The 3 Saints (San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, & Mt. Baldy) in 24 Hours
On May 12, 2018, I decided to take on this challenge: to climb the three highest mountains in Southern California (San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, and Mt. Baldy) in under 24 hours. Over 40 miles and 12K of gain.
📍: San Jacinto Mtn. | 10,834 ft.
⛰: ~11 miles // ~3K Elevation Gain
⏱: 8:33AM - 12:11AM (~3.5 hours)
📝: 4AM alarm goes on. Hearing raindrops as I’m getting ready. I realized it’s raining. I go to Mountain Forecast to triple check weather. Clear skies on each peak so decided to move forward with plan. Met up with my friend Nelson (@_nj369) and off to Palm Springs we went!
As we arrived the Palm Springs Tram the sky was starting to clear up. We got our tickets for the 8:15AM tram 🚋. At the ranger station I ran into @kimfindsbalance who was backpacking. Nelson gets our permit and we officially start at 8:33AM.
We started running and hiking up the trail. Enjoying the mountain’s beauty. We get to the top in two hours and noticed the new sign. We soon find out that they had just installed it. Nelson and I take our photos and back down we went. We ran down, but it was a little hard to run since the trail was very busy.
Half way down I see @trinagoesoutside who was doing 🌵’s to ☁️’s on her own, kicking ass! 💪 Later on the trail I also saw other familiar faces.
We got back to the tram and little after 12PM. Nelson started driving, we were refueling in the car on our way to San Gorgonio, a little over an hour drive. We had a lot of peanut butter and banana sandwiches. 🤤
📍: San Gorgonio Mtn. | 11, 503 ft.
⛰: ~19 miles // ~5.5K Elevation Gain
⏱: 2:21PM - 11:42PM (~9.5 hours)
📝: We arrived at Vivian Creek around 2PM. We got our packs ready and off we went on to climb the highest mountain of Southern California. We set a goal to be at the summit by sunset which was in 5 hours from the time we started.
We took our time. Enjoying the views as we climbed each section. We filtered water at High Camp. Two hours left and ~3 miles left to reach summit. At this point I realized I didn’t pack enough food with me. Energy started to go low but aside from that I felt pretty good. Started to listen to music and just enjoyed the moment.
So close yet so far. As we were getting closer and closer I couldn’t believe that we were going to make it by sunset. I noticed the sun was starting to do its thing. Everything felt so magical. I had a rush of happiness. A proudness feeling within myself. A moment where I thanked myself for believing in me and allowing myself to experience this very moment.
This was my 5th time climbing this moment and I’ve always struggled. This time was different. This time I allowed myself to just be one with the mountain. This time I conquered San Gorgonio. 💪
📍: San Antonio Mtn. | 10,064 ft.
⛰: ~11 miles // ~4K Elevation Gain
⏱: 2:33AM - 8:27AM (~6 hours)
**It’s not always all laughs and smiles. This VIDEO pretty much sums up the struggle. I strongly believe that the only limitations we have are the ones we set ourselves. It’s not easy but pushing through the discomfort and pain is how we grow and become better. I want to thank my friend Nelson (@_nj369) for helping me achieve this goal. 🙏**
📝: Nelson and I were both starting to get sleepy. The next trailhead was at least an hour away. After driving for 30 minutes, we pulled over at a gas station hoping we could power nap. We tried but both realized we weren’t going to be able to nap.
We got to the trailhead. As soon as we passed the notch, I started to feel the elevation gain and sleep deprivation. The clock was ticking and the thought of not finishing under 24 hours started to cross my mind. Nelson was encouraging me along the way.
Made it to the summit ~6:45AM. At this point I broke down crying. I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that I still had a chance to finish this under 24 hours if I ran.
Halfway down I couldn’t see Nelson anymore. I saw my friend Noel and asked if he saw Nelson going down, he didn’t, so I started to worry. I stopped and turned around. At this point I didn’t care about my time anymore. I just wanted to make sure Nelson wasn’t lost.
I started to slowly climb up, screaming Nelson’s name. I didn’t know what to do or think. I saw some hikers coming up and showed them a picture of Nelson. They said they saw him running down. With a big smile on my face I looked at my watch. I was ~2.5 miles from the trailhead and 33 minutes left. I told myself, “I rather give it my all and see what happens than quit now and wonder if I would had made it.”
Off I went... I made it to the trailhead 6 minutes before the “cut-off” time. 😭
Happy trails my friends! Remember, we will never know what we are capable of until we try.