| Holy cow, Batman! That was a tough hike to finish! | |
 |
This is about a mile up from the museum. It says 8 miles, but everything written says it's 10 miles from here. |
 |
An interesting 'warning' sign. This isn't a recognized trail, and the powers that be really don't want people 'hiking' on it. They have a lot of rescues on the Skyline every year. I put a little grafitti on the sign (in Photoshop of course). |
 |
With the headlamp on, the early morning lights of Palm Springs. Very cool if you're just relaxing, taking a 'nice' hike, but unfortunately, I was taking the hardest hike I've ever done.....so my focus was elsewhere at this point. |
 |
Cactus to Clouds. There are many different types of cactus seen on this trail. Very nice, I like it. |
 |
Light at last, this is the rock walls I've hiked up to before, just for 'exercise', and to climb around on a bit. I think they are about 3-4 miles up. This is about 5am, I've been going for 1hrs 45 minutes now. |
 |
More cactus in the first rays of sun. The trail is right next to it, have to watch where you step, and 'how' you pass many spots. |
 |
This is the terrain, and in the distance, the far, far distance is where I'm heading. There's a rock outcropping just to the left of center that is my 'destination'. Hard to tell the distance from this photo. |
 |
Getting a bit closer, but still so far away. Kaufman's crag sticking up in the distance. |
 |
Now I'm guessing I'm about HALF way (to the tram!). Kaufman's crag to the right of center. |
 |
It was a hazy day for some reason, so my view of Palm Springs wasn't very good at all. |
 |
Very nice! |
 |
That's Palm Springs, where I started. |
 |
Getting closer........but geeeeeeeeeeezzzzzz, still so far away! The crag where I will go straight up, is off to the right now. The vertical rock that looks like a middle finger flipping me off. |
 |
Just some of the view, and terrain. |
 |
I tipped the camera on it's side, but, that's the trail straight ahead. Don't worry about snakes?......uh, ok, I won't. |
 |
Looking down the trail from where I've come. Can't see the valley floor in the background because of the sun and haze...bummer. |
 |
Ouch. Ouch. Ouch. Really hurting now, but at least finally there are some trees that offer some shade occasionally. I'm about 8-9 miles up now, and really dragging. |
 |
Interesting 'dead' tree, up in the middle of nowhere, with the desert floor in the background. |
 |
Are you kidding me?!?!!!!! I've been going up, up, up for 5 hours now, and I have this to go up still!? This is the SECOND hardest part of this hike! |
 |
I took a lot of 'nothing' pictures at this point, because I was stopping so often, because I was so exhausted! |
 |
There it is. So close, and yet, still so far. And all this time, I am realizing that not only is the hardest part of the hike coming up, but after that, after I get through it, I will still have an 11 mile hike to the summit! AAAAUUUUGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Physically tough! Mentally tough! |
 |
Can't see in this pic, but I think I was taking a picture of the helicopter pad they mention on the tram ride up. The tram ride I wish to God I was taking up at this point. |
 |
Yes, finally, I'm at the crag! NO, now I've been going up the most brutal hiking I've ever done, and now I have the steepest, hardest part to go! |
 |
That's it...up, up, up, steep, rocky, sandy brutalness. |
 |
I was so tired/exhausted, that I didn't take a single picture once I got to the 'upper part', except for this last self-summit shot. HaHa, too much pain and misery to smile, I was done. 22 miles, 7 hours from museum to ranger station, 1/2 hour break to eat and try to recover, @3 hours to the summit, @2.5 hours back to the tram. @13 hours total. Hardest hike I've ever done. |
