out for you.

Evan