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The Desert Divide Dozen

There are dozen or so peaks on the Sierra Club's Hundred Peaks Section List that are more or less directly along the Desert Divide of the San Jacinto Mountains (from south to north):
  • Butterfly Peak
  • Ken Point
  • Lion Peak
  • Pine Mountain
  • Pyramid Peak
  • Cone Peak
  • Palm View Peak
  • Spitler Peak
  • Apache Rock
  • Antsell Rock
  • Southwell Peak ("South" Peak on most maps but named for ranger Jesse Southwell)
  • Red Tahquitz

If you look at the HPS list, there are some other peaks in the vicinity, but the above are the ones that are fairly directly accessible from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) as it winds along the Desert Divide.  I consider Lilly Rock, Sam Fink Peak, and Tahquitz Peak to be more part of the San Jacintos proper than the Desert Divide, but I suppose that's a matter of semantics.  I'm also aware of Rock Point, but Rock Point is not easily attained from the PCT in my opinion.  It's my blog, so I'll draw what distinctions I like.  :)

In any event, the above are my "Desert Divide Dozen."  I've been wanting to do some peaks along the Desert Divide for quite some time.  I've done Red Tahquitz, Southwell, and Antsell before, but I've never touched any of the peaks further south.

My wife and daughter are out of town right now, so temporarily free of family obligations, I thought I'd do some peaks.  As I looked at the maps, it came to me that a "through hike," that is a hike that goes straight through from one point to another and does not loop or retrace itself, would be the best way to visit the maximum number of peaks -- all twelve in one fell swoop.

How to proceed?  First, I laid out a basic route marking the PCT.  I drew the route from my entry point on Hwy 74 straight through to my exit point in Humber Park.  I then mapped out all the peaks.  My basic plan is to follow the PCT north, bagging the peaks as I go.  I calculate that the route will be about 40 miles/64 km long.  I plan to do it over four days in May 2013.  Water will be a critical resource, particularly in such dry country.  I mapped out all potential water sources.

Below are my calculations/trip plan for the Desert Divide Dozen:

PCT Location Leg Total Day H20 Elev Elev Chg Cum Gain Cum Loss Day Gain Day Loss Comment Comment2
151.9 Hwy 74 0.0 0.0 4919 0 0 0 Start
155.4 Penrod Canyon 3.5 3.5 5100 181 181 0
155.9 CS0156 0.5 4.0 5200 100 281 0 Shady Campsite
156.0 Cut off trail to road 6S10 0.1 4.1 5200 0 281 0
- 6S10A junction 1.8 5.8 5500 300 581 0
- 6S10A jump off  0.3 6.1 5750 250 831 0
- Butterfly Peak 0.3 6.4 6260 510 1341 0
- 6S10A jump off  0.3 6.7 5750 -510 1341 -510
- 6S10A junction 0.3 7.0 5500 -250 1341 -760
- Tunnel Spring Jct 0.3 7.3 5700 200 1541 -760
- Tunnel Spring   0.1 7.4 5750 50 1591 -760 OK Water Tunnel
- Tunnel Spring Jct 0.1 7.5 5700 -50 1591 -810
158.4 Live Oak/Tunnel Spg Jct 0.2 7.7 5900 200 1791 -810 Good water L Oak
- Ken Pt Use Trail Jct 1.0 8.7 6100 200 1991 -810
- Ken Pt   0.3 9.0 6423 323 2314 -810
- Ken Pt Use Trail Jct 0.3 9.3 6100 -323 2314 -1133
158.4 Live Oak/Tunnel Spg Jct 1.0 10.4 5900 -200 2314 -1333
159.7 CS0160 1.3 11.7 11.7 4.2 6300 400 2714 -1333 2714 -1333 Small Campsite Sat Night 
- Lion Peak jump off 0.6 12.3 6620 320 3034 -1333
- Lion Peak   0.2 12.5 6868 248 3282 -1333
- Lion Peak jump off 0.2 12.7 6620 -248 3282 -1581
161.0 CS0161 0.6 13.3 13.3 5.8 6820 200 3482 -1581 Shady Campsite Sat Night?
- Pine Mtn JO 0.2 13.5 6800 -20 3482 -1601
- Pine Mtn 0.3 13.8 7054 254 3736 -1601
- Pine Mtn JO 0.3 14.1 6800 -254 3736 -1855
- Pyramid Pk JO 0.3 14.4 6800 0 3736 -1855
- Pyramid Pk 0.2 14.6 7035 235 3971 -1855
- Pyramid Pk JO 0.2 14.8 6800 -235 3971 -2090
162.6 Cedar Spring Jct 1.2 16.0 6780 -20 3971 -2110
163.3 Eagle Spring Jct 0.7 16.7 6950 170 4141 -2110
- PVP/Cone JO 1.0 17.7 7100 150 4291 -2110
- PVP  0.1 17.8 7150 50 4341 -2110
- PVP/Cone JO 0.1 17.9 7100 -50 4341 -2160
- Cone Pk 1.0 18.9 6820 -280 4341 -2440
- PVP/Cone JO 1.0 19.9 7100 280 4621 -2440
166.5 Fobes Saddle 2.2 22.1 5880 -1220 4621 -3660
- Scovel Crk & Spg 0.8 22.9 11.2 0.0 5500 -380 4621 -4040 1907 -2707 Good water Sun Night
166.5 Fobes Saddle 0.8 23.7 5880 380 5001 -4040
- Spitler Pk JO 1.5 25.2 7200 1320 6321 -4040
- Spitler Pk 0.2 25.4 7460 260 6581 -4040
- Spitler Pk JO 0.2 25.6 7200 -260 6581 -4300
169.2 Apache Jct 1.2 26.8 7340 140 6721 -4300
- Apache Pk 0.2 27.0 7567 227 6948 -4300
- Rejoin PCT 0.4 27.4 7220 -347 6948 -4647
- Antsell Rock JO 1.7 29.1 7280 60 7008 -4647
- Antsell Rock 0.3 29.4 7679 399 7407 -4647
- Antsell Rock JO 0.3 29.7 7280 -399 7407 -5046
- South Pk JO 1.0 30.7 7800 520 7927 -5046
- South Pk  0.1 30.8 7884 84 8011 -5046
- South Pk JO 0.1 30.9 7800 -84 8011 -5130
175.4 CS0175 1.7 32.6 9.7 9.7 8200 400 8411 -5130 Nice camp, no H20 Mon Night?
177.2 Tahquitz Creek 1.8 34.4 8040 -160 8411 -5290
177.3 Little Tahquitz Valley Jct 0.1 34.5 11.6 0.0 8040 0 8411 -5290 3790 -1250 Probable water Mon Night 
- Red Tahquitz JO 0.5 35.0 8200 160 8571 -5290
- Red Tahquitz 0.5 35.5 8760 560 9131 -5290
- Red Tahquitz JO 0.5 36.0 8200 -560 9131 -5850
177.3 Little Tahquitz Valley Jct 0.5 36.5 8040 -160 9131 -6010
- Tahquitz Valley Jct 0.8 37.3 7980 -60 9131 -6070 Good water Mon Night?
179.4 Saddle Junction 0.6 37.9 8060 80 9211 -6070
- Humber Park 2.5 40.4 5.9 6500 -1560 9211 -7630 800 -2340

This trip is still in the planning stages.  I just post this so that others may refer to it.

HJ

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