Cactus to Clouds June through Sept is a DEADLY idea ..

[Cy Kaicener]

There is a smoke advisory in Palm Springs because of the San Gabriel fires. The Desert Sun has a video
http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/env ... /86178212/

[mattytreks]

I was at March Air Reserve Base in Moreno Valley this weekend with my fiancee, who's in the reserves...and since I had nothing better to do, I decided to drive out to Palm Springs this morning around 2:30AM JUST to see what conditions feel like this time of year even under the shroud of darkness.

Well...I got to the trailhead around 3:30AM and let me tell you, the second I got out of my car, the radiating, intense heat hit me like a ton of bricks. I walked over to the trailhead from the parking garage and by the time I got there, I was already sweating. And mind you, I am in very good physical condition and with a high endurance level, albeit a low tolerance for high heat?? Not sure...

It is so strange to be in complete darkness, yet feel like I'm in baking in the oven of mid-day sunlight. I can't even imagine how I'd have felt with my full pack on, exerting myself up the first steep sections.

All I could think about are those poor souls who make the bad decision to try and attempt Skyline during summer months. Insane....it's literally suicide.

Having said that, people coming here need to realize that even if you think you're going to try and outsmart the mountain by starting at some early hour of the night during summertime, it's simply not going to work. Don't risk your life. Be smart, and just stay away. I/we can't stress this enough.

[cynthia23]

Thanks for that 'first hand' report, MattyTreks. Yes, most people are quite unpleasantly surprised by our nighttime temperatures, and as I mention at the beginning of my thread, that nightly 'low' is really the most significant piece of information that will have the biggest impact on would-be hikers. Adding to the inherent danger is the fact that, due to climate change, nightly lows have gotten significantly higher by some five to ten degrees. June nights here 'should' be in the mid 70's, but I don't think there has been a single night this month where the temperature was below eighty. Certainly there won't be any for the next two to three months. We're also beginning to get significant humidity earlier than normal, which greatly increases the heat index.

It's a good time to explore other places and other interests--perhaps advocating for non-carbon-burning energy.

[zippetydude]

So, on a similar note, I decided at noon today to go give Mt. San Bernardino a shot. Hmmm...it turns out it was 96 degrees in Angelus Oaks when I started...which is maybe 20 degrees cooler than Skyline. In my defense, I was expecting the low 80's, but, as we have so often said, you have a certain amount of momentum when you get to the trail head. Anyway, I felt fine for the first couple of hours...then my Spidey senses kicked in and said, "If you don't turn around right now this will not end well." Fortunately, this was not my first rodeo so I turned around right then and there. No Peak. No speed goal. Just turned around... I got back to the car just fine, feeling a little funny when I got there, then drove home. I weighed when I got home, and even though I drank 100 ounces while on the trail, I was 7 pounds lighter than I was when I left. In ultramarathons they stop you WAY BEFORE you lose 7 lbs! That heat can suck the life out of you like nothing else, even if you are trying to drink as fast as you can.

Even if you are in decent shape and drink like a crazy person, you need to already know from years of experience the signals that your body will send you if it is in trouble. And you need to listen to them. If I had gone on to the peak, you'd probably be reading a report about how some idiot did a trail run in the heat of the day and died/had to be rescued. This is a very tricky summer with suddenly extreme temperatures that you wouldn't expect normally. I did a "safe" high elevation, normally predictable run, and had to abort. It's crazy out there. Extra caution this year, above all other years, is a good idea. I'm just glad that I already knew what, "You're about to die horribly" feels like! It would feel much worse on the "Last Error I Ever Made" side of the experience.

z

[Sose]

This time of year I avoid desert trails and aim for 8,000 ft by 8 a.m.

[Ed]

So, on a similar note, I decided at noon today to go give Mt. San Bernardino a shot.

And that is a west-facing trail which seems to be particularly hot in the afternoon. I'm still apologizing to my yellow lab Butter, now in canine heaven, for a trip up that trail on a hot summer day. Even with an early start, and turning back before the summit, the last few miles were very tough for him, he hugged every bit of shade along the trail. We went over to the store immediately after, where I treated him to several liters of cold bottled water.

[Wildhorse]

Zippetydude, is the weight loss all sweat?

I also remember that hike being hot and draining, even at lower temperatures.

It will be cooler this weekend if the forecast holds. But humid.

[zippetydude]

Wildhorse: In a word, yes. Let's just say I didn't lose weight through any other bodily function besides sweating, so it had to be nothing but water. Kind of amazing really...think about it...a gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs, and since I drank 100 ounces and still lost 7/8.34 of 128 ounces that means I lost 207 ounces, or a gallon and a half, due merely to evaporation. A few more hours and they would have found my beef jerky body beside the trail...kind of like freeze dried Everest, only Western Jerky style! If I die on the trail, I hope you will all remember me as "Jerky" rather than the shorter version of the word.

I am always amazed at the body's ability to take care of itself short term (like sweating a ton in order to keep cool) and the brain's (acquired) ability to learn from the body and be a good team mate. The only strange thing is that the body has truly remarkable default settings, whereas the brain has almost random default settings and then has to learn from experience - or die from a slight miscalculation. No matter what, it is one magnificent system. Everyone on this board has been carried along by that dual mechanism through countless hikes and adventures...and we're still here against all odds. That is remarkable.

z

[cynthia23]

Wow, Zip, a seven pound water loss is pretty scary. I'm glad you turned around!

[Ellen]