Hiking the Three Saints: #1 - San Jacinto Peak
The idea of tackling the "Three Saints" was born when a couple of Structural Fitness regulars suggested we "step up" a few of our group hikes. Being that 2017 is the 10 Year Anniversary of Structural Fitness, these three hikes fit right in with our theme of going BIG this year.
Mount San Jacinto, Mount San Antonio (also known as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy), and San Gorgonio Mountain make up the Three Saints - the three ultra-prominent peaks in Southern California.
San Jacinto Peak, the first on the schedule, with an elevation of 10,834 feet, is the third most prominent peak in CA and the sixth most prominent peak in the 48 contiguous states.
There are many routes to get to the top of San Jacinto, including a popular route with a tram ride halfway or so up the mountain. Since we were looking for that BIG challenge, we set out on one of the longer more difficult routes to the top - a 19 mile round trip hike with over 4,400 feet of elevation gain.
We started our journey at the Deer Springs trailhead near Idyllwild with a full day of hiking ahead of us.
The trail was in great condition and the much needed rainfall over the winter had the landscape painted green.
Smiles and laughs for the first few miles of the hike when the legs were fresh and the impact of the altitude was still minimal.
You couldn't escape the amazing views at every turn.
Still smiling!
A few patches of snow scattered across the mountainside.
Blue skies. Green surroundings. Clean crisp air. Great company. Life is good.
The trees provided some great sun cover. It's about this point on the hike that the effects of the altitude became more noticeable.
One of at least a dozen streams/falls.
The peak!
Structural Fitness dog tags for hitting the peak.
One amazing and hard earned view.
Are you ready to get your adventure on?
Check out the Structural Fitness events calendar for upcoming group hikes and active events for all types of fitness levels.
