| Peak | San Jacinto |
|---|---|
| Group | Solo |
| Trailhead | Mountain Station |
Saint #2 bagged on snow & ice… first time on the winter trail to the summit from Mountain Station & the last one to summit. Had the entire peak to myself – though started to get lonely at the top… Lol..
Weather turned out to be clear and comfortable. Needed to take off a layer half-way up cause body started to warm up.
No strong winds at the summit but at around 2:45p my hands started to get numb.
Snow conditions varied throughout the trail – a mixture of packed & wet snow and of course the hard icy surface near the summit.
I trekked the entire trail on a pair of MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes, which for the most part was sufficient for the varied snow conditions.
Microspikes or crampons are a must near the summit. There were good sections that I could not pierce the icy snow with my trekking poles.
Snowshoes are also highly recommended because I saw several folks post-holing up to their knees, especially towards the lower part of the winter trail.
Speaking of winter trail, which is often referred to as “Sid Davis Trail…” well when passing a few hikers and asked, “If I was still on the Sid Davis Trail?” They would cringe and state that this name is thrown around rather loosely and the name ‘Sid Davis’ is not an official trail designation.
So I guess moving forward, I shall refer to this as the “Winter Trail” to the summit… Yikes… Lol..
