Skyline Trip Report, March 29 2014

Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb. — Greg Child

The last couple of trips up Skyline have been about pushing it and completing the hike as quickly as possible. This time around, I wanted confirm the map/landmark info I’ve been collecting for the last 18 months, as well as introduce a few friends to one of my favorite hikes.

The Plan

We planned to complete the hike at a relaxed pace. I sent the following information to the interested hikers Sunday night:

Remember, turning around is not an option on this hike – that’s how most of the fatalities happen. I will plan on being the sweep and will hike near the back of the group. With Saturday’s predicted temperatures, we want to be near the halfway point of the hike around sunrise. Up until that point, you’re essentially racing the sun in an attempt to avoid increasing temperatures.

Start time: I plan on leaving my house at 2:00 AM. I will pick up the people that live in Colton by 2:15 AM and then head over to Redlands. We should arrive at the trailhead by 3:30. People usually park on the side of the road, next to the trailhead. I will text everyone when I leave my house. If anyone wants a wake-up call/text, let me know.

We need to start hiking by 3:45 AM at the latest. The group will leave at that time, even if everyone is not there. There will be no moonlight Saturday, so headlamps will be necessary.

Weather: The temperature is predicted to be around 90° in Palm Springs. The temperature should be around 60 when we start hiking and I hope it will be relatively cool for 75% of the hike. With an early start, we will hopefully avoid warm temperatures. For the section between ‘Flat Rock’ and the ‘Traverse’, 70°+ is brutal due to the exposed nature and steepness of the trail. Once we pass behind the ridge at the beginning of the Traverse, the temperature should drop into the 60s or lower. We need to get there before it gets too hot.

Training: If you exercise during the week, this would be a good time to deload (reduce volume/intensity by 50% or more), particularly for lower body and cardio training. You want your legs to be fresh for this hike.

Water: I’d bring at least 4 liters of water/gatorade. You do not want to run out of water. I ran low on water once and I was very miserable by the time I finished the hike. The day before and the morning of the hike, make sure your consume more water and electrolytes than normal. Getting cramps on this trail is horrible. On my last three trips up Skyline, someone in the group has gotten moderate to severe cramps. I carry electrolyte capsules now as a result.

For those that haven’t hiked this trail before, please take a look at this webpage and take the ‘Skyline Test’. It has recommendations regarding previous training, gear, food and water: Cactus to Clouds Hiking Guide

I sent a follow-up email Wednesday night:

Timeline – I made some changes. If everyone gets ready to go the night before and wakes up on time, we should still start hiking by 4 am.

2:00 AM

everyone thinks about how much they hate me when their alarms go off

2:10 AM

MJ drives to my house

2:30 AM

I leave my house with AL and MJ

2:35 AM

Pick up RQ

2:45 AM

Pick up JP

3:00 AM

Pick up AR & EW in Redlands

3:45 AM

Arrive @ trailhead

Misc Thoughts/Notes

Gear – make sure you don’t forget these things:

$17 ($12 for tram ride, $5 for cab)

headlamp or flashlight

sun glasses & lip balm. I will carry a large container of sunscreen for the hike

(light) jacket – it may get chilly near the end of the hike or when we take breaks

Water & Food

I am going to carry 2 liters and 2 liters of Gatorade. I will probably drink a liter of Gatorade on the drive over.

I recommend consuming 1500+ calories during the hike.

Sleeping well the night before a big hike is a problem for most people. I will go to bed early tomorrow night and sleep in a little later Friday to compensate.

If you’re prone to cramps, I highly recommend drinking coconut water or pedialyte Friday afternoon/night. I will carry some electrolyte capsules in case someone gets cramps.

Based on the group I was hiking with, I expected the hike to take around 9 hours.

The Outcome

We started hiking a few minutes after 4 am. We had a group of 7, with 2 ‘newbies.’ It ended up being a few degrees warmer than I had expected. By the time we reached Rescue Box #1, I decided that we needed to pick up the pace, at least until the sun came up, to avoid the hotter temperatures. One of the hikers was having a bad day (lack of sleep during the week) and was hiking slower than normal. I strapped their pack onto mine and carried it from Rescue #1 to Flat Rock. I was feeling pretty good about myself until I got major cramps just above Coffman’s Crag (more about that later). We watched the sunrise somewhere between Rescue Box #1 and Doreen’s 4300 ft marker. Up until this point, the group had mostly stuck together. Now that it was daylight, I expected that we’d split up a bit. I was fine with this as long as the newbies hiked with someone that knew the trail. AR & EW were stronger hikers than the rest of the group, so I expected them to take the lead (EW knows the trail). JM hiked the trail with me in November and I expected him and MJ to be behind the lead group. I planned to stay within earshot of AL and JP, although both of them knew the trail. A few of us struggled a bit, but I felt that the hike was going ok for everyone until we reached Flatrock. At that point, the trail gets really steep (I joke with people that the ‘real fun begins here because the warm up is over’). AL, JP and I found JM napping at Flatrock, while MJ was scowling at me as I came into view. I gave up the second pack here because I was certain I’d get cramps if I didn’t. JP told me he’d finish ok, he’d just be really slow. AR & EW were no where to be seen and I figured that they were nearing the Traverse at this point. After our break at Flatrock, it didn’t take long before it became apparent that I was going to get cramps. I had to find a pace that would keep my muscles moving & warm, but keep the cramps at bay. As a result, I hiked the majority of Flatrock to the Traverse by myself. I stopped occasionally to make sure that AL & JP were making progress (the trail is very steep, so you can see others hiking up the trail if you know where to look) and we took one last break together at Coffman’s Crag. I was able to fight off cramps until that point, but they finally got less than a 1/4 mile from Grubb’s Notch. Most of us finished the hike around the 9 hour mark, with AR & EW finishing 45 minutes earlier. After our hike, I asked some people in the group how this hike compared to others that they had completed. Out of our group of 7, 5 have hiked Mt. Whitney. Everyone in the group, except for me, said that Skyline by itself is harder than Mt. Whitney. EW said he’d rather hike Whitney twice than hike Skyline once! I guess I am in the minority. I really enjoy the climb and the lack of downhill on Skyline. While hiking, I wrote down mileage and elevation information for the various landmarks along the trail, as well as how much time it took us to reach each landmark. I’ve done this several times now and am happy with the information I have collected. I’ve come up with split times for 6 – 10 hr hike times and they seem to be fairly accurate for me and the people I hike with. Here’s a snapshot of our hike March 29th, compared to my estimated hike times.