Dirty Harrry's Balcony

After last week's detour to Putrid Pete's Peak, it was time to seek out Dirt Harry's Balcony.  The trail begins at the Ira Springs trailhead which is reached by from I-90 Exit 45.  The trail for Dirty Harry's Balcony continues straight west at the first switchback. 

The first 20 feet of the trail have been obscured by branches laid down to keep hikers heading up to Mason Lake or Bandera.

 Ignoring the barriers leads to a nice trail along contour, rising slightly but generally an easy go.  At about 1 mile from the start, at the second of two sign-marked left turns, the trail to the "Balcony" drops away below the P3 trail.

Beyond the junction the trail is relatively easy to follow but a lot sketchier than the previous section.  It drops elevation more than one would anticipate heading to a balcony so it was pretty easy over all.  At about 1 1/2 miles, the landscape transitions to a wide gently sloped area and the trail become harder to follow.  Trees have been etched to indicate the way, On the left a small rise became visible that could have been the "balcony".

  It offered a nice overlook of McClellan's Butte and I-90 and a rocky prominence about 1/2 mile further west that was occupied by a hiker, so surely that had to be the true destination.  I left the "Faux Balcony and continued on until I hit a well defined trail at a bending tee.  The way to the Balcony is to the left another 100 yards or so.

Putrid Pete's Peak

Yesterday's hike was a detour on top of a detour.  A WTA trip report described an easy hike from the Ira Springs trailhead along Dirty Harry's traverse to Dirty Harry's balcony.  The directions were excellent: start per usual and continue straight through the trees at the first switchback.  After clamoring over a few downed branches that are intended to obscure the way, an excellent trail heads west, parallel to I-90, gaining elevation very gently.  The trail crosses a couple of shoots and two new small signs, the second indicating Dirty Harry's balcony to the left.  The arrow right points to Putrid Pete's Peak or P3-- who could pass up an opportunity to see something named like like that?

First, a slight digression on Putrid Pete: aka Peter Schoening, a Seattle Mountaineer who passed away in 2004.  He gained fame by saving five fellow climbers on K2 in 1953.
 Obituary from the Seattle Times

Here is a shot from the Seattle Times (not on P3.)

Dirty Harry's Traverse

In the lower section the trail passes through second growth forest with almost no understory, which had presumably been cleared out by a fire some years ago.  A few switchbacks cross over a steep narrow creek, easily navigated on granite stepping stones.  Gradually the trail steepens and low ground-cover is interspersed between the trees before it opens to a small rock slide.  From that point on the path fades and follows a rocky alignment nearly straight up a ridge.  The steep grade is enough to convince most hikers to take a break or two to admire the southerly view across I-90.  McClellan Butte looms menacingly to the south, the only portions of the upper flanks that aren't snow-covered are sheer, rocky slopes.  A foggy mist floated up the ridge adding mystery to the afternoon.

The next quarter of a mile were the steepest yet and hands were required to pull oneself up from time to time.  Just past a small thicket of stunted pine, the first patch of snow appeared, just to the east of a spiny ridge.  Here, a short break to put on gators and yak tracks enabled a straight ascent up the snowfield.  The footing was near perfect: just soft enough to kick easy footholds but firm enough to avoid post-holing down to the underlying rocks.  After a few hundred feet of climbing, the grade became steep enough that a fall would have been disastrous, so the gear came off and safer slower means were used to continue up.  As the summit grew close, the sharp edged nature of the ridge line became increasingly apparent.

Knife-edged ridge

Snowfield below the summit

The last twenty feet or so are truly a scramble, not for the faint of heart.  Putrid Pete's Peak is a collection of rocky shards, with barely enough room to sit.  A small yellow box with a sign-in notebook is stashed under a rock recording the names of many a visitor over the years.  To the west, the ridge dips before climbing gently to Mount Webb.  Mt. Defiance lies to the east along the ridge.As steep as the southern approach is,  the drop to the north is even more impressive, especially with the amount of early summer snow remaining of the shaded slopes.

Putrid Pete's Peak

The way down proved to be slow going and more painful than the ascent.  A number of places were too steep to descend on two feet, necessitating dropping the trekking poles and scooting down on my butt.  Lower down, the track was a series of slippery roots where foot traffic had scrapped away the thin forest soil. It was slow going, especially on tired legs.

Early season flower

Overall, it was a challenging new hike but I don't think I will be back there for a while. Next time, I will stick with Dirty Harry's Balcony.

Scraggly tree trunk

Hiking in the Desert

I was visiting my father in Palm Desert last week and needed some exercise.  A Google search on "Palm Desert hikes" brought up a network of trails along Highway 74, which luckily was quite nearby.  After driving 1/2 toward the heart of town, access is behind a church, skirting through a neighborhood.  There is abundant parking along a split rail fence, but the trailhead proper is a little tricky to see right off the bat.  A wide band of sand with tumbleweeds and the like stand between the parking lot and the trail, which climbs sharply up the spine of a ridge.

The first part of the trail was a series of steps, which transitioned into a steep rocky path. Many other folks were enjoying their exercise during the cooler part of the morning.  Most were headed to a large cross that is illuminated at night.  After a half mile or so the grade became more gentle and it was fairly easy going to the cross.  After reaching that goal, I had lots of energy left and decided to continue on. At first the trail dropped a hundred feet or so and then it leveled off following along contour.  I came to a tee and luckily a fellow hiker, the first and only person I saw after passing the cross, explained my options.  I followed her advice and the trail soon dropped into and out of a narrow canyon.  Rushes  and a small pool of stagnant water gave evidence of water flowing just under the bed of the dry creek. 

Soon, I came across the entrance to a golf course.  Only in Palm Desert will you find a two-lane divided golf path. 

Although the hiking trail is clearly marked on the far side of the golf path, the trail apparently terminates in a gravel road for a construction site.  After stumbling around for few minutes, I guessed that the trail continued uphill and sure enough it came into view a short time later.  About a 1/5 mile later the golf course faded into the distance and several houses in various states of construction were visible on the slopes ahead.  To the right, the hillside rose sharply and the trail was visible snaking steeply up the flank.  I was nearing my self-imposed turn-around time and I headed down after about 3 1/2 miles one way.  The trip back was uneventful although I was running short of water and wishing I had brought some extra sun screen. I came across a flowering cactus near the cross as I made my way down.

The trail offers some great views of the valley too.

All in all, it was great to find a trail so close to where I was staying and I expect I will try it or one of the other nearby trails on my next visit to the desert.