Sliding to San Jacinto Peak from Idyllwild

Prior to this hike, I had only ever summited San Jacinto Peak via the Palm Springs Tram and the Round Valley route. Still by no means an easy hike from the tram, with its own challenges, I had always hoped to perform more of a “true” summit from a trailhead further below in Idyllwild unassisted by the tramway.

After completing some recent peaks and gaining some confidence, I decided it was time to tackle San Jacinto from Idyllwild. I had hoped to take on the Marion Mountain route, but recent weather and trail reports showed there was ice and snow along the route that I wasn’t sure I was quite ready to deal with on such a tough hike. So I decided to do the route from the Devil’s Slide up to Wellman’s Divide, as trail reports showed that it was functionally clear of snow.

I was able to snag a campsite at the San Jacinto State Park campground in Idyllwild and hightailed it over right after work to get in before it got dark. I enjoyed the stars and some hot cocoa before settling in for the night and an early start the next morning. I broke camp around 5 am and drove to Humber Park, where I began up the Devil’s Slide trail at 6am. I was treated to expansive views and wonderful early morning light filtered through the pines.

I rested at Saddle Junction and then began along the PCT up to Annie’s Saddle where I continued up to Wellman’s Divide. This section of the trail had the most residual snow and ice that wasn’t too difficult to cross (I did so without spikes) and was plenty shaded until closer to Wellman’s Divide, where the trees gave way to manzanita. From there all the way to the peak was warm, sunny, and rocky. By the time I made it to the spur trail up to the peak, I was feeling the altitude a little and had a slow climb up the rock pile to the peak. I summited, just before noon, grabbed my photos, had some snacks and water, then had to descend quickly as I felt some mild altitude sickness start to set in. I made it all the way down to Wellman’s Cienega, which was flowing nicely. I had drank all 3L of water I had brought with me that morning so I stopped and filtered water there. While there, I met some PCT hikers who I shared a nice conversation with, As I continued down the trail back to Humber Park, I met about a dozen more PCT hikers who were on the hunt for their next camp site.

The switchbacks on the last 4 miles back to the car felt endless, and it was getting warm. I pressed on through a dull headache, fun conversations and supportive words from PCT hikers helped inspire me to keep on. After making it back to my car, the tough day on the trail gave way to an enormous sense of accomplishment. Some ibuprofen helped with my symptoms and a nice big plate of chicken parm in town helped with the furious hunger I had worked up after hiking 15+ miles and 4000+ft of elevation gain. My Garmin told me I had burned 5000 calories, so I was sure to eat most of that back as a reward.

This was probably the hardest hike I have ever done. It was steep, rocky (with lots of stepping up and down over large rocks and curated steps), and high altitude change. But it also took me through scenery and had me meet people that were absolutely wonderful. I had so much fun traversing a section of the PCT and getting to explore an area I had never been to before. The views I saw and the interactions I had made all the physical effort totally worth it.While it was difficult, it is now one of my favorite hiking experiences, and I can’t wait to do it again hopefully without the altitude sickness so I have the chance to enjoy it even more.