| Peak | San Jacinto |
|---|---|
| Group | solo |
| Trailhead | Long Valley Ranger Station |
San Jacinto is the only one of the six peaks I’ve hiked before. Winter before last I took the San Diego Sierra Club Wilderness Basics course, which ended with an overnight snow camp on Jacinto. That time I had issues with the altitude. When the group attempted to summit, I couldn’t keep up and had to be left behind at camp while the group snow shoed up. I don’t think they make the summit, but nonetheless, I didn’t make it more than a few yards beyond Round Valley. This time I made it. Had some issues catching my breath, but having done the previous four peaks probably helped a lot. I started off with an iffy right knee, having just done Bernardino last week. It stayed iffy all the way to the summit. I brought a knee support with me, but was reluctant to use it as I was afraid it would chafe. Broke down and used it on the way down, which was a big difference. Knee not only felt much better going down, but afters as well. It’s still sore and wants rest, ice, compression and elevation, but much better than expected. And I’ve got two weeks before Gorgonio to recover.
