Leatherneck Ridge

Why why why? 

Total Miles- 10 miles

Elevation Gain- 10,500 feet

My alarm went off at 2am, and I rolled out of bed, surprisingly eager to start my day and get on Leatherneck Ridge. At this point spirits were still high, and I didn't know what I'd be getting myself in to in the coming hours. My drive out from Hemet put me at the visitors center at 3:30am, 30 minutes before I was set to meet my partner at the visitors center. I tried getting some extra sleep, but couldn't manage any, probably all the nerves and excitement. 

Finally it turned 4, and I met my partner in the parking lot of the visitors center, ready to begin. Despite it being November, it still felt disappointingly hot and humid, a not so reassuring thing to start the day. The first mile or so took us cross country across open flat desert, we were still at 700ft above sea level. As we crested a small hill, I looked to my left and caught reflective tape attached to a tent, and not wanting to get stabbed by someone thinking I'm invading their home, we quickly picked up the pace to put some distance between us. We finally reached the base of the mountain around 4:30am, and began a slow but steady scramble up the hillside, quickly gaining in elevation and leaving the warm desert floor behind us.

The first 2000 feet were really steep, and we hadn't even gained true Leatherneck Ridge yet, and it was around this time that I realized I didn't have nearly enough water, and I'd have to start conserving. Around 2,500ft we were welcomed to an amazing desert sunrise, and we finally were able to see the ridge we'd eventually be following. Let me tell you, it looked brutal, and I would soon find out it was. The next 2k feet were relatively uneventful, just a long slog in unimpressive terrain. Around 4500ft we started to see the treeline, and the hill we had to gain to get to the treeline. It was at this point we also started encountering thick, impenetrable brush, and it slowed us down some. The hill to the treeline ended up being worse than it looked, and I was now suffering from mild dehydration, and needed to eat. We had to push through brush and ended up gaining something like 2500 feet in a mile, so an absolutely miserable time. 

Finally, treeline. Or so I thought. We finally began to scramble on class 3 and maybe some class 4 terrain. The one thing keeping me going was the views, skyline ridge to the east, Snow Creek and Dry Falls to the west, and San Gorgonio and its sister peaks to the North. It was at this time I was starting to feel the effects of dehydration, having only half a liter left for the final 2000 feet of the climb, and the only technical section of the ridge. On a side note, looking towards the Snow Creek coulior and the massive granite blocks on the North Face of San Jacinto got me really motivated, and hoping that this was the year Snow Creek would go. As we ascended and descended on the class 3 terrain, I couldn't help but think about just being done and at the tramway. The final push to Shangri La is nothing but miserable, and if not for the incredible views it would have been much worse. I took a final drink of my water, which I was now completely out of, and ate the last of my food, and pushed on, knowing the top out was just at the top of this hill. 

We finally topped out at Shangri La, opting to not go for a summit of San Jacinto, as it was already getting late in the day. The final mile or two took us mostly on flat terrain, across open country to meet up with a trail that took us back to the Upper Station. Every time I walk the concrete path up to the tram, I wonder who's idea it was to make it this steep and long. At the upper tram station I bee lined straight to the water fountain, enjoying some much needed water, because at this point I was pretty dehydrated and was feeling it. 

Overall it was a great route, and felt much more difficult than the Skyline trail just across the way. Most of it was class 1/2, but there was some solid class 3 sections, especially past the treeline, when much of the ridge was boulder hopping next to cliffs with a couple thousand foot drop off.