My day in Palm Springs started with a 9am scheduled
departure on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway. The tramway scales Chino Canyon
up the side of mighty Mount San Jacinto. It was my goal for the day to take the
tram up to the Mountain Station and then hike to the summit from there. The 10
minute ride ascends from around 2,000 feet to nearly 8,500 feet at the Mountain
Station. For the majority of folks, this is the final destination as the
station boasts a cushy cocktail bar and five-star restaurant. You can imagine
that I looked out of place with my day hiking pack and hiking pole going up the
tram.
The tram car makes two complete rotations allowing all the
occupants in the car a 360 degree view. As the tram climbs, the view becomes
even more and more astounding by the second. Expansive views reach across the
Coachella Valley to the expansive metropolis on the desert floor. For me, however, the view of the mountainside
is even more incredible. The jagged canyons formed by fault lines millions of
years ago have created a landscape of incredible natural beauty. Cutting almost
right down the middle of the eastern face is the narrow green belt of Chino
Canyon, where the tram route ascends. From there, you can see just how powerful
the life-giving force of water is as this green belt is juxtaposed among a
brown and copper colored mountain.
Just like last year, I got off the tram, got a permit from the
Ranger Station, and made my way up the 5.5-mile trail to the summit of San
Jacinto Peak. Along the way, I kept being amazed at the natural beauty of this
mountain. I have hiked all over Southern California, and in Oregon, and I don’t
think I have ever been on a more beautiful trail. You start by paralleling a
mountain stream in a cathedral of lodgepole pines. At around mile 2, you come
upon Long Valley, a verdant clear mountain meadow with bright green grass and a
background of bare, jagged rock subpeaks of the main summit. Every twenty
minutes or so, I just had to stop and take in the silence of nature. What was extraordinary
was that the tramway and tramway station were crowded with tourists and people.
But here, just a few miles away, you got a sense of wilderness solitude that is
becoming so rare nowadays.
I summited the peak of San Jacinto from the station in about
two hours. It was very windy at the top and, surprisingly, rather cool. From the top, I had unimpeded views across the Inland Empire all the way into East LA County and Orange County. If it weren't for the blasted marine layer, I could have seen all the way to Catalina and maybe even the Channel Islands. To the east, the view was even more expansive as I could see well past Palm Springs to Indio, the interior of Joshua Tree National Park, and past the Salton Sea to probably the Mexican border by Mexicali. If you think about the square mileage of the panorama I got, I pretty much had all of Southern California covered.
After spending about a half hour at the top admiring the view, eating lunch and taking a power nap, I began my descent. While going down the mountain is always easier than going up, the exposure and the heat started to kick in. As I got lower and lower in elevation, the temperature rose and the winds never died down. This has the consequence of really drying you out and sapping your fluid levels. I kept drinking water as I had plenty in my pack and my camelback, but by the time I had gotten down, I was absolutely dry mouthed and thirsty. The damage had already been done and I was suffering from dehydration. Throughout the rest of the day, I developed a painful headache that was a side effect of the condition. For next year, I need to make sure that I take regular water breaks where I rest and drink.
As I was going down, I was entertaining the notion of taking this hike to the next level. This particular hike I have done for the last two years is not the ENTIRE hike to the top. In a way, by taking the tram, I cheat by cutting off more than half of the mountain itself. The real trail, called the "Cactus-to-Clouds", starts from the desert floor behind the Palm Springs Art Museum. It is a grueling, steep and perilous climb from there nearly eight miles to the Mountain Station where you then join the trail I was on. It has the greatest elevation gain of any established trail in the United States, and it requires the hiker to begin their ascent in the middle of the night to avoid the sweltering desert heat of the day. It's pretty extreme, so I will think about it...
After coming down off the mountain and back to my car, I drove into Palm Springs for some much-needed relaxation by the pool. There is a public pool right next to Palm Springs Stadium, so being able to take a shower and marinate in the pool after the hike was just fabulous. Relaxing in the pool for an hour while the sun was blazing in 100 degree temperature probably didn't help my dehydration, but the feeling of coolness and relaxation was so worth the five dollars to get in.
After grabbing a bite to eat at Ruby's in Downtown Palm Springs, I made my way to Palm Springs Stadium to see the Palm Springs Power take on the SoCal Halos. This particular brand of baseball is a summer collegiate league where they use wood bats. As a result, both of the teams had an interesting roster of players from all over the country at different levels of college. For the Power, their leadoff hitter was from Michigan State, but their clean-up batter was from Riverside City College. It is a different type of baseball than the professional ranks, which is what I have gotten used to the past few months. Routine flyballs are no longer easy plays, lots of errors, and position players pitching are the norm in these collegiate summer leagues.
I was surprised that with the balmy 100-degree temperatures, and how Palm Springs shrinks to a an almost ghost town in the summer, that they attracted a decent crowd for a Sunday night game. This is the second time I have been surprised with Palm Springs attendance for a baseball game as even the California Winter League in January drew a robust crowd. Judging by the people who were there, it seemed like the majority of those in attendance were regular patrons to the games and season ticket holders. This clientele makes the games feel more community-oriented as it seems like everybody knows each other and that this is the place to be on that night. I prefer that type of atmosphere over some of the Major League games I go to where fir-weather fans dominate, bringing down the experience for everyone else.
Palm Springs jumped out to a big lead, but SoCal clawed there way back through the late innings to bring the score to 8-7. Palm Springs ended up holding on in the end for the victory.
This was my last visit to Palm Springs for this summer, but I think I have struck a real nice balance of activities in the city revolving around the baseball games. In January, when I do the California Winter League doubleheaders, going for a bike ride around the city is the activity. When I make my return visit in June, when the games are played at night, the hike up San Jacinto is what I do. Each visit is an alternating activity that takes advantage of everything that Palm Springs can offer. I still feel, however, that there is some more refining that I can do and improvements that can be made. This is all stuff that makes me excited to come back next year!
As we move into the end of June and beginning of July, my Road Trips will be more local except for a few exceptions. Over the Fourth of July weekend, I'm driving to Oregon to spend some time with family. I'm planning, on the way back, to make a stop in Stockton or Fresno to see the teams play there. I'm still thinking about the logistics for that, and it'll probably be a spur of the moment decision on where I go. I'll be sure to let all of you know!
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
After spending about a half hour at the top admiring the view, eating lunch and taking a power nap, I began my descent. While going down the mountain is always easier than going up, the exposure and the heat started to kick in. As I got lower and lower in elevation, the temperature rose and the winds never died down. This has the consequence of really drying you out and sapping your fluid levels. I kept drinking water as I had plenty in my pack and my camelback, but by the time I had gotten down, I was absolutely dry mouthed and thirsty. The damage had already been done and I was suffering from dehydration. Throughout the rest of the day, I developed a painful headache that was a side effect of the condition. For next year, I need to make sure that I take regular water breaks where I rest and drink.
As I was going down, I was entertaining the notion of taking this hike to the next level. This particular hike I have done for the last two years is not the ENTIRE hike to the top. In a way, by taking the tram, I cheat by cutting off more than half of the mountain itself. The real trail, called the "Cactus-to-Clouds", starts from the desert floor behind the Palm Springs Art Museum. It is a grueling, steep and perilous climb from there nearly eight miles to the Mountain Station where you then join the trail I was on. It has the greatest elevation gain of any established trail in the United States, and it requires the hiker to begin their ascent in the middle of the night to avoid the sweltering desert heat of the day. It's pretty extreme, so I will think about it...
After coming down off the mountain and back to my car, I drove into Palm Springs for some much-needed relaxation by the pool. There is a public pool right next to Palm Springs Stadium, so being able to take a shower and marinate in the pool after the hike was just fabulous. Relaxing in the pool for an hour while the sun was blazing in 100 degree temperature probably didn't help my dehydration, but the feeling of coolness and relaxation was so worth the five dollars to get in.
Palm Springs jumped out to a big lead, but SoCal clawed there way back through the late innings to bring the score to 8-7. Palm Springs ended up holding on in the end for the victory.
This was my last visit to Palm Springs for this summer, but I think I have struck a real nice balance of activities in the city revolving around the baseball games. In January, when I do the California Winter League doubleheaders, going for a bike ride around the city is the activity. When I make my return visit in June, when the games are played at night, the hike up San Jacinto is what I do. Each visit is an alternating activity that takes advantage of everything that Palm Springs can offer. I still feel, however, that there is some more refining that I can do and improvements that can be made. This is all stuff that makes me excited to come back next year!
As we move into the end of June and beginning of July, my Road Trips will be more local except for a few exceptions. Over the Fourth of July weekend, I'm driving to Oregon to spend some time with family. I'm planning, on the way back, to make a stop in Stockton or Fresno to see the teams play there. I'm still thinking about the logistics for that, and it'll probably be a spur of the moment decision on where I go. I'll be sure to let all of you know!
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment