I was in Bethesda, MD for a conference from Wed to Fri. Was ecstatic to arrive in Ontario Fri night only to find that my car's battery was dead
A really nice Army guy gave me a charge -- I thanked him for his double service -- HOOAH!!!
I was too pooped to do anything Sat but badly needed pine tree therapy and to escape from the ugly heat. San Jacinto always provides solace. I was pleasantly surprised to see Lindella in the boarding area -- she had just climbed Ranier. Lance, Linde, Perry A and I headed out -- at Wellman's Lance and Perry headed to San Jacinto, while Linde and I dropped down to Strawberry.
It became warmer and more humid as we started climbing and passing other trail junctions. The final climb up to LRV is always a butt kicker. The clouds over San Jacinto kept building and it started to sprinkle (ahhh...) as we headed up out of LRV. Then, we heard thunder. Decided to forgo the summit due to lightning risk and had lunch in the hut. When it started to hail, we were joined by other hikers.
When it stopped hailing, we went outside an marveled at the beauty of the clouds and rain over the Santa Rosas. We headed down to Miller saddle via the winter snowshoe route, then took the trail down the forested area at 10 K. We wanted to go down Ranger Overland and suceeded after some route finding. There were piles of hail all over. Once in Tamarack, we took Sid Davis back to Long Valley.
Thanks to Linde for her great company and for treating me to beer and dinner. Hopefully this oppressive heat will subside soon.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
