Boo Hoff - Sugar Loaf Cafe Almost

[magikwalt]

Almost since the Sugar Loaf Cafe is closed now so we had a shuttle vehicle waiting at the trailhead up top. A Thank You to Bluerail for helping to drop the shuttle vehicle and a HUGE THANK YOU to him for the best verbal description of a trail I have ever received. As we hiked into an area his description would flood my brain and I immediately knew where we were.

Left the car park at 6:05am with Jean, Kathryn, Ellen, Karin and Mark. We spent the next 40 minutes catching up on everyone's recent trips while making our way thru the lowlands. Forty minutes in we hit the Boo Hoff sign, just when Bluerail said we would. Forty more minutes and we make it to the "Turn Around" sign. I told everyone about Hal's blog posting recommending a wording change given they don't want you hiking the area July 1st to Sept 15th. The vistas were starting to expand quite a bit now and we are still out of the wind and sun. After 2 hours Karin leaves us due to fighting a cold and we are thankful she kept us on course through the early stages.

Three hours up we stop to share food and conversation. The spot has great views of San G, La Quinta and the Salton Sea. Its amazing my fellow hikers aren't doing standup comedy full time. I hear first hand the story of Ellen driving around the crackhead neighborhood looking from the trailhead, Kathryn pulling enough stuff out of her pack so that a Garage Sale sign appears and Jean suggesting there should be a Hike Naked Club. Enough...we need to start hiking and stop laughing.

About 20 minutes shy of the cowboy camp area we find a campsite complete with a hamock, fire pit w/ shovel head and general signs of recent use. The GPS shows a drainage/stream area pretty near and I think we should keep moving while keeping an eye out for black irrigation pipes. Soon we get to the cowboy camp and find the wooden structure has been flattened. The yucca blooms are amazingly large up here and perfectly dried after the summer. We do a little trail searching thru this area and finally pick a drainage to follow until we meet the Cactus Springs trail.

We really begin to feel the wind as the storm front blackens the skies ahead of us. As we approach the old mine the cotton woods and small oaks help divert our attention from the blustery conditions of the threatening storm. We reach the truck just as the first drops start to fall. Although there is a little trail searching to be done its a great hike.

More laughs and shared snacks on the way back to La Quinta. We grabbed lunch at El Ranchito before everyone head home for the day. Jean and I really enjoyed the hike, laughs and conversation. It was nice to be at a talking pace the entire trip.

[bluerail]

nice trip report Walt, glad you guys had a good trip and sorry to have switched trails on you at the last minute.

[Ellen]

Howdy All

I second Walt's thanks to Steve for helping Walt with the car stagger (I really don't ever want to hike back down that trail) and for the excellent directions to the trail head Thanks also to Walt for the car stagger and ride back.

I also want to thank everyone for waiting for an hour for me while I sat on the 91 freeway from 3:30 to 4:30 AM one half mile away from my house while a major traffic accident was cleared At least this time I had a cell phone so I could update everyone.

Thanks to Karin for getting us on the right path while suffering with a bad head cold. Get well girlfriend -- we're going snowshoeing this weekend!

Thanks to the artic gusting wind and sandy wash for providing free dermabrasion In addition to providing beautiful scenery, going through the canyon lands provided a welcome respite from the cold.

So when are we doing Jo Pond? I'll come in the day before and help with car stagger.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Marknhj]

And I'll third the expressions of gratitude for the car drop, the great company and for Karin getting us to the TH! It was a lot of fun and always a pleasure to be on a laugh-a-lot hike...

Walt didn't mention that he sprained his ankle about two miles from the finish and had to gut it out through the canyon area. Hope it's not too bad, Walt. Ellen, no problem waiting, stuff happens on LA area freeways. I discovered that it's not just hikers that are around at the crap of dawn, people are actually out walking their dogs at 4.45am!

[NormaR]

...Thanks to the artic gusting wind and sandy wash for providing free dermabrasion...

sounds like it was a great hike with a free facial to boot!

would love to join you on your next adventure.

[lee]

Hi Walt, What are your time and mileage for the hike? I plan to do this one end of January or the first weekend of February. A lifetime ago, I did tag along on an overnight hike in the area below and beyond the Sugarloaf cafe. I may recognize some of the landscapes if I pass them again but I don't know exactly where we went. If anyone interested in the hike, please let me know.

[magikwalt]

Hi Lee,

Just under 15 miles in 7:15. The first two miles are really flat and sandy. The next 5 miles gain about 4,000ft and most of the stuff after that is rolling to declining with multiple ravines to climb up and down.

MW

[tinaballina]

Great TR Walt, how is the ankle?

[magikwalt]

Swollen and sore so no hiking or running for a week or so. I'll use the time to lift weights in an attempt to look like Arnold.

I have been wearing lace up boots for the last two days to keep it from moving too much and provide lateral protection. Lace it nice and tight so that it helps keep the swelling down.

[lee]

Thanks, Walt. I hope your ankle heals fast.

I just traced the trail on google:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3359856
(I used a track I found on the web for reference on parts I could not see the trail.)

Now all I need to do is to gather up some courage :)