by Guest » Tue Sep 05, 2006 5:04 pm
I did it! We hit the trail at 3:45 am on Sunday. We were at Long Valley at 11:30 am, on top of San Jacinto peak at 3:45 pm and back at the tram at about 7:00 pm. Just a bit over 15 hours total time.
I felt great except for the last section below Long Valley where my quads cramped up and the elevation got to me so bad that every 10 steps I had to rest. But I regrouped and rewatered at Long Valley and we were on top of the mountain a few hours later. On our way up to Round Valley we were met by disappointed hikers that were turned back by the forest service at Round Valley because of hail and lightning on the mountain. We did not want to come all this way again and not do the full "cactus to clouds" hike. Luckily by the time we got to Round Valley the forest service signed our passes and let us through with just a warning. So we charged up the mountain and were met with rain, thunder and about 20 minutes of pea size hail. We took some pictures, waited in the hut for a half hour so we wouldnt get too wet and cold and then headed down. The 5.5 miles down seemed like one of the longest sections because we were so spent physically and mentally. When i do this hike again it will be after a few weeks of stairmaster...as so many of the descriptions indicate, "it is a toughie!"