MARK ALBURGER, 2014: July 29 - As the Year Turns

At the junction of the Pacific Crest Trail with the Oak Canyon Crossing,

high in the San Jacinto Desert Divide,

the day's goal is accomplished --

c. 13.2

miles

round-trip

from the Cedar Springs /

Morris Ranch Road Trailhead...

part of a personal montane through-line from Mexico to the Western Mojave Desert.

Very lucky,

very scenic,

not easy:

up to the

East

Canyon

Meadow,

snaking higher in the exposed, chaparral-clad,

cacti / yucca-knifed

switchbacks;

in sight of the

Mountain Fire's extensive 2013 effects,

dizzying prospects above

and

below,

attaining

the

Pass,

rest in a

shady copse,

then

south on the Ridge,

over

Little

Desert,

with

views

east to

Palm

Springs

Canyons

and

west over Garner Valley / Thomas Highlands,

past

Pyramid

Peak,

[Coulter] Pine

Mountain,

Devil's

Rockpile,

down

Lion

Divide

switchbacks,

road-crossing

and

boulder-hopping,

on the precipice of the Butterfly Pleateau

towards the Santa Rosas,

to the Junction.

10:30am to 3pm, 6.6 miles,

and just about that on the way back,

as the more-downhill-than-up is counterbalanced by increasing fatigue.

Off the trail at c. 7:30, re-powering up the phone, and powering up-and-down the foothills back into

Garner Valley,

past Fobes Ranch Road

(leading to the two-years ago's trailhead, which has been closed now more than a year since the aforesaid Fire),

big-natural lights out /

moon-and-incandescents on down the slopes of San Jacinto Canyon towards Hemet.

The day begins with a loop

around from

Calimesa --

east

I-

10,

then

proceeding

beeline

and

zig-

zag

towards

the

bouldery /

sere

foothills,

the

scenic,

sinuous

slopes of 243, looking down on San Gorgonio Pass

and

ahead to the continued circuitous meanderings beyond

McMullen

Flat

(environs of yet another forest fire, two weeks after last late summer's walk), debating about earlier-this-year's-road-walk-completion in the vicinity, and

plummeting down to

Idyllwild for National Forest information and a Nestles Crunch Ice Cream Bar -- the only nourishment of the day until a Del Taco Burrito not-so-quickstop Hemit-swise (OK, perhaps not the greatest choices... but the 10 poiunds lost over the summer need to stay lost, and at least there was packed plenty of water... 3 1.5 liter bottles, with the addition of un-utilized raingear + 3 maps and a trailbook, pretty much the backpack accoutrements du jour...)...

138th day of summer -- 100 back up north (88th 80+, 44th 90+, 10th 100+)... Buttonwillow 102, Yucaipa 90, Idyllwild 81 (c. 5,345 ft., as opposed to Little Desert Peak's c. 6,800)...

The home hundred count...

105 June 8-9
104 June 30, July 13
102 July 14, 26-27
100 June 10, July 25, 29