San Jacinto Snowshoe Summit

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Determined to summit in the snow, I invited my friend Lee (who's in way better shape and has a ton of experience) to go with me snowshoeing for the day. We took the first tram up at 8am and made it to the summit by 12:15pm. A few technical difficulties aside, I felt I did alot better this week than last. Still, the altitude was definitely affecting me and there were many times I had to stop to let my heartrate come back down.

As good as it felt to summit, it was so ridiculously cold and windy up there that we were only up for maybe a minute before dropping back down the east side and it was pleasant.

Last week, I brought snowshoes but it turned out crampons would've been much more appropriate on the ice. This week, I brought crampons and snowshoes and didn't use the crampons at all.

There was a lot of fresh snow in the last week which made snowshoes more practical.

We were making great time at first; roughly 1.8 miles an hour, which in snowshoes is pretty good for me.

High winds...

Stopping to take in the view on the way up

Miller Peak, facing east

Some cool-looking tree. We stopped here for lunch on the way back down later.

Trudging up

Almost there!

Just below the summit. You can see which way the wind blows up here.

At the summit! Man it was freezing!

Trudging back down

We stopped by that cool tree and Lee got his camping stove out and melted some ice and made miso soup. It felt so good to have something hot to drink!

Hot miso soup!

We packed up and headed back. I thought we made pretty decent time, especially after my snail-paced return last weekend.

Once we got back down near the stream, the sky cleared up.

We made it back just in time to catch the 4pm tram back down.

The Stats

Total distance - 7.74mi
Hike start - 8:31am
Hike end - 3:37pm
Average Speed - 1.1mph
Moving Speed - 1.8mph
Actual hiking - 4:24
Stopped time - 2:42
Elapsed time to summit - 3:14 (6 miles)
Elevation - 8300ft - 10,800ft (2,500ft)

San Jacinto Solo Summit Attempt - Aborted

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I was originally supposed to go hiking with the Los Angeles Hiking Meetup Group, but I was short on time and concerned for the weather and decided to take the first tram up and do what I could. Not knowing the terrain well enough, going solo, and getting caught in a whiteout added to a slightly more stressful hike than I'm used to, but I survived. :)

I ended up ascending to over 10,200ft. Not bad for still having a cold. I did about 6.8 miles roundtrip but it took almost 6 hours. I just couldn't go faster with the ice.

At the lower tram station

Once at the top, I noticed how different the conditions were from the last time I was there. The snow, once powdery and soft, was now frozen over into an awkward lumpy ice that was impossible for snowshoes. I also realized that there was no clear direction to hike. Fortunately there was a guy, named Bob, who checked in at the ranger station just before me and I started following him. He was a bit of a weird one and at one point turned around and said "oh, I didn't know you were still following me. I'm just kinda wandering around aimlessly." We parted ways at the lower end of Round Valley, where I picked up the trail from the seasonal ranger station.

Bob "leading" me

Lower end of Round Valley

I started following these guys

I was starting to wonder about this

I remember swinging left around this mountain the last time I summited and I was following a group that was stubbornly pushing up the steepest part of the peak. I stopped for a break and weighed my options. I could've continued up and hoped to find the main trail to the summit, or turn back. As I was sitting there, I notice clouds overhead and the winds picking up. The clouds were moving in. I decided, especially since I was alone, that I'd turn back. Good thing too, because I was about to get trapped in my first whiteout.

The point of return

My first whiteout

Thankfully I was able to follow my GPS track back down. There were so many impromptu trails made from boots and snowshoes that it was hard to tell where to go. There were several times I checked the GPS track to find that I'd wandered away and hadn't even realized it.

The weather started to clear a bit and once I found the stream, I knew it'd be easy to make my way back.

The weather changed for the better

The stream I followed back

Back at the bottom

Elevation/Distance

Speed/Time

REI Snowshoeing Class - San Jacinto

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Our first REI Outdoor class, and it was AMAZING. We took the "Intro to Snowshoeing" class and the instructors were really knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I spent a lot of time talking with Michael, one of the two instructors, and he said I was running around "like a kid in a candy store" in the snow. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. I loved every second of the experience and I can't wait to get out there again!

Heading up to the Aerial Tram

San Jacinto summit in the distance

The most layers I've ever hiked with, and I was still cold

The wind was horrible; gusts up to 70mph blasted us occasionally. Thankfully we ended up in some sheltered areas and it was much more pleasant.

I had no idea snowshoes looked like this

Class getting ready

Heading up a hill

Uphill workout

Looking north from "Shangri-La"

Helluva front moving in

Heading back down on the Tram

Storm moving onto the mountain

Chantry Flat to Cosmic Cafe ~ 17.5mi

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This was our first group hike with the Los Angeles Hiking Meetup Group. Unfortunately my iPhone's battery died right around the 12mi point and we soon after saw a sign that said Chantry Flat 5mi so with the distance to the car factored in, we did roughly 17.5 miles. It was brutal; the heat on the southeast side was surprising and the slush on the switchbacks past Sturtevant Camp made for slow-going. On the way down, I was surprised how slow I was going. Turns out I was getting sick and was going through the first stages of heat exhaustion. I thought I was drinking enough water but I awoke in the middle of the night with a powerful urge to vomit. Not exactly the best conditions for hiking, but I did it anyway; I'm stupid like that. :)

We never seem to be able to sleep in on weekends...

The group heads up from Chantry Flat parking lot

Crossing the stream

Sturtevant Camp

Sturtevant Camp

Mt Baldy, covered in snow

Our group at the summit

Starting back down the fire road

Shortly after this point, my battery died so I don't have any more photos or even a complete route with the GPS. Fortunately, we ordered some extended battery packs for our phones so we can charge while we break for lunch. I'm too cheap to go out and buy a full-on GPS yet. :)