From Wellman's Divide the elevation part of the hike really stars to kick in. Nothing too strenous, but I think I enjoyed this part of the hike more than the climb up from Round Valley. This is where you start heading back east more in the direction of Palm Springs.
There comes a point where there are two very long switchbacks. On the trail of the first one I looked back. You can see the hazy clouds around, but there was one in the background of concern.
That wasn't a cloud. It was smoke. That was coming from San Diego County. It was not too bad that morning, but later on in the day coming back down, the smoke started to reach Mt. San Jacinto. You could smell it, and it gave the sunlight an orange look all around.
It still seemed like a long way to the top from below, but in reality of the hike it was very close.
This is along the second long switchback. I really did not know how much longer I had to go, but felt pretty good. It was at this point I started encountering a few people on their way down from the summit. I did not ask, but I was quite sure that I was almost done based on my prior experience of these types of mountain hikes.
I did encounter a sign that said I had a .3 miles to the summit. While I was taking pictures, a man with a backpack came from the other side. He had spent the night below and was hiking some trail coming from Idyllwild. We both agreed it was time to finish this hike up. Not too long after I saw the San Jacinto Hut just below the summit.
Ramona Epic #24: Mt. San Jacinto (Youtube Version)
Ramona Epic #24: Mt. San Jacinto (Vimeo Version)
There comes a point where there are two very long switchbacks. On the trail of the first one I looked back. You can see the hazy clouds around, but there was one in the background of concern.
That wasn't a cloud. It was smoke. That was coming from San Diego County. It was not too bad that morning, but later on in the day coming back down, the smoke started to reach Mt. San Jacinto. You could smell it, and it gave the sunlight an orange look all around.
It still seemed like a long way to the top from below, but in reality of the hike it was very close.
This is along the second long switchback. I really did not know how much longer I had to go, but felt pretty good. It was at this point I started encountering a few people on their way down from the summit. I did not ask, but I was quite sure that I was almost done based on my prior experience of these types of mountain hikes.
I did encounter a sign that said I had a .3 miles to the summit. While I was taking pictures, a man with a backpack came from the other side. He had spent the night below and was hiking some trail coming from Idyllwild. We both agreed it was time to finish this hike up. Not too long after I saw the San Jacinto Hut just below the summit.
