Tamarack Trail -- NOT!!!

[Hikin_Jim]

some people.

[KathyW]

Ouch! Yes, that old trail has been taken back by the bushes, but in the winter when the bushes are covered with snow it is a great route to the summit of San Jacinto.

[halhiker]

While the trail is certainly overgrown, it is there. It looks like it's time for the locals to get out the loppers.

Personally, I eschew the trail all together and Baja it straight up from Tamarack toward the saddle between Jean Peak and San Jacinto. It's sort of the natural progression after coming out of Sid Davis Canyon. It's the shortest, quickest route to the summit. A couple summers ago, when I was in a bit better shape, I could make it from the Tram to the Peak in just over an hour.

Hal

[halhiker]

Re-reading the first post by the Bloody Blond, it's obvious that you missed a switchback and keep on cruising up to the ridge by Miller Peak. Yikes. I've come down that way while climbing Miller and then Cornell, followed by Yale. My legs also looked like I had been thrown in a vat of cats. That's some nasty stuff up these on SJ. My wife usually can judge the extent of the pleasure I had on a hike by the amount of wounds I come home with. A true adventure is never completely bloodless.

And I don't know if a GPS will really help you on that trail. I guess that'll be something to check out next time I'm up there.

Hal

[Ellen]

Howdy All

Thanks for all the terrifc responses.

HikingJim -- your response had me LMAO

Zip -- please eat Q for me and I'll drink Merlot for you. I do have photos thanks to Karin

LanMike or HalHiker -- what do you want in trade to guide Karin and I up Tamarack when I return from wine country? A bottle of wine? Home made whole wheat molassas bread? Beer at the tram bar?

MagikWalt -- if you are exploring Tamarack and run into bloody bushes, TURN BACK I think HalHiker identified what we did wrong.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen
Bloody Blond Hiking

[Hikin_Jim]

Halhiker: What's Cornell Peak like? I've not tried that one. It looks like the best approach is from the saddle to the east, here: http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=33. ... &layer=DRG. What route did you take? It could also be done from Miller I suppose.

And Yale Peak? Which one is that? Is that the one ESE of the saddle linked to above? Or is it between Cornell and Miller?

It might save you some time to not to go to Tamarack (or are you going straight up the drainage from the Ranger Station and bypassing Round Valley? In which case ignore this part of this post). If you take the trail as though you were going to Tamarack, you'll come to a "Y" in the trail about where the maintained trail starts losing appreciable elevation. The left fork of the "Y" is the old trail which is still pretty discernable (it sounds like you may already know this). If you go up the old trail until you reach the drainage shown here, http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=33. ... &layer=DRG (the red cross hair is on the approximate location of the "Y"), and then turn left and follow the drainage up you can either join the trail from Wellman Divide or continue to gonzo it straight up to the Jean - San Jacinto saddle. This is a fairly good route. Going further up the old trail puts you into steeper, brushier, and more exposed country. It sounds like you're pretty familiar with this area, so this part of this post may be no news at all.

[cynthia23]

Ouch Ellen! But you are the Timex of hikers--ya take a licking and you keep on ticking! Bloody but unbowed, etc.

Seriously, I have gotten lost several times trying to bushwhack my way out of Tamarack Valley. I have learned that it is almost impossible to bushwhack through chinkapin (sp?)--that stuff is like brillo with spikes. Unless you had a machete or a bulldozer, I think it is pretty much undoable when it isn't covered by snow.

Live and learn ...thanks for sharing your experience ....

[TRumble24]

A true adventure is never completely bloodless.

Nice quote! I couldn't agree more!

[Ellen]

Howdy All

Thanks to Grandmaster P aka Big Kahuna, here's the picture of the Tamarack carnage.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[/URL]

[Perry]

That's classic. Here it is in high res:


I'll add something on how to post images...