Solo Hike, Tahquitz Mountain, Idyllwild California

One of the joys of hiking is the solitude it can bring. People who know me, know I'm not the most outgoing person in the world. If you are familiar with Gallup's Strength Finder book and program, I don't have a lot of what they call WOO (winning others over). So solo hikes can really be a chance to get in touch with everything around us.

Tahquitz is a soaring granite peak jutting up out of the San Jacinto wilderness over the mountain village of Idyllwild. It is named after a Native American tribal chief who cursed the area in old "urban legend."

That curse struck twice this year. The first time we tried to get up Tahquitz, snow and ice on the slope made us decide to stop about a half mile short of the 8850 foot summit. Then my son and I decided to try it with a co worker and his wife. My son had back spasms on that trip and couldn't make it up, so strike two.

For my third attempt, I decided to try it solo. At least that way I could deny even attempting the hike if I failed a third time.

My wife decided to come along, drop me off, and go enjoy morning coffee. The drop off was in Humber Park, base of the famous Devil's Slide trail. This trail heads up what used to be a near vertical path that was used by cattlemen to get their herds up to the meadows. Now it is often referred to as Angel's Shuffle due to its switchbacks and easier going. It leads to a junction where several trails then branch off.

At the start of the hike I stepped off with a man who was training for a Rim To Rim hike in the Grand Canyon. He wanted to do that hike in 10 hours. Needless to say in about 50 yards, he was gone, leaving the trail to me.

Now, I should tell you that my hiking style, especially at altitude, is to take little breaks to catch my breath, but not long enough to let muscles tighten up. So please don't expect a trail running report from this old hiker!

This trail also features a section of the Pacific Crest Trail, the famous PCT - a 2600 mile trail from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. I figure at this rate, I'll complete the PCT in about 1000 years!

The trail remained clear and open and I soon came up on the spot where snow and ice had blocked us in May.

The shot above doesn't really give the true perspective of the drop off and angle of the slope.

Many hikers get "summit fever" and decide to bag a summit, no matter what. But this kind of trail, covered in packed snow and ice would be no fun unless you had micro spikes or crampons. I was glad we stopped.

At the top, there is a fire lookout tower

A quick scramble up and then...success! The tower is staffed only during the fire season, and the weekend crew hadn't yet arrived the morning I was there.

I reversed my route and headed down after a quick break. Once off the mountain trail, I ran into way more people. Devil's Slide is a permit only trail and they regulate the number of weekend permits, so I had started early. You'll notice that hikers are a very friendly group. Almost all of us pause just long enough to offer a greeting.

So, an 8 mile hike with about 2500 feet of elevation gain. It took me just over 4 hours. But remember, I'm an old hiker who takes a lot of short breaks. It can easily be done more quickly, but not by me!

The peak is a great walk, as is Devil's Slide. I highly recommend this trail for just about any skill level. Heck, I made it!