snow conditions?

[lightgy]

Looking to hike from the museum to the tram either early Monday or Tuesday. Anyone have any current feedback on the trail conditions near the top? I don't plan on taking crampons.
Thanks

[MattL]

I hiked yesterday 4/18/09 and snow covered the trail most of the way up. Past Round Valley there is no visible trail. It opens a bit along the trail past Wellman's Divide. But toward the top it's tough to know which way to go unless you have been there. Having never hiked there before I had no idea where the trail was so the last mile or so was just slopes of snow. Beautiful though.

[Torben Thomsen]

This trip was one the most memorable on Skyline. I was on the trail at the museum at 2:12AM. The dawn sky above Palm Springs is spectacular. The 42% moon came up at 2:40AM followed by Jupiter about an hours later and finally Venus just as the first hints of dawn appeared in the sky. That display of the moon, Jupiter, and Venus--lying in a straight line was topped by a bright meteor streaking just past the moon. I was at the picnic tables at 2:52AM and at the 4,300 foot marker [Doreen's Cairn] at 5:40AM. According the the sunrise table for Palm Springs, the sun was to come up at 6:20AM but being at altitude it appeared 10 minutes earlier. I was at Flat Rock at 8:04AM and at the beginning of the traverse an hour and a half later. There were 4 to 5 section of the trail covered by fairly soft snow [no section more than 50 feet in width] that one could kick steps in without crampons. However on the second patch of snow there was already a set of large tracks which led off in the wrong direction. I foolishly followed those tracks and that delayed by journey by more than an hour. Those tracks are about 100 yards into the traverse where the trail makes a sharp hairpin turn to the left. The erroneous tracks continue straight ahead. Because of those conditions I don't recommend anyone using the trail yet unless you are fully equipped and KNOW where the trail is either by GPS or past experience. However the snow is fast disappearing, and the trail should be clear in one or two more weeks. On the final ascent I was passed by Scott who made the journey up in about 5 hours.

I enjoyed a leisurely sack lunch by the tram station and then continued to Wellman's Divide where a group of hikers had come up from Humber Park. They reported that the trail was fairly easily passable.

Because of my decision to hike all the way back rather than taking the tram, I decided to forgo the final walk the summit. Several hikers reported reaching the summit some of them just with tennis shoes.
The highlight of the descent was the shadow of Mt Jacinto slowly creeping across the desert floor as a huge triangle and finally poking into the sky. As full darkness came the stars came out in all their brilliance. And there were several Whip-poor-wills that settled on the trail just ahead of me, their eyes reflecting red in my headlamp. Back to the museum at 11:12PM. My feet were sore after a great roughly 40 km hike. Not bad for a 65-year old man.

PS. On Wednesday [April 22] the moon will hide the brilliant Venus for about 50 minutes starting about 5:07AM. At the start of the show, Venus is about 8 degrees above the horizon and Mars will appear just below at 4 degrees above the horizon. Most places on the skyline trail will have a "front-row" view of this spectacle. But if you want to watch it any place, just make sure you have an unobstructed eastern horizon.

[hikehigh]

WOW Torben. 21 hours on the trail!!!!! Congratulations. I am sure you slept good after that.

[HikingJoe]

We have patchy snow in long valley