Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

General Palm Springs area.

Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby Sally » Sat Sep 10, 2022 9:14 pm

Hi all, just checking in to keep this Board rolling along! Ellen and I have been summitting San Jacinto on a fairly regular basis since late spring, usually by way of Marion Mountain Trail. We usually enjoy winter summits as well, but this year’s snow was pretty crummy, and we made a few attempts that did not result in eating lunch on the Peak.

Early this summer we noticed that the water in Little Round Valley was drying up rapidly, and since we like to do an annual overnighter in LRV, we hastily threw a trip together. We started at Deer Springs TH, set up camp in LRV, and then went to pump water for dinner and breakfast. We found a bug infested puddle in the “stream bed” and pumped enough water for dinner and breakfast. We did have a lovely evening and morning lazying around camp with no need to summit. We were able to top off our water at Bed Springs on the way back out on day 2. It was a fabulous trip but we made the observation that this kind of fun gets harder the older we get.

Since then, we have made several trips up to the Peak via Marion Mountain Trail, and we choose this trail mainly because if you start REALLY early you can beat the bugs and the heat. By early, I mean starting in the dark. That way, you can be most of the way there before late morning when the heat sets in. We did see the progression of a few wildflowers over the course of the few summer months. When the unusually more active monsoon season started up we witnessed the creeks and springs being replenished, and some of the dried up vegetation perked up too. Even the stream through LRV had more water in it than during our backpack trip in early June!

Two weeks ago I managed to blow out my knee on the steep descent of Marion, so I am taking it easy until it feels better. I have had plenty of time to obsess over the Fairview Fire and how close it has gotten to my most favorite of my So Cal Mountains, Mt San Jacinto. I am rejoicing over the rains that have given the firefighters a chance at stopping it short of annihilating our beautiful mountain. I know that the mountain is still not completely safe of the peril of that fire, but I feel confident that it will be ok.

Anyhow, that’s what we have been up to. I will post pictures if I can figure out how. So…I hope to see y’all on the trail soon! Take care!
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Re: Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby Ed » Sun Sep 11, 2022 1:34 pm

Sally wrote:Two weeks ago I managed to blow out my knee on the steep descent of Marion...


Ouch! Here is to a quick strong recovery! I have only hiked SJ by the Marion Mountain trail a few times. I won't say I tippy-toed down the last few miles, but it was something close to that.
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Re: Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby Sally » Sun Sep 11, 2022 5:51 pm

Thank you, Ed! Not being able to hike sucks! On Marion I am always huffing and puffing on the way up and stepping with extreme caution on the way down. My downhill speed is about the same as my uphill speed. I just love it when folks, usually youngin’s not seniors, pass me as if I’m standing still.
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Re: Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby Sally » Sun Sep 11, 2022 6:10 pm

34D4C37C-29AD-450E-939D-3E399B220C83.jpeg
Refreshing Bed Springs
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On our hike 2 weeks ago, the small clouds became bid clouds which shaded us on the descent.
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New sign at Peak.
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A bit of water in LRV
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Water puddle in granite on San J Peak. I bet the little critters appreciate that!
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Lupin at lower segment of Deer Springs trail early June.
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Azaleas on Marion Mountain Trail early summer.
A383681E-9CB8-4CC6-BD4F-004EB11C6BD1.jpeg
New sign at Peak.
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Re: Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby guest » Thu Sep 15, 2022 12:15 pm

Thanks for the post Sally, the photos are great, and makes me long for the cool, crisp forest up there. Glad to hear there's at least a few areas of running water this time of year.
On my weekly summits, (from the tram), during the summer, I would watch the small creeks in upper Tamarack slowly fade into small puddles, and then the ferns would begin changing colors too.

Nice you two took the time to just hangout in camp and let the forest soak in. Love the flowers up there, one of my favs is what I call mt. sage, (super fragrant), but I'm tech challenged and can't figure out how to post a pic.
cheers, scott
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Re: Traipsing the San Jacintos this Summer

Postby Dunning Kruger » Thu Sep 15, 2022 1:19 pm

Excellent report and photos Sally- thank you! I love the Azaleas up there. Hope the knee heals up in time for shoulder season! This mountain has so much to offer in terms of the Peninsular Range exploration. I'm a relative newcomer to San Jacinto, having methodically worked my way up from the Jacumbas, Laguna, Cuyamaca, Hotsprings (amazing!) and Santa Rosa. I think I'll be stuck on SJM for some time. This site is invaluable to adding knowledge and accessing the community. Regards to all who contribute.
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