C2C on 9/8/19

General Palm Springs area.

C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Jimbozeubuen » Thu Sep 05, 2019 7:21 pm

Just recently hiked C2C for the first time on 8/24/19 and now I'm addicted. I would like to do this again on 9/8/19. As of now, the weather forecast looks pretty good for Palm Springs this Sunday: 77F at 4am and 75F at 7am. The plan is to start from the museum around 4am, reach Long Valley Ranger Station around 8am, and summiting San Jacinto around 10am, which is similar to my pace last time (mostly power hiking but sometimes jogging flats/downhills).

Since my friends are busy this weekend and I would prefer not to go solo on this hike, I'm wondering if any power hikers or trail runners would like to join me. I'm 32/M and commuting from Irvine.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Ed » Fri Sep 06, 2019 8:47 am

Jim,

Congratulations on the first, and best of luck on the second. If I were as fast as you are, I would not be looking for strangers to hike with.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby zippetydude » Fri Sep 06, 2019 10:49 am

Hi Jim. I imagine you already know but I thought I'd post it just in case. This is from the Tramway website:

The Tramway will be closed for annual maintenance from September 9 through 29, 2019 with a tentative reopening date of September 30.

You'll be fine on the 8th of course. Hope all goes well.

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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Jimbozeubuen » Fri Sep 06, 2019 1:44 pm

Ed wrote:Jim,

Congratulations on the first, and best of luck on the second. If I were as fast as you are, I would not be looking for strangers to hike with.


Thanks Ed, a friend that knew the trail very well was leading the hike for my first C2C, so that made everything easier. If I did that solo it probably would have taken much longer. Even now, I still don't think I'm familiar with the area well enough to feel 100% comfortable going alone.

zippetydude wrote:Hi Jim. I imagine you already know but I thought I'd post it just in case. This is from the Tramway website:

The Tramway will be closed for annual maintenance from September 9 through 29, 2019 with a tentative reopening date of September 30.

You'll be fine on the 8th of course. Hope all goes well.

z


Yup, I know about the maintenance and that's why I wanted to do it this weekend. C2C2C is probably not a good idea when temperatures are so high in afternoons during September.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Perry » Sat Sep 07, 2019 8:32 am

I would think that most 4-hour skyliners would start around sunrise. It's easier to see the rocks and snakes with some daylight which helps at the faster speed, but I suppose a really powerful headlamp would make it easier. At that pace, you'll climb faster than the temperature. It's also more common to finish at the tram. All together, a bit more difficult for you to find a partner than the typical hiker.

Rarely, someone will do a C2C2I and finish near Idyllwild but it takes Hwy 74 to drive around because of the flash flood damage to Hwy 243 in February.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Ed » Sat Sep 07, 2019 9:58 am

I tended to start an hour and a half before sunrise, which gives a little over an hour of hiking in the dark. I made wrong turns and bumbled about quite a few times, before I got the hang of it, but then I am not a great navigator, and I was always hiking at temperatures where speed was not that important (my highest starting temperature was 68F, and the PS high that day was only 91F). Always liked the idea of someone ahead of me to kick the rattlesnakes out of the way, but that could be a false theory, perhaps they arouse them. Definitely false to think you are ok following other people's headlamps, since they can be off route.

In any case, Jim, I understand your concern about the route, with your experience limited to following someone else once at high speed. Hopefully, you won't lose more than a few minutes here and there. Certainly could be a good idea to carry a GPS track, to refer to if you feel really lost. I believe there are some on Perry's website. As for looking for a companion who knows the route, is fast enough to stay with you, and is comfortable hiking in the heat, there are such people, but I suspect you are not likely to find one, and there is the danger of someone misrepresenting themselves.

If you go, please post a trip report.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Perry » Sat Sep 07, 2019 1:36 pm

Jim, I sent you a PM.
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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby zippetydude » Sat Sep 07, 2019 3:11 pm

Perry makes a good point. Skyline is not the clearest trail and can be confusing in the dark. Like you I generally like to stay under 4 hours and I almost always start at first light, maybe 40 to 45 minutes before sunrise, when I can see well enough to navigate without a headlamp. Also, the section right after the traverse can be all but invisible even in full daylight, so you may need to scout around a bit to find the trail when you get there. Remember not to simply turn and try to go straight up the mountain at that point. It is tempting to do so, but you will end up cliffed out and have to go back down and find the trail anyway. If Perry gets a track to you you'll have no problem up there and it will already be fairly cool above 7000'. You seem like a strong athlete so I imagine you'll be fine. Have fun!

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Re: C2C on 9/8/19

Postby Jimbozeubuen » Sat Sep 07, 2019 5:48 pm

Good point, starting around 5-6am will probably be easier for me to navigate. I will try this next time.

Still no takers for C2C tomorrow so I think I'll just stick to Baldy via Bear Canyon until tram opens in October.
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