Cactus to Clouds to Aging Knees

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Trip Start Aug 20, 2007 Previous
Entry Trip End Jul 04, 2008

  Palm Springs, California, United States
Monday, November 9, 2009

    -It's about 4:30 AM. Martin Schatz and I are buzzing off of a potent brew of coffee his grandma made us. We have began our hike an hour and a half ago and have been charging up a mountainside in the dark to what would turn out to be the beginning of a 22 mile hike. The trail is known as the Cactus to Clouds which is claimed to be in the top five hardest day hikes in the lower 48 states. It connects the desert floor which is 200 feet above sea level with San Jacinto Peak at 10,834 feet. The sunrise has no sign of coming and the waning quarter moon is casting its silver light upon a slope of granite boulders. Mars is on the horizon adding an celestial element to the desert's potent stillness.
    -So far this morning we shared the trail with three women hikers who started out ahead of us. We passed them (of course) because they were slow chatty ladies, but they passed us because we were men and got lost by taking a wrong turn. After seeing their head lamps bobbing up the hillside on the correct route we ended up retracing our route and catching up again. I told them we had been spreading the ashes of a dead friend on the trail

The Beginning

. They gave their sympathy's and "Awww that is so sad and sweet.' I told them I was lying, and with that Martin and I continued our rapid pace up the steep incline of San Jacinto.
    -It is just before sunrise, and we are taking a short break. The stillness of the desert dawn is deafening. How rare is it to hear nothing at all but your own heart beat? The presence of the moment is... well it just is. I love this about being on trails, being in the moment.
    - We are scrambling up a steep and loose section of the mountain. We have climbed about 7,000 feet in the last five hours. I see footprints of other hikers, but I don't think this is the trail. I turn around and see the true trail below us. We are off the trail once again thanks to my keen sense of direction. Martin is quickly descending back down the to the trail. I follow and my sore left knee streaks with pain. Traversing the rest of the way very is done cautiously. It's just less than 10 miles into the hike. We have 12 more to go. A make shift walking stick is procured and the hobble to the summit begins.
    -This is a gorgeous part of the trail. There are cedar trees and white granite boulders scattered on the steep slope of San Jacinto with autumn afternoon sunlight. The contrast of colors is aesthetically pleasing. It just looks beautiful. The air is crisp and clean. The sky is royal blue. The mood is nothing but positive. Maybe its because the last couple of mile to the summit are not as grueling as the first eleven miles of constant steep ascent

Martin S.

. At one point both of my quadriceps had been cramping and my left knee had me wandering if I was going to make it. Thanks to Martin's "'When I say 'Ain't no', you say, 'Thang'!" chant we had made it this far. I slaughtered it many times though with my 'honky' ways.
    -The gusts of cold air only can raise the spirits of Martin and myself at the summit of San Jacinto at 10,834 feet. The wind chill at the top is in the teens according to a ranger who passed us earlier on the trail. We hunker down amongst some boulders basking in the sun and eat our granola bars and last bits of jerky. We have made it 16.5 miles and climbed from 200 feet above sea level.
    -It's 8:00 PM. Lieing on an inflatable mattress and barely audible I try to thank Martin's mom for the hospitality, the deep sleep overcomes and its 9 hours of powerful sleep. Martin and I were on the trail for a total of 14 hours, 22 miles and an elevation gain of 10,634 feet. Martin and I are pretty amazed with ourselves. When I say, "'Thang!' You say 'Ain't no!'" . "Thang!" ......I am a honky.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Palm Springs	Early Morning	Dawn	Dawn 2
Rest at Dawn's Stillness	View to Stilllness	Martin Early	The Trail
Happy	Sunrise Warmth	Here Comes the Sun	Hands on the Hips
Yucca Glow	Break	View	Contemplate
Trail Bud	Favorite Part of the Trail	To San Jacinto	Cedar's and Boulders
The Summit	The Summit 2	The Desert Below	Top
Rest	Tired Dogs	Tired Dogs 2	Expanse
Forest	San Jacinto's Shadow across the Desert	Happy and in Pain	San Jacinto in Hindsight- Very Glad

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