Thanks to Sister Sally, who really was going to drive out to Palm Springs and return me to my car after Skyline. Last Thursday, we hiked Marion to the San Jacinto bunkbed and breakfast. It was cold enough that we actually wore pants and long sleeves
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Sally's trip report:
Yesterday I felt that my knee, which I injured nearly 2 months ago, was feeling good enough to tackle a tough hike. The National Weather Service had predicted a high of 38F and a low of 30F for San Jacinto Peak, so we packed warm clothes accordingly. So Ellen and I set out on Marion Mountain Trail in the dark at about 6:00. My knee gave me no trouble at all going up, and very little trouble going down, and I hadn’t lost as much of my cardio fitness as I thought. It took us a little less than 6 hours to get to the Hut. We skipped going the short but rocky distance to the Peak and had lunch at the Hut as we didn’t want to descend in the dark. We saw 2 southbound PCT hikers at the Fuller Ridge junction in the AM and spoke to a couple of older gentlemen on the way down. There was also a very cute gal in a sort of Halloween costume, with furry hat with ears. Also enjoyed some golden fall foliage. We made it back to our cars at about 4:30. It was deliciously chilly but did not get nearly as cold as was predicted. We carried a lot of extra clothing that wasn’t used, but better safe than sorry!
Miles of smiles,
Ellen and Sally
