The Sunday before the annual tram closure, Karin and I decided to make another attempt to find the old Tamarack trail. We agreed to turn around at the first sign of bush wacking to avoid further insult to my scarred calves and knees. In the lower tram station boarding aream we met Ron (Karin's eye doctor and friend) and Stu (one of the doctors I met on my previous trip up San Jacinto).
We also opted to take the Sid Davis route to Tamarck Valley. I hadn't gone this way since my snowshoe misadventure in February. It's even prettier than I remembered. We encountered a volunteer ranger near Tamarack Valley who gave us helpful tips for finding the old trail. It wasn't long before we were making our way up the overgrown trail through manzanita and chinqaupin (sp?) with a little buckthorn thrown in for variety
This part of the trail also offered no protection from the sun.
The final section returned us to the shade, winding uphill under evergreens and around rocks to eventually join with the main trail. As luck would have it, we connected with Ron and Stu again and had lunch with them on top. It was a glorious day on the summit. The descent was much nicer as the clouds had rolled in and we had a nice breeze. After the ritual beverage at the tram station, we had fabulous Mexican food at the original Las Consuelas.
While I'm glad to have finally hiked Tamarack without looking like I was attacked by demonic cougars, I prefer the main trail due to the shade and condition of the trail. I'm looking forward for the tram to reopen for Skyline (weather permitting).
Miles of smiles,
Ellen