2nd May 2025

Dan and I have never summited a mountain before, that is until today. We decided to up the ante with the goal of making summit for sunrise. We set an alarm for 3am and were packed anyway and out of camp just before 4am. In the dark we could see the twinkling lights of Palm Springs below. 

Through the light from our head torches we navigated a trail which disappeared and reappeared with the snow. As we climbed, we could see the beginnings of dawn on the horizon: the race was on. The smell of pine was thick in the air and birdsong filled our ears. As the world became light we navigated the last section to the summit: a boulder climb with no obvious path to take. 

We arrived at the summit of San Jacintio Mountain just in time to see the sun break through the horizon; a vivid glow of yellow, orange, then blue, emanating from the white circle. On one side of the valley was the sunrise, the other a cloud inversion. 360° views of beauty and no one about but us to witness it.

We spent a few minutes on the rocks staring at the sun continuing its ascent over the mountains before finding shelter further down so I could feel my fingers again. We made coffee and had breakfast looking down on the other side of the valley. 

We descended, both feeling elated after this mornings success. The trail continued to deliver with a vision of beauty; deep forest greens, clear blue sky, white and black granite rocks and patches of white snow printed with brown pine needles and cones. Large squirrels with big bushy tails and cute little chipmunks darted in and out of the path, too quick to capture with a camera.

It was the first day of hiking where we were, for the most part, alone. It was a little unnerving to see so few hikers, especially none that we knew. Having said that, the solitude gave us the illusion that the trail was ours and ours alone, and there’s something rather privileged about that.

We stopped at a view point to have lunch. A wave of tiredness had overtaken me and I found the jaggered rock comfortable enough to have a quick power nap on. It had been a rough descent this morning and the altitude was getting to me a little. The snow had also made the trail harder to navigate. In the afternoon the snow softened causing us to slide and lose our footing. The path was even harder to locate, now obscured by not only snow but trees that had been blown over and now barricaded the trail. 

As we continued our downward climb we began seeing signs of the transition from forest back to desert. Manzanita trees, orange flecked sand, and lizards took place of the high desert forest.

At camp we made dinner and opted for an early night. While both happy, we felt exhausted by the physical efforts of today.