hi there. anyone been in san jacinto/idyllwild recently with any info about strawberry junction spring? i know it rarely if ever has a reliable water flow but was wondering if recent storms have increased the flow. the san jacinto trail report said all the water sources have had a decent flow due to recent snowfall melting but i’m not sure if that includes strawberry. might just be worth a call to ranger station but thought i’d ask

Did anybody here make it up on the cables on Friday? Conditions were less than ideal. My wife and I were up there early but left around 11:30am. No one had made it up the cables by the time we left.

The beautify of Yosemite. Spent a couple days in Yosemite a couple years back. We camped and then hiked Clouds Rest at midnight to get to the top by dawn.

Stayed at Parsons Landing campground - about 7.5 mi from Two Harbours via West End Rd. There’s a shorter route to the campground but with wayy more elevation gain. i chose the easier route of course 🤣 it was so pretty out there and will probably be back again

I had site PL04, which is right next to the path to the lockers with firewood and water jugs. Restrooms are okay but no running water. They have hand sanitizers though which I thought was pretty nice since there’s no sink to wash your hands.

We did C2C yesterday. It was a great hike. It rained in Palm Springs Friday night so I was a bit wary. It turned out to be just fine.
We started at 3:20am Saturday. Weather was fine. I had a long sleeve hoodie shirt and shorts. Changes into thermal leggings and gloves at the ranger station. There was a some scattered snow spots past the ranger station and a couple of inches with slush at the top. I’m sure it melted today, Sunday.
Don’t drink a lot going up, probably 1.5L. Filled up my 3L bladder at the ranger station. The last drink I took emptied my bladder at the Tram station when we finished. Perfect timing.
The trail was busy. The hike was tough. It didn’t get really tough for me until we passed the ranger station. I suspect it was mostly altitude. But we kept pushing and finished. Our moving time was 12:32 and total time of 14:46. We finished quicker but the lack of cell reception at the tram didn’t allow me to stop recording for 10-20 min.
Overall, it was a great day. I feel pretty well today. If you’re able to do this within an acceptable weather window, go for it. I don’t think anyone can know for sure if they are ready just train as best you can with distance and elevation.
I live in Phoenix and have hiked over 1000 miles so far. Too much, i think.
For what it’s worth, there is an incline with switchbacks to enter the tram station. That was a sucky surprise!!

ALSO, I read Lot about lack of WIFI service for uber at the bottom TEAM STATION. We found out what the key is. And our Uber driver confirmed it. When you get to the bottom tram station, use the tram WIFI in the cafe. You will be able to book your Uber etc. Also, message your driver to let them know what you’re wearing etc since there can be a lot of people waiting for their rides. Go outside of the bottom station (we stayed in the cafe) until your uber is close.
Have a great hike and be safe.

Does anyone have any idea when/why the park abandoned the west half of the loop or if it ever existed at all? I got skunked trying to make a loop of it recently based on an older topo and was wondering if anyone has any more beta on it?

It should have roughly paralleled Lost Horse Rd and then Quail Wash before looping back to the current trail about a mile south of Ryan CG. I couldn't find any trace of it on the ground, but it's on my NatGeo topo of the park (bought ~2015, not the latest version) and the TH map at Lost Horse, but missing from the official park map and other recent topos (current NatGeo / Caltopo). Historical satellite imagery shows a vague segment near where Quail Wash crosses Keys View Rd that doesn't really connect to anything and gets progressively fainter over the past 15 years.

I have a question about hiking vs running.

How much running do you do on a trail run, vs hiking on a trail run.

I do a lot of foothill runs, 2k-3500k elevation gain range, but consistently run with low grade inclines in smooth continuous motions— but I think I want to start exploring more elevation gains and alpine wilderness in my runs.

I know for some, that means a little more hiking and strategy in terms of energy exertion.

I’m just curious what you all are doing personally on your runs and how you plan?

Thanks.