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| Hiking | 13.40 Miles |
5,750 AEG |
| | Hiking | 13.40 Miles | | | |
| 5,750 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | This was my first time in Palm Springs. I got started at 7:20AM local time and began ascending. I had worn a winter long sleeved shirt and another short sleeve over that, since it was in the 50s and I was cold. Well, that didn't last very long. It was amazing how fast the rising sun quickly warmed things up. Made it to the picnic benches where I cached a water bottle, then Rescue 1, where I did the same thing.
Trail traffic was very mild today. There were two people near the very beginning and a woman coming down about a mile or so up. I was following another guy who started before me and we flip flopped a couple times. I last saw him at about 4,000 feet where I took a brief rest to drink. I think he might have been heading for the tram. There was one trail runner and four other hikers on the descent. Then a handful of people close to the trailhead.
It felt like the trail was shaded for a good mile or so around mile 2-3. To me, the trail was getting a little squirley above 4,000 feet, with it leveling off and going down in places. I simply hate it when an uphill trail goes down as it makes things confusing and counterintuitive. It seemed like I went up, down, up a little crest, then back down when I came to the Palm Springs 5 mi stone with a left arrow? Left? Huh? I had come down to it! Okay, I guess this is going to be my turnaround point because I don't know what is going on. I looked around a little, still confused. Luckily, this hike was the first time I ever used route scout. I had only looked at it briefly once to confirm if it was working or not. Now, when I really needed it, I was able to see that the official route went around to the left, while I had continued to go up and then down the crest. Great, I am where I should be, so I went and sat down in the shade, ate and hydrated.
I headed back to the trailhead, with route scout helping me on a couple occasions when I had gone a bit astray. My phone battery died with 3 miles remaining. I came across some folks coming up just past the picnic benches and they asked if I had left a blue water bottle at the bench, which I thought was a bit odd. I had stashed it in the bush behind the bench, but someone had moved it on top of the table in the sunlight. Strange, but at least they didnt drink any of it.
I thought I had a chance of making it to 6,000-6,500 feet today, but it wasn't in the cards. It was warmer than I thought it would be and I would have needed more water to make it to that elevation, so it was good I turned around when I did.
I was pleased with my effort. Much props to those hazers who have done the whole thing! |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
Route 
I failed in recording the route for the ascent (we will call it operator error), but got one for the descent. At times, I went down different ways than I came up, which usually seems to be the case on this one. The route recorded my upper elevation around 5,060 feet, but looking at the topo map, there is a 5120' contour.
