| Peak | San Jacinto |
|---|---|
| Group | Aqui Nomas Hiking |
| Trailhead | Marion Mt. Trailhead |
This was my second time hiking San Jacinto but first time for the challenge. Our group started from the Marion Mt. Trailhead at 8:15 am, which is super steep for the first mile or so. With a steep climb, starting at an elevation of about 6,000 ft., I was out of breath immediately but not as bad as the first time when I wanted to quit right away. The weather was a tolerable kind of cold; I had thermal pants under my leggings, a tank, thin long-sleeve shirt, and a hoodie. About 3 miles in, snow patches were visible from the trail and soon enough, snow patches were on the trail. It wasn’t too bad; most of the patches had footprints and dirt embedded so it provided nice traction. Once we reached Little Round Valley, there were even more snow patches. It looked completely different from the hike I did back in November 2016. The trail was hard to spot so it was easy to get off trail as you’re hiking through snow, both up and down the trail. The climb to the peak after the stone hut was fun but blinding as the rocks were COVERED in SNOW. From the peak, there were GORGEOUS views all around. We ate, rested, took a couple of pictures, and started the climb back down. Along with another hiking group, we got off-trail because of the snow patches. It was quite an adventure getting back to Little Round Valley but we made it. The hike back down was pretty easy, aside from my knees cramping. With all the snow around, I made an ice pack and stuck it in my knee brace and it helped. Our group ended the hike at 5:30 pm; although I was tired, I felt so much better about hiking San Jacinto this second time. It’s a tough hike, with a quick and high elevation gain, but worth the views.
