Strolling up San Jacinto by Marion

This was a straightforward stroll up San Jacinto via the Marion Mountain Trail. Also, this was my 10th visit to San Jacinto Peak since 2014 and the seventh time I hiked to San Jacinto Peak via the Marion Mountain trail – the other three times I did it was via the Tram including one memorable Cactus-to-Clouds hike in 2015. I drove to Idyllwild to get the self-issue permit, and while filling out the permit, I assisted a group of hikers who were going up Marion Mountain but were unsure about what to put down on their self-issue permit. They drove ahead while I stayed for a few minutes before leaving the ranger station to the Marion Mountain trailhead. Surprisingly I was still able to find parking despite the number of cars there. I started around 8:30 am and hiked solo. I took my time. During my hike up I came across a friend whom I hadn’t seen in a while and had started earlier but decided to turn around. There were wildflowers along the trail although it wasn’t a superbloom. Also, in the trail between the PCT junction and Little Round Valley, there was water and there were lots of berries but they may not have been ripe yet. I took my time and took frequent breaks. I got to the summit. Unlike my previous visits, there was no sign at the summit. It didn’t bother me, a summit is still a summit whether or not there is a written sign or not. I took my photos and rested for about an hour, then started heading down. I briefly stopped at the outhouse at Little Round Valley but otherwise, I headed down rapidly. I got back to my car around 7:45 pm but it was still light.  All in all, a good hike.