Here’s a quick video I put together of my SOTA activation on Pine Mountain up at around 9,600 ft above sea level.
Pine Mountain SOTA (W6/CT-040)
November 19, 2022
Retracing Our Steps
October 29, 2019
Hiking Cactus to Clouds
A NOTE TO FELLOW HAM RADIO OPERATORS: QSO was made with on this hike using the Wilderness Protocol on National Calling Frequencies 146.52 and 446 MHz. A very special thanks to AC7CP for posting my broadcasts as comments below!
We have not even to risk the adventure alone for the heroes of all time have gone before us. The labyrinth is thoroughly known … we have only to follow the thread of the hero path. And where we had thought to find an abomination we shall find a God. And where we had thought to slay another we shall slay ourselves. Where we had thought to travel outwards we shall come to the center of our own existence. And where we had thought to be alone we shall be with all the world.
Joseph Campbell
One of this first things you learn about wilderness travel is never go alone. However, when the hike has significant risk and requires extreme physical and psychological endurance, sometimes the only option is to do it alone. In fact, it can be downright irresponsible to bring someone along who has not had the proper mental and physical training, putting both them and you at significant risk. That’s exactly what happened to Robert Liebler and Veit Elser in 2009 when they attempted the treacherous Cactus to Clouds hike. Liebler ended up succumbing to heat exhaustion and perished. He was one of two bodies recovered during that deadly weekend in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto.
But sometimes when you set off on a journey alone, fate intervenes to bring unlikely travelers together. Just after setting off at 3:30am, I encountered fellow hikers Alex, Pemma, and Joyce, and teamed up with them. We ended up summiting San Jacinto and completing the hike together. Indeed, they made the experience so much more enjoyable, and gave me additional strength and motivation to complete the hike. In addition, radio contact with Martin Hall (AC7CP) was a great experience, especially for a new ham radio operator.
The Hiker
The question I get the most often about this hike, is “why?” It’s easy to think of hiking Cactus to Clouds as act of insanity, but the simple answer is that I find outdoor adventure brings me closer to God, and in a very intimate and profound way. It is an immensely humbling act to take a human being out of their comfort zone, force them rely upon their instincts, and have them trust in the goodwill of the universe for safe return. On my journey I participated in a important ritual, bringing symbolic indigenous objects to the mountain, used to implore the grace of the universe. Lastly, it is a way for me to meditate on my oneness with all hearts upon the Earth.
So now that you know all that, let’s get on with the hike!
The Hike
Trail Stats
Distance: 19.8 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 10,865 feet (!!!)
Total Elevation Loss: 2,844 feet
There are two main sections of this hike, the first 9 miles of the hike are done along the Skyline Trail, which begins at the Palm Springs Art Museum at 480 feet above sea level, and follows the east face of Jacinto toward the Tram Station, located at 8,526 feet above sea level. This is the hardest part of the hike because of the extreme elevation gain and since parts of the trail are steep and treacherous.
The second part of the hike begins in front of the tram station and climbs an additional 2,378 feet over 4.4 miles to the summit of San Jacinto at 10,755 feet. Including descent to the tram station, the hike takes you 17.98 miles with 10,865 feet of elevation gain.
If you’d like to check out the hike in more detail, you can view the hike on caltopo.com. If you want to visualize the hike in 3D using Google Earth you can download the KML file of the hike.
Training
For this hike, physical training weeks and months prior is essential. First, a person has to be used to long, strenuous activity at elevations above 7,000 feet to identify altitude issues, which can come hard and fast. It also allows the body to work its magic, automatically adjusting the cardio-pulmonary system to cope with the thinner air.
Perhaps equally as important is to have attempted a long (>13mi.) hike with at least a 5,000 elevation gain prior to attempting Cactus to Clouds. These types of preparatory hikes are more than just conditioning – they allow you to identify any areas of discomfort so that they can be handled prior to a longer hike. Examples include hot spots on the feet, pack comfort, joint pains, clothing, and gear issues.
Gear
Aside from training, proper gear planning is essential due to the length of the hike and the extreme conditions one might face. Some gear essentials include:
- 6 liters of water + water filtration for the water at the ranger station.
- Survival gear, including first aid, emergency blanket, emergency tarp, rope, and gloves.
- Illumination (headlamp) and backup illumination
- GPS with backup batteries
- Clothing suited for both the desert and mountain climates.
During this hike I carried a ham radio, which requires an FCC license to operate. I regard this as an essential piece of gear on this hike, especially if you’re doing it solo.
Communications
Cell phone service is shoddy at best on the way up the mountain and should not be relied on. Radio communications should be maintained during the hike. For this hike I used the Wilderness Protocol, broadcasting my condition and position on the mountain. This allowed me to maintain contact with other ham operators to mitigate the risk of being in an extremely remote area.
What is UTM?
Hikers and backpackers frequently rely on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system for navigation. UTM is similar to latitude and longitude, but differs in a few important ways:
- UTM is measured in meters, whereas latitude longitude uses degrees, minutes, and seconds. UTM drastically simplifies calculations, etc. when out in the field.
- UTM uses Easting and Northing coordinates to indicate latitude and longitude.
- UTM uses zones, e.g., 11S, along with your Easting and Northing coordinates. The zone indicates the general region you are on earth to ensure the UTM coordinates are precise.
- Most importantly, UTM is universal for hiking and backpacking purposes. Most outdoor maps favor UTM grid lines over traditional latitude/longitude.
For those of us who practice compass navigation (as backup for electronic GPS devices and apps) it is common to identify your UTM coordinates using triangulation, slope angle navigation, etc., which are then recorded in a logbook. Should your GPS fail, you may find yourself in a situation where your map and compass skills become a survival necessity. If you’re a serious backcountry, off-trail traveler, you should be practicing your map and compass navigation as often as possible.
Converting UTM Coordinates to KML
Using the UTM coordinates you recorded, it’s great to be able to visualize things in Google Earth or even load them into a GPS app for later use. On a recent off-trail backpacking trip, we relied on UTM coordinates from map and compass triangulation to find our way to some hidden Native American ruins. Google Earth and CalTopo were used to plan the trip beforehand. Afterward, we used our recorded UTM data to visualize and review our route.
To accomplish this, I built a general purpose spreadsheet that converts UTM coordinates into both latitude and longitude and finally KML output for Google Earth or a GPS unit. Here’s how it works:
- Each tab is labeled and are used sequentially. Start with the first tab, “1. Summary” to enter in basic information including what you’d like to name your collection of coordinates.
- Use the second tab, “2. Bulk Coordinates” to enter in your coordinates manually. You can also add an optional note for each.
- Cut and paste the entire contents of the third tab, “3. KML Output”, to a text file using notepad and save as a “.kml” file, e.g., “mytrip.kml”
- Open your shiny new KML file in Google Earth!
To begin using the spreadsheet, download the spreadsheet as an Excel document, or copy it to your Google Drive. There is one additional tab showing you how the calculations work in case you want to modify the spreadsheet. Intermediate conversion calculations are represented as hidden columns on the Bulk Coordinates tab.
Summary
Now you know how to convert your manually recorded UTM coordinates into a KML file for Google Earth. You may also want to modify the spreadsheet to customize how things are displayed in Google Earth. You can also edit the KML directly in Google Earth.
Have fun out there!
73, KN6EZE