Glorious yet suspect day,
up and out fairly early towards
Beaumont
and
Banning,
up
the
Idyllwild
Grade
with views to
San Gorgonio Mountain and
Pass towards
San Jacinto for a walk to the
Summit Junction via
Idyllwild's Humber Park,
starting below the elliptical skies of Lily Rock,
initially up the Devil's
Slide Trail,
with views of
Suicide Rock,
to
Saddle
Junction.
From here,
contour around San Jacinto Ridge
on the actual Pacific Crest Trail (surprise!),
with glimpses back to Tahquitz Peak and
Lily, to the
Strawberry
turnoff,
then
Wellman
Cienega's
verdure
and
springs to the
suspicious Divide.
The last pull hairpins
near Miller Peak,
past a descending posse of LDS students and their counsellors (a veritable Mormon Batallion),
gains access to the
Summit Plateau.
With this have connected to
last year's hike,
where a contingent of Asian hikers linger ("Asians and Mormons and I, oh my!"), and
descend, re-encountering LDS folks,
including the friendly rear-guard councellor, chatting until they depart at Wellman Divide for the Aerial Tram.
Our route is otherwise (though a cross-range option is tempting),
and
Heraclitus proves
correct again,
with views the same
yet different.
The sun sets at 7:30pm in Southern California's early August, the last light fading on Lily Rock, and retreat is made back to the Browning's, whereupon we set out again to a local Redlands nightspot to reconnect with friendly folks.
