Palm Springs Aerial Tram Ride and Hike to Round Valley

A Swiss-built rotating tramcar gives up to 80 people a 360° view as they ride up the mountain.

From Wikipedia's entry on The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway:

 The twelve-and-a-half minute ride begins at the Valley Station at 2,643 ft (806 m) and passes up North America's sheerest mountain face through five life zones on its way to the Mountain Station at 8,516 ft (2,596 m) above mean sea level. Travelers start in the Sonoran Desert and arrive at an alpine forest.

View from the trail head

Actually, by the time you get to the tram parking lot you've already climbed 2,643ft from the valley floor. From the top station, it's another 1,500 ft and a six-mile hike to the top of Mt. San Jacinto which is at just over 10,000 ft. The temperature in Palm Spring was 89° at 7:30 am – heading toward the very high 90s. At the top of the tramway, the temperature was 65.° All of this within an hour, if your timing is good, from where I'm living.

Rock formations near the base station

If you end the journey at the mountain station, is enough drama for most people. The ride up in itself begs the use of spectacular and breath taking. There are panoramic views of the Coachella Valley and the desert cities from the deck of the top station. A short, but aerobic, and very vertical half mile walk out the back sets you in the middle of a tribe of rock formations jutting out of the bedrock like the emerging life forms they are.

Rush hour on the trail

But I didn't stop there.

My companion was a local man I met who enjoys hiking. Since I'd never managed to do it on previous visits, I wanted to be able to say I've taken the tram at least once. I would never have done the hike without company, and Jose was a perfect guide. I'm not used to level 3 hikes at 8,500 ft so we agreed to do the hike to Round Valley campsite – a 4.5 mile round trip. Joining us were at least a hundred other hikers in groups ranging from two to twenty we passed along the trail coming and going. ALmost everyone we passed said hello. I think the lack of oxygen makes people friendlier. Ages ranged from pre-teens to old farts like myself. Jose and I made the trek out in about an hour and a half, our pace slowed somewhat by my picture taking. Jose was very patient. I know I slowed him down, but by a half-mile into the hike I knew I was going to get my exercise for the day and made the wise decision to pace myself.

Why is this man smiling?

Up and back, we were on the trail almost three hours. It was visual overload. The air was intoxicatingly clean (and thin). I was pleased I didn't have a heart attack or just give out and need to be helicoptered out. The last half mile up that nearly vertical concrete path back to the station was the unkindest cut. By the end, my feet were providing an object lesson in not wearing old hiking shoes for the first time in 5 years on your first alpine hike is three years (My last mountain hike was more of a hill climb through the jungle. My (hyperbole warning) near death experience on that jaunt is recounted in an earlier blog that will disappear at the end of this month as part of the transformation of mac.com to iCloud.

Round Valley campsite.
No vacancy for the weekend

This hike was a walk in the park compared to that one. But jeezus, I was tired, and my feet ached, and the next day my legs felt like concrete, and my knees kept screaming at me, "you are not a young man any more."

I did it, and I'm glad. There are more photos on my Facebook page if you are curious.

Last night, as part of my recovery, I went to see "Snow White and the Huntsman." It is rich visually. The performances are energetic. The story a mythic melding of the brothers Grimm and Jean d'Arc. Another in a compelling string of female heroines. But why do our myths still offer up resolution as redemption through violence? I know it's viscerally exciting, but is it really an evolutionary step forward to portray women behaving like men? Is our new mythic hero Victor Victoria on steroids and in need of anger management counseling? I wonder.