We woke up this morning on one of the most distant ridges of mount Jacinto, far from its peak but certainly within its grasp. The giant mountain whipped and whirled the wind as we tried to sleep and made for a long night and early morning as we both had difficulty sleeping. Our morning started an hour later than normal as we both tried to catch up on lost sleep when the wind finally settled. Our day was divided by the two mountain chains and the valley in between. We hiked off and away from Mount Jacinto as we descended for nearly 5 miles. When we hit the desert floor we had our eyes set on the I-10 overpass to refill our water and eat lunch. By the time we got there nearly 3 miles later we were wore out from the sun and the wind which again had gained speed. I should mention we are walking through the wind farm just outside Palm Springs so we should be expecting the wind. After lunch we continued hiking north on the hot desert valley floor until we reached the next chain of mountains. We ascended first through a subdivision, then another wind farm and finally into a canyon which gradually gained elevation. Eventually we were high enough and hiked several switchbacks before cresting the new chain. The views were amazing again as we saw new mountains with new looking vegetation and rugged ridges and peaks. This section of the trail was particularly appealing because of the vastness and emptiness we saw all around us. As far as the mountains would allow us to see we only saw nature as it has been for thousands of years. We’re camped by a river tonight on white sandy beaches with the new mountain chain in full view. Tomorrow we will ascend these and go deeper into the untouched ridges.
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