Mission accomplished in 3 days 2 nights.
Started Monday 5/21 at 9am from Indian Canyons Trading Post hiking south up Palm Canyon trail (forest rd 4E01) to Dutch Charlie cut-off, west up Oak Canyon Trail (4E03) to PCT, north PCT to Cedar Springs, east down Jo Pond Trail back to the trading post.
In summery it was pretty brutal but worth it.
Oak Canyon Trail was difficult for path finding (working ways around scrub, rocks and various high points) but at least one can always see their destination at the cut dropping into Oak Canyon at a high point above. Getting up and around Hidden Falls maybe the biggest challenge here.
First night spent on a high mesa midway between PCT and Palm Canyon. It was clear, temperate, quiet and still.
Entering/dropping down into Oak Canyon the next morning the trail finally becomes much more well defined.
There was one glorious spring running right off the trail from under a rock overhang. Cool and perfectly clear.
The trail is shaded all along this mile section, many various trees ..best part easily.
Exiting Oak Canyon involved a long but moderate grade that switch backed up to the PCT.
From here the PCT runs north along the Desert Divide to Cedar Springs where the miles seemed to go by like minutes.
2nd night camped at Cedar Springs and headed down next morning back to the trading post.
This too was more difficult than I imagined. Going from Cedar Springs to Garnet Ridge involved a little scrambling to pick up the faint trail again.
Trading Post arrival at 3:30pm. The ranger there on duty, after hearing our tale, merely sighed.
In retrospect Oak Canyon seemed, IMO, more 'wildrernessy' than other areas of the San Jacintoes and much less visited.
The many ticks and rattlesnakes we found there probably keeps it that way.