This is a cautionary tale about hiking a non-maintained trail without a GPS
I considered calling this post "Now entering hell, turn back if you can!" 
My old 7.5 minute map (field checked in 1981) shows a trail between the Round Valley and Tamarack Valley campsites that intersects the San J trail well above Wellman's divide. The newer maps don't show this trail -- I found out why
Karin Meyer (hiked the San G ridge with Walt and I) was eager to see new sights and attempt this challenge. We caught the first tram up and started down the concrete about 8:30 AM. I made the tram folks very happy by finally purchasing a yearly pass
We found the old trail head easily (as it turns out, not a good omen). Karin led as she has better eyesight and more experience with San Jacinto landmarks.
The early part of the "trail" (a misnomer) afforded terrific views of Cornell peak (looks a bit like the Matterhorn). We hit a rocky area that afforded a fabulous view of the desert. Karin also found ducks at this point, which gave me a false sense of security. From that point on, we followed what were probably critter paths through the manzanita, chaparral and buckthorn.
After a good two hours of hiking, we found ourselves mired in waist to shoulder-high brush on the ridge below the San J trail. We had to bush-whack up to the trail. I've decided that bush-whacking means that hikers are whacked by bushes, not visa versa
I felt that my legs were being flayed by demonic cougars. My hiking poles were useless (actually an impediment) as we had to grab brush to try to pull ourselves uphill. At least once I was stuck in brush so deep that Karin lost sight of me. My language would have peeled paint. Karin was a terrific sport and put a cheerful face on this dreadful experience. The only consolation I had was that she wasn't angry with me and had minimal scratches in comparison.
It took us well over an hour to make our way a half-mile up to the trail. Karin looked at my legs and recommended descending. They were pretty scary looking -- think slasher movie. However, I wanted to salvage something from the day and insisted on summiting. She said we were now blood sisters -- she had my blood on her shorts from following my blood-ridden path up through the brush.
I was once again moved by the concern and consideration of our fellow hikers. Nearly everyone we passed going up or down offered assistance and first aid. As on my C2C, I was both gratified
and embarrassed by the attention At least I provided some comic relief for the other hikers -- "This was one hell of a bloody hike, literally." It took us 4 hours to summit. It usually takes me 2 hours on the trail. Karin used my Leki poles to good effect by rescueing a hikers' gloves that had fallen in a crevasse. She also sacraficed water from her camelbak to rinse off my legs before applying Neosporin donated by a kind hiker.
The initial plan was to hike up the Tamarack trail to San J and then add in Walt's 12 mile loop. Needless to say, this was abandoned. On the way down, we're fairly sure we found where the Tamarack trail connects to the main trail. We hiked down past Wellman's and took the Willow Creek trail to the Hidden Divide trail and returned to the tram. Both trails were beautiful and I look forward to completing Walt's suggested loop in the near future.
We reached the tram station at 5:30 and enjoyed excellent beer and fellowship at the tram bar with several other hikers we'd met on the summit. A nice fellow from New York recommended that I ask Neosporin for sponsorship
My first shock of the day 
was seeing the extent of the carnage when we reached the trail. My second shock of the day was seeing the bloody and salt-encrusted person in the restroom mirror
And so gentle readers, herein ends the Greek tale of what befalls a hiker with excessive hubris. Karin is determined to do Tamarack again. The author will consider a second attempt provided she: 1) wears full body armor and 2) is lead by someone with a GPS (who preferably also knows Tamarack).
Miles of smiles,
Ellen
AKA Bloody Blond Hiker
I will find future use for phrases like "demonic cougars."
