San Jacinto Peak via Marion Mt. Trail - 8.17.13

[Norris]

I have been climbing San Jacinto since the early 1980s and the summit sign did not change for the longest time, it finally fell apart due to age. Now they change it on a yearly basis it seems, and each new one looks worse than the last. I had a conversation with a ranger about the summit sign changes not too long ago and came away with the impression that they have some kind of changing of the guard ritual which causes them to change it, the changes are not driven by the need to replace the sign. The most recent change is pretty pathetic. Also the signage in Little Round Valley for the various campsites is garish and the names are silly. So I think we can conclude that the signage policy on San Jacinto needs some serious rebooting.

[OldnSlow]

I did Marion Mt on the 28th for the first time and was surprised by not liking it very much. I was also surprised by the number of signs missing, including the summit sign - yes the new one. Sheesh.

[Jill G]

We inquired yesterday about the missing sign. It was given to a retiring ranger. Why they didn't just bring up a new one to replace the one they were removing? *cricket cricket*

[Hikin_Jim]

I have been climbing San Jacinto since the early 1980s and the summit sign did not change for the longest time, it finally fell apart due to age. Now they change it on a yearly basis it seems, and each new one looks worse than the last. I had a conversation with a ranger about the summit sign changes not too long ago and came away with the impression that they have some kind of changing of the guard ritual which causes them to change it, the changes are not driven by the need to replace the sign. The most recent change is pretty pathetic. Also the signage in Little Round Valley for the various campsites is garish and the names are silly. So I think we can conclude that the signage policy on San Jacinto needs some serious rebooting.

Sometimes I think SJ State Park is being run more like a city park than a wilderness. They're using skip loaders and such to "improve" the meadow at Round Valley. Really? Improvement? And what about preserving the wilderness character while doing it?

I'm not particularly enthused about the use of motorized vehicles in a wilderness area.

Tracks from a mechanical "mule":




On the plus side, they seem to be getting rid of the plastic port-a-potties which are an egregious eyesore. Here's some new wooden ones going in by the Round Valley Ranger Station. Much to our amusement, there were no doors.



HJ

[towbradley]

Yea,the missing sign thing. I cant believe they just pull the sign at the drop of the hat and dont replace it. I went last month from deer springs to the peak just for that shot, and guess what was missing? The hardware was still in vertical post, which at that time seemed odd, but not now. anyway, up i go again this Saturday,October 12th.

[Hikin_Jim]

See if you can find the USGS benchmark. They don't give that to a ranger when someone retires.

HJ

[jfr]

I'm not particularly enthused about the use of motorized vehicles in a wilderness area.

Tracks from a mechanical "mule":

And here's a shot of the mechanical mules, safely locked in their pen in Long Valley, bellied up against the feeding trough:



At least their treads are solid rubber! But I doubt they have much in the way of mufflers. So much for the "peace of the wilderness"...

[Hikin_Jim]

Ha! They look like lawnmowers to me.

HJ