First C2C climb in 2 weeks! Help!

[Elizabeths]

My husband and I are planning to complete the C2C climb in two weeks and was hoping for some guidance/feedback. We live in N. Idaho and visit PS every year. We are 30 yrs old and our most recent climb was a 14-er in Colorado (Grays and Torrey's). We chose to climb the Torrey's more technical route rather than the switchback trails with my brother-in-law. The summit is 14,267'.


We took the more challenging Class 3 Kelso Ridge route rather than the Class 2 switchback trails. 7miles and 3,100' elevation gain. I know this elevation gain doesn't compare to San Jacinto, but with altitude I figure its still an accomplishment! We did this climb last year without any training.

Trying to get feedback from those who have done the C2C climb. Do we have a good chance to finish the hike? I figured worse case scenario is getting to the tram and calling it quits... What necessities should we bring? Is there any snow/ice remaining on the skyline trail at all? Is 4:30am early enough to leave the trailhead? From what I've read the first few miles in the dark are the most challenging as far as staying on the trail. Does the trail extend all the way up since we've never done this climb before? How is the trail Terrain? Any answers or feedback are much appreciated!!!

[Screerider]

I'm sure you'll get some more expert advice than mine, but for now...
The first half hour or so does have a few stepups that are somewhat illuminated by the nearby lights. Staying on trail is not difficult at this point. The switchbacks have all been cut, but almost all lead to the tables. The tables may be the most confusing as there are several tourist paths wondering around. Passing the tables, the trail goes to the left, but not around the hill. You'll soon come to a large rock cone where you take the trail to the right, soon turning left where it starts going uphill again. You may or may not see the large boulder with a sign painted on it, depending on how soon you turn left.
After that point the tourist trails drop off and it's not quite so confusing. You'll soon come to another rock cone. I'm not sure why that is there. The trail does split at that point but soon rejoins.
Google HJ's C2C blog and I seriously doubt from your self description that you'll have any trouble.

[roller62]

Hey Elizabeths,
you will probably get a lot of responses from the regulars who know Skyline C2C like the back of their hand, but here are my impressions from my first try last year.

Adjust your start time based on the projected Palm Springs temperature the date you are heading up. I went on may 5 last year, and Palm Springs temps were in the high nineties. I Hit the trail at 4:45 and the temps were not a problem.

Water/hydration - you'll get a lot of feedback on that from the regulars, I did just fine with 4.5 liters of water but it also helped I downed a half liter of gatoraid with my coffee on the drive to the trailhead (I'm 6-2, 200 lbs, so adjust accordingly).

Finding the trail in the dark - my friend and I went up from the Ramon Rd trailhead rather than the Museum trail, and we scoped out the bottom part (half mile) the day before. The south Lykken trail from the end of Ramon is marked with paint spots and is pretty easy to follow by headlamp up pas the painted rocks where the trail meets with the museum trail to form the Skyline trail proper. to me, the trail further up the skyline ridge got indistinct and spidery at times, but you should be in daylight by them. Hiking Jim posted a really good map from So Cal Hikers I believe, so do a search for that as it is a good reference. When in doubt, keep heading uphill


Snow and ice - latest reports say the trail is clear enough up to Long Valley/tram station area, but keep checking as it might get a freak storm in the next couple weeks. A fairly decent storm hit two weeks before I went last year and there was quite a bit of snow going up to the peak from long valley. We were generally OK with just boots and poles and I did slip a couple times, so microspikes might be a good idea. In general we didn't have a problem finding trail up the flat rock area (about 5000 ft, and the start of the real climbing) and from the Long Valley area to the top it is like a freeway (even with snow there should be a well worn boot track).

Necessities - check out the Skyline quiz on this site to give you a really good idea what to need and expect. One thing that I can share is that there is a lot of spiny yucca and cactus on the lower end of the trail. Some good soul had trimmed some of it back from the trail, but I was still glad to have long pants on as my friend with shorts was nicely scratched up.

Do you have a good chance to make it? Sounds like you can based on your Colorado experience, but remember the whole C2C is about 22 miles, so getting a 20 miler done in the time before you go would help. The real thing you have to do is make it up skyline to Long Valley as everything past that is negotiable. The biggest killer on Skyline is people stopping on the way up and heading back down in the brutal heat.

Good luck, and have fun. It is a great experience if you are prepared and ready.

Ron in San Diego

[Elizabeths]

Thanks, Screerider, I'll try to find the Hj's C2C blog. Did a quick search and didn't see it but I'll keep looking...

@Roller62 - would you recommend starting from the Lykken trail as opposed to the museum trail? Is it more clearly marked? We'll likely try to scope out the first mile or two of the trailhead we plan to start from a day or two before the hike. We also plan to do a hike at JTNP a few days prior. Hopefully weather cooperates as we are only in town for 1 week.

Thanks! I look forward to any more info anyone can provide. These posts are a great start to helping in us feel prepared!!

[Screerider]

I should have said Hikin Jim. Follow the Cactus to Clouds Hiking Guide link above.
Lykken Trail is a little less steep and slightly longer. Jim has it charted on his blog.
Ramon dead ends at the mountain. An old dirt road section goes off to the right that you follow for maybe a hundred yards before turning left at the trail sign. I missed the turn the first time. Probably more stupidity than anything...
While Lykken is pretty easy to follow, the Museum trail isn't that bad and also has the white dots.
Starting at 5:30 (92* day) on Easter I was at 4300' by 9:00. I'm a little slow. It is considerable cooler at that altitude. I hit the heat coming back down.

[cynthia23]

I agree with the advice to start from the South Lykken TH (at end of Ramon Road) as Desert Museum is just too messed up and confusing. I also agree that the earlier you start, the better. Check projected temps night before. If daytime highs in Palm Springs are going to be above 92, DON'T GO. You must remember that in the event the hike is too much for you, you will have to descend. When valley temps are over 90, this can be dangerous. Valley temps have been above normal lately and by mid to late April, most days are likely to be over ninety. You might rethink/reschedule.

It concerns me that you write "worse case scenario is we quit at the tram." No, worse case scenario is that you are unable to make it to the tram station. The lower portion of C2C (Palm Springs to tram station) is by far the most difficult part. It's also concerning that the most you've gained in previous hikes is only three thousand feet, and that last year. Unless you are a daily runner or cyclist, you may not be conditioned enough for this. Pay attention to your fatigue levels and rate of ascent. If you takes you longer than four hours to get to the 4300 cairn, you aren't conditioned enough and may not make it to the tram station. At that point, the safe thing to do is accept the situation and go back down. People who end up getting rescued are the ones who stubbornly drag on for another hour or two, then totally bonk and can neither descend nor ascend. Be prepared (with water, and as mentioned, early starts AND A COOL DAY) for the possibility that you might need to descend. It happens all the time to many people (including, alas, me ). It's not a problem if the day is cool enough and you have enough water. If it's hot and you run out of water, you can get into a rescue situation. Hope this helps.

[Carl F]

Hello Elizabeth(s)
For the skyline portion of the hike (Museum to Tram) there exist GPS coordinates in the "Cactus to Clouds Hiking Guide" that can be uploaded to your garmin device (Oregon 450 etc) if you have one. On my first hike there that's what I did and I found it quite helpful in a few spots. Just a little added security blanket. Actually the GPS on that site are mine! (Thanks to Perry of course). There's another format too (KML by Florian), and other places you can find them as well.

In any case I'm sure fitness-wise you'll have no problem with proper electrolytes and hydration.

[Elizabeths]

Thanks Screerider. I found Hikin' Jim's blog and its look extremely helpful!

Cynthia I appreciate your feedback. We are not daily runners/cyclists but former collegiate athletes that work out 4-6 days a week. I am grateful for the responses as we hope to complete the hike (if conditions are good) but we certainly are not taking it lightly. We will be sure to leave the trailhead between 4:30 and 5am. My biggest concern is heat, staying the course (literally staying on the trail) and snakes!

My goal is to create checkpoints to ensure we are at the elevation we need to be by a certain time. Hope to get out a few days before and check out the first few miles of the trail.

Carl F thanks for the GPS tip. I don't have a GPS - just my trusty iPhone. Maybe I can ask a friend as I think this would help set my mind at ease. I've read a lot about people getting lost and pretty far off the trail!

Thanks again, everyone. This info is so helpful and appreciated!

[Screerider]

Just understand that while we are here to cheer you on and offer support, there is a lot of truth in Cynthia's post.
The heat can not be understated. Many of the strongest athletes lack the endurance to make the distance. It depends on your training.
I'm a bit slow, so it takes me just around 3.5 hours to make it to the 4300' mark then 2 hours to make it back down. After 11:00 it starts getting hot. I use more water going down.
It is a good point to make a judgement call. The higher you go, the hotter it gets in a retreat.
It's a nice hike no matter where you end up, unless you end up in trouble.

[guest]

Hi,
lots of good advice here.
Another helpful hint, (as I see too many people making this error).
When you come to some of the trail splits, now known as short-cuts, do yourself, (and the trail) a big favor, take the easier, less-steep ones when possible.
The thought of "when in doubt, just go up" can cause a lot of unnecessary fatigue & energy consumption. Those steeper "routes" will cause you to expend a lot more energy, (many of them at 3-5k ft. along the route), so by the time you reach Flat Rock (approx. 6k.) where the trail gets steeper, you will have much less reserve for this toughest section.

Yes, it can be tough to determine which way, and sometimes, the easier / main trail looks less traveled, (as some yahoos insist on covering it up, but it's generally the more gradual route.
Your time will probably be faster, and you'll have a better, more energetic day.
I've seen too many people take the tougher routes, only to come undone, have to keep stopping, and feel like crap, because their macho egos tells them to go the steeper way.

ss