A couple days after a touch of late season cold rain, the SoCal mountains were white with snow and skies crisply devoid of smog. I couldn't remember the last time I went to the snow and it was too alluring to pass up on. I have never summited San Jacinto in any condition and I thought mid-week in the snow could be a good experience. The forecast was still unsettled with some clouds and chance of rain or snow, but the current snow conditions sounded good (bring microspikes, probably not much postholing) and I was eager to give a solo adventure a try. On weekdays the Palm Springs tram does not start running until 10am so I would have to do my best to go fast and light. Fortunately I was only one person so I did well with a walk-up ticket and got on the second tram up the mountain. I've been on the tram multiple times but it has yet to get old. The shifting views of the low desert, granite spires, and powdered sugar coated pines dazzled as our rotating sardine can hung suspended over the void of Chino Canyon and effortlessly gained 6000ft in elevation.
Once I exited the tram car at the mountain station I wasted no time in leaving the station. On the back patio I could see the summit of San Jacinto, 2 miles straight but 5 miles on trail, partially obscured by dark clouds and white with snow. I strolled down the switchbacked paved path into Long Valley and stopped at the ranger station to fill out a permit and get a brief assessment of conditions. Almost immediately past the station I passed one other hiker and then the snow started, continuous the whole way. Initially the trail was easy to follow as it weaved through rocks and trees, then after crossing the half-frozen creek I followed intermittent old boot tracks and cuts through logs. In places the snow gave a little under foot in unpredictable ways but generally I could make good progress with just my snow boots and trekking poles for support, not needing microspikes the whole day. I quickly settled into a pace stiff enough that I could hike mostly comfortable in only a long-sleeve field shirt despite the near-freezing temperatures. The quiet, shifting weather, crisp air, and black and white landscape all delighted my senses. I had the entire trail to myself.
I made steady progress past Round Valley Meadow and on up the steeper slopes to Wellman Divide, where I got vast views over the snowy southern slopes of the massif. The trail became narrower as it traversed the slopes through sub-alpine scrub and patchy forest. I drifted in and out of clouds, from occasional near-whiteout to distant views of sunny desert. The conical spire of Cornell Peak nearly touching a ceiling of dark clouds was a particularly dramatic sight.
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| Looking south from Wellman Divide |
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| Cornell Peak |
Approaching the trail's main switchback seemed to go on forever but eventually I found the end, doubled-back, and began the final ascent towards the summit, now on a very narrow footpath above the steepest slope yet. I could see the mountain station of the tram perched on the rim of the mountain miles away.
Once on the main ridge the snow was even thicker and the trees blasted with wind-streaked snow and ice. Just shy of the summit I stopped into the historic rock shelter to have my lunch. It was a neat old building, a little worse for wear. Happily my thermos of hot water still had most of its heat and I enjoyed a fancy freeze-dried meal as I chatted with two PCT hikers that detoured for the summit. After they took off, I continued the few hundred feet to the summit at 10804' after about 3 hours hiking. The peak was shrouded in clouds when I arrived but I stuck around for nearly a half hour enjoying shifting windows through the clouds.
Clouds shifted in and I took the dark skies and light snow as my cue to head back down the mountain. On the way back I went for the beeline option straight down the hill through the low scrub instead of the switchback. The snow gave way perfectly underfoot to cushion big steps down the slope. At one point there was a steady falling snow and low visibility that added to the isolation and quiet. I detoured through the open meadow for something different and got a little turned around after that. The rest of the hike was uneventful. I made it back to the ranger station before 5pm and the tram station a little after (2hrs from the summit). I waited for the next tram car and then it was down the mountain and back home. It's been a while since I've had a chance to get out on my own, to spend a day by myself away from people, and to be a little out of my element (snow!). Though it was a pretty active day, I found it to be one of the more rejuvenating I have had in a while.
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