Friday, May 6th -- Anyone up for Skyline or C2C?

[mattytreks]

So my wife is attending a conference at the JW Marriott, which gives me the PERFECT excuse to tag along and stay the night in Palm Springs. I assume at that point there may still be unmelted snow and ice up top; so poles and microspikes could be in order.

Would anyone else like to join me in rising nice and early on Friday 5/6 to make some quick work of Skyline or C2C?

Surely someone else out there wants to take the day off work -- and for those who are retired/unemployed/house-spouses, let's do this!

Thoughts?

[tinaballina]

have fun, be careful.

[mattytreks]

Figured I'd give one more shot at seeing if anyone else out there would like to join me on Friday 5/6.

Yeah yeah, I know...its a weekday...but come on people. You know you want to take the day off work to do something so much funner

[mattytreks]

Yikes, it's going to be a hot one in Palm Springs tomorrow with forcasted highs of up to 102!

Suffice it to say I am getting a very early start to beat the heat; departing from the trailhead at around 3AM. I also opted to bring along microspikes and poles for the last segment from Tamarack Valley to the summit. Since I'm starting so early I don't know if I'll see anyone on Skyline...but I hope to, because I have been on far too many hikes without seeing a soul!

[Cy Kaicener]

Have a good trip and give us a trip report on Friday evening if you get back soon enough.
Some of us are leaving on Saturday morning at 1.30 am or soon after.

[mattytreks]

Have a good trip and give us a trip report on Friday evening if you get back soon enough.
Some of us are leaving on Saturday morning at 1.30 am or soon after.

Well, unfortunately my summit bid this morning was cut far short. I got started right on time at 3AM. Man was it warm...it had to be at least 70-75 degrees but felt hotter. Saw a snake just chilling on the trail (not a rattler), a HUGE centipede, and this ant/spider-ish looking insect carrying a huge sac of eggs on it's back. And that was all within the first 250 feet of elevation gain. Once I got to the picnic tables, I turned off my headlamp for a few minutes and gazed up at the stars and listened to the wonderful silence.

However.......just before I arrived at the Skyline warning sign, I got a call. My Mom? Calling at that time of the night? I knew something was wrong, so naturally I answered and she said there was a family emergency regarding my brother -- much props to AT&T because I had full signal strength up there. Needless to say, I turned around that instant and got back to the trailhead long before sunrise. Just as I exited, there was another group of about 4-5 people heading up...wonder if any of those people are active members of this forum?

Anywho, I'm back in San Diego now and turns out my brother is going to be all right.

I'll be back on 5/28 for my next go, so hopefully I don't get any calls then

[KathyW]

72 degrees yesterday at 2:20 am when we started. It cooled down as we got closer to dawn, but then it was hot between Flat Rock and Long Valley. My legs felt really heavy, my feet started to cramp, and I was crusted with salt by the time I shuffled into Long Valley. With how poorly I handle the heat, I won't be going up that trail again until the fall.

The flowers were just beautiful along the trail yesterday - the best I've seen them in several years.

[Cy Kaicener]

Kathy - Thats the reason I cancelled, plus the fact that my back cant handle carrying a gallon of water any more which I found out the day before.. In cooler weather I only need three quarts. Too bad I cant take a mule with me up there. I would have trouble getting it on the tram

[Ellen]

Howdy Mathew

I am so sorry that your hike was cut short but very happy that your brother is going to be OK.

Can you join us on the Moonlight Skyline hike (1 AM start time) next Sunday?

Miles of smiles,
Ellen