Epic Hiking Adventure

Yesterday morning I woke up excited. I knew that by the end of the day I was going to be exhausted. I knew that by the end of the day I would be scratched up. By the end of the day I would be sore, dirty, gritty and achy. I didn't care because this morning I was going to go on an Epic Hike.

I live in the mountains above Palm Springs, in an area called Garner Valley. I've hiked around this area a bit and I've posted those adventures on this blog as I do them. Yesterday wasn't just any other hike. Yesterday was the long "knee pounding" hike that would take me, my co-worker and my boss (lol) from the mountains down to Palm Springs. An elevation loss of 6000 ft. 600 feet of rock, sand, and spiky bushes. Oh it sounded wonderful!

And so it begins.

The hike started up a gradual switchback incline to the top of the Pacific Crest Trail where we would meet our highest elevation before we started descending. Here is a picture of me at the highest point.

From there we went down one mile and reached Cedar Springs full of cedar and black oak trees. Beautiful.

Once we walked past Cedar Springs we had to re-find the trail because it wasn't clearly marked. Once we did we ended up in an open ridge. I couldn't get over how amazing the 360 degree view was. 

Once the ridge passed we noticed a post and a sign on the ground. The sign says "By Authority of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians." We reached reservation land.

We started switchbacking quite a bit and the whole way we could see Palm Springs in the background, reminding us where we were going, and how far we still had to go. 

Eventually we could see palm trees and the canyons!

                                 

When we saw an oasis ABOVE us we knew we were getting close. 

 We round a corner and we see civilization! Cars! I must have taken a step back when I saw people coming up our trail. We hadn't seen anyone for hours. LOL

 We make it down to the palms and I take my shoes off slowly and soak my feet in the cool water.

We made it!

Going on this hike was more than just a fun trip for me. It reminded me of how far I've come in my journey. How, although, I've worked in the field for a few years I never felt comfortable being active. I never really felt I was an equal to my 'more fit' partners. Today, although the first 2 miles were slower for me (I will never be able to hike fast uphill. It's just not going to happen.) The rest of the trip I was able to keep up and even lead part of the time. It was a wonderful experience. I was able to geek out a little bit and my access and love for landscapes didn't escape my eye nor my camera. LOL. These are the kind of adventures I love to take because they remind of how far I've come and how much more I have to go.

I love it!

love

-w0rld