SoCal Weekend

Well, its been about a year since my last blog. I turned 65 last March and it kind of threw me for a while. Most of what I wanted to write about seemed to be beating my own drum and showing that there was some ability left to not only continue to do the things that I love, but do them with some style. As one gets older, this gets more difficult. Feelings do not change just because the seasons fly by and the body becomes something less than it once was. My weekend helped to put things in perspective for me.

Friday (Feb 12) looked like Spring was just around the corner. A beautiful, clear day dawned and my surf buddies Bob and Byron were going to meet me at PB. We all like smaller surf now, one of the many compromises that come with the territory. That doesn't mean that we don't still want to get the wave of the day and do it justice. Most of the time you get almost as much satisfaction when your buddy gets the good one and doesn't screw it up. This was a small day, but we were all in a good mood and got plenty of these little waves. The newer wetsuits keep us warmer in the water than when we were on shore. It's a quiet place out in the ocean and kind of a sanctuary from all the mess and people on land. You drive home relaxed and more optimistic.


Saturday was a 3:30 wakeup to meet my friends at the Poway park and ride. Five of us wanted to make the 8:00 tram from Palm Springs to the San Jacinto wilderness area. A good sign was that everyone was there by 5:30 and we made it to the parking lot with 20 minutes to spare. The second good sign was that everyone had their gear in order and just put on the plastic ski boots and off we went. Afra had given good pretrip instructions to this effect. Ted met us at the tram station, as he was staying in Palm Springs. The tram goes to a little over 8500 feet, a great start. 15 minutes after arriving and we put on the skis and were on our way.

Ted Sue Patti Afra Dave

Towards Jean Peak

Afra, Dave and Ted were using AT (alpine touring) gear. Patti, Sue and I were using less wide skis and telemark bindings. After 5 hours of intense uphill travel, we made it to about 10,000 feet and took a short break for lunch. See Dave's track log superimposed on a map here. We were just under Jean Peak and skied down Round Valley in some rather heavy, grabby snow. Afra and Dave made some great turns and I resolved to get some wider skis for my birthday this year. There were some good wipeouts, but no one suffered any permanent damage. We took the hiking trail as a technical challenge and raced back to the tram to try to make our self imposed deadline of 3 PM. Any later than that and there can be a long line to go back down. We made it with a few minutes to spare.

Just Past "Dave's Abyss", Ted in background

Dave the Man

Afra insisted that we have lunch, Sue enjoying it

The day was a long one, but I was impressed with what good companions these wilderness friends are. There were some tense moments on "Dave's Abyss", but gear and personalities survived intact. Sue invited Afra and I to do Indian Head Peak a climb that she was leading on Monday.

On Sunday, Kathy and Jerry and I biked around the Bayshore Bikeway. (photos from Kathy)
Yup, 5 Cities ride again. Fred the seal and his friend were there, Buoy 22 every week.

San Diego, what a great place to live. Especially in the winter!





On Monday, I met Sue, Afra, Rhea, Monique, and Marty at the Borrego Palm Springs trailhead. Other people met up with us, but they disappeared before we got much above the first palm grove. After the first palm grove, there is some route finding and brush beating necessary. There is always a class 2 way, but sometimes it is obscure.

Finding the easy way

Rhea's turn

Afra tending to Sue

The upper canyon is worth the trip

This funny tree marks the spot for going North (2.5 mile)

Once you turn up the North slope, the hike turns from a typical east side canyon stroll to a cactus and loose rock exercise in route finding. The general direction is quite easy, just do the ridge up to about 3000 feet and then turn right up the next steeper ridge. The trick is not to get stuck by thorns, avoiding reptile/human interaction and picking a way that isn't so steep as to cause excess stomach acid. The little decisions become the essence of a good desert hike experience.

Warning, this is steeper than it looks in your camera

Now we're Getting there

Afra on top

Arrived at 1:59, 2:00 PM time to head down

Close to seeing God

Back to the tall ladies before dark

Sure, SoCal is crowded and there are people here that I wouldn't invite to this feast. However, this weekend I met some new friends and did a few things that will be with me for a long while.