MDRT 2006, Day 5, Palm Springs Tram and Mt. San Jacinto

Today we left our cheap and never-boring accomodations at the Twentynine Palms Motel 6 and headed down to Palm Springs to catch the Tram. The tram, which left at 10 am, starts at about 2000 feet and carries riders up to aroound the 8500 ft level of the San Jacinto State Park. From there, it is about a 12 mile round trip hike to the 10,804 ft summit of Mt San Jacinto. We were on the summit by 12:30 and were surprised by the lack of wind and the nice temperature - about 70 degrees F.

After enjoying our picnic lunch and the view, we headed back down and were back at the tram station around 3, giving us plenty of spare time to enjoy the views, then get down and check into our hotel and enjoy a swim in the pool before heading out for dinner. Although the temps at the top of the tram were very comfortable (70s), on the way down I could feel the numbers creeping up, and once we were back down in Palm Springs it was well above 100. Ugh. It was a nice incentive to order a giant margarita with my yummy dinner at Las Caseulas Terraza. There is nothing like a margarita and an enormous pile of Mexican food after a long hike.

Photos available by clicking on the image to the left.