After arriving and chatting for a while we decided to head to Carl’s Jr. to grab some coffee and grub and wait for the road to open up. By this time, the winds were picking up in the desert and you could see the clouds moving in from the west through the valley and over San Jacinto. From what I could see from the visitors’ center, there was no snow on San Jacinto. Maybe there was snow on the west side.
After downing some grub at Carl's Jr. we drove back to the road to take our place in line. In front of us was a school bus full of high school ROTC students. We needed to get around that bus get to the terminal before they do. We managed to pass that bus about tw0-thirds up the road. We parked our vehicles and walked briskly up to the front of the terminal just in time. As soon as we got there, that bus pulled up in front of terminal.
We took the first tram up. It was a little chilly at the top, but there was no snow anywhere to be seen. I had brought my cold weather gear including ice ax and snowshoes in my Gregory Z-Pack. Maybe there was a slight chance of measurable snow.
Joe (top), Mike and Debra
Thank God there weren't any fashion police on San Jacinto!We filled out our permits at the ranger station and headed out for our fartlek loop. Today was not going to be a summit day to the top of San Jacinto. Today was just a loop with a few strenuous grades.
About a mile into the trail, Debra was feeling nauseous. So, instead of hiking any further, it was decided that Debra go back to the tram station. I had given her an extra set of car keys in case she needed to head down to lower elevation. It was decided that after I escorted Debra back to the station, Joe and Mike would proceed along the loop while I would take the trail to Wellman’s Divide and hook up with them somewhere in the great unknown in two to two and a half hours.
I passed a few people on the way up. I couldn’t help but notice one gentleman who was slightly rotund and carrying nothing but a camera sitting on one of the many fallen logs. No pack and no water and his breathing was labored. I asked if he was okay and he nodded positively. There was this group of three Asians (2 men and 1 woman) about 200 yards from WD. They were dressed inappropriately considering the current climate conditions.
I got to WD around 1:00 p.m. No snow on the other side of the mountain. The wind was blowing up and the clouds were moving in. It was cold but not too cold to bring out my fleece jacket or gloves. Then, it started to snow lightly. Cool! Not enough to warrant wearing any snowshoes or bringing out the ice ax. I proceeded down to a little on the other side. I stopped and sat about 300 yards from the divide for a moment to assess the situation. There was this Korean couple heading down into the white abyss. They, too, were not appropriately dressed for the current conditions. Some people just don’t get it!
I could not see nor hear Joe or Mike due to the cloud cover and winds. It was about 1:30 p.m. and it has been three hours since I saw the two of them. I decided I would turn around. I have a simple rule of thumb that if I am not where I want to be between 1:00-1:30 p.m., I turn around. When I got back up to WD, it felt like the temperature dropped 10° in a matter of minutes! My fingers were cold, but I did not break out the gloves since the temperatures were tolerable.
I saw the group of three proceed up to the summit. They could not see me but I could hear them. I could not see the summit due to the cloud cover. I just shook my head.
On my way down I passed the rotund gentleman again. He didn’t make much headway from the last time I saw him. I asked what he was trying to accomplish and he said he wanted to get pictures from WD and then return to the terminal. I told him it was a bit windy up there, there was some snow flurries and there are no photo opportunities today because it was nothing but white. There was no snow falling on us at this point since we were under the trees and the air was still. I cautioned him then proceeded down while he continued up.
About 10 minutes later, large flakes started to gently fall. Maybe Mr. Big Guy got what he wanted or decided that what I told him was the truth.
I got to Round Valley and there were a couple of ranger volunteers turning back people not appropriately dressed. I told one of them that I had two friends on the trail, and that there was a group of three proceeding to the summit and one going to Wellman’s Divide. I passed a few people going up to camp at Round Valley and weather the storm. I hope some snow fell to make their backpacking trek a memorable one.
I got back to the tram station and could not find Debra. I did one sweep. Nothing. Then as I turned back around, there she was sitting at one of the tables. I had a couple of beers and kept looking from the station to located Joe and Mike. I did not see them. Of course, I became concerned, but Joe and Mike are experienced hikers. Debra and I headed down to the parking lot and I left a note on Mike’s windshield and I left a voicemail message on Joe’s cellphone.
Joe and Mike eventually made it down safely.
I had my digital camera in one of the cargo pockets in my convertible trousers. Poor decision. My camera was dead. The power drained due to the cold temperatures. I was unable to get any photos from WD.
