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On September 25, 1999, we discovered the secrets of San Jacinto . . .
This Saturday's hike in the San Jacinto State Wilderness Area was quite
exceptional. With the adeptness of a skilled GPS technician, Bob Gonsett put together and lead a hike from the upper tram station that looped
around, taking us through magical hidden valleys to multiple breathtaking views over the escarpment to the Coachella Valley and Palm
Springs desert. By connecting up off trail discoveries made by Bob and Stan on previous hikes, some of Lorraine's favorite getaways, and
secret spots that locals and rangers only talk about amongst themselves in hushed voices, Bob used map & compass, dead reckoning, and GPS technology
to lead us through an enchanting wonderland that names like "Shangri-La Valley," Little Shangri-La," "Banana Valley," "Hidden Lake," and "Catch a
Hippie" trail easily live up to. This was a 10(?) mile hike, 85% of which was cross country, that went through Long Valley, looped around the
desert rim to the north, snaked between Yale and xxxx? peaks, traversed Tamarack Valley then Round Valley, cut across to Hidden Lake and Desert
View and returned to the tram station via the obscure Catch a Hippie trail. The image of the full moon rising over the desert and the
sparkling lights of Palm Springs below as we dropped over the rock ledge in the tram car Saturday night, is one that I couldn't help but commit to
long term memory storage. Thanks to fellow hikers for great company, stimulating high altitude conversation, good levity, and high level
competence. -- John Lee
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 
These pictures were taken with a Sony Mavica MVC-FD91
Digital Camera using 1024x768 resolution, and normal compression.
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