61-Week Hiking Challenge (Week 6 & 7) – South Lykken Trail

Objective:  Hike at least once a week.  Whether the hikes are big or small, long or short, with or without kids, I want to actively engage my body and enjoy this beautiful world we live in.  There are so many places to go (free places to boot) that I want to explore them all.

Well, I have to be honest with all of you as with myself…I did miss a week.  I have to admit that I did not make time for a hike during these holidays.   Between finishing shopping and having the kids out of school, traveling the day after Christmas to LA to get the kids on a plan bound for Texas, and getting sick – where did the time go?  But you know what?  It’s ok, I’m not going to allow this setback deter me from continuing on with my challenge.  Even though it’s not part of my challenge, I did make it to the gym, which doesn’t make me feel too bad. 

So as week 6 came and went, I find myself needing to write about week 7 which I successfully completed.  I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful friend invite me to Palm Springs for the weekend.  I’ve never been, and thankfully it’s not as blisteringly hot in the winter as it is in the summer.   The one thing I love (and hate) about Tami is that she is so darn athletic!  She is always moving whether it’s hiking insane hikes, attending classes at the gym or teaching aerial acrobatics (that’s a class I want to attend).  But whenever I visit her, she definitely keeps me on my toes and for that I am thankful.

The South Lykken Trail

Can you see Tami waving way ahead of me?!

So Sunday morning Tami says we’re going on a hike.  Sure, why not.  If you haven’t been to Palm Springs, it’s magnificent!  Even for the desert, it has beautiful landscapes.  Huge mountains encircle the flat city and the sky was always crystal blue.   So we decided to ride bikes to the hiking location (I was not expecting a 3+mile bike ride).  And then we come to the base of this mountain.  I’m looking straight up and realizing that this was going to hurt.

Now when I say mountain it was no joke.  Just look at these pictures!  It was all switchbacks.  As we began our accent to the top, instantly Tami took off with her dogs saying “Hope I see you at the top!” I had some good tunes and beautiful views to keep me climbing.  One thing I’ve learned through the years of working out with Tami is to go at my own pace.  There is always going to be someone faster, stronger, more daring then me and trying to compete and keep up will make my adventures miserable. So listen to your body and do what you can when you can.  I think Tami was resting on top of the mountain for a solid 10 minutes (or maybe more) for me.  But when I reached the top I felt so accomplished.  It hurt and I was exhausted, but boy did I feel good to look all the way down to where we started.

My thoughts:

Difficulty:  8 (out of 10)

Beauty: 8 (out of 10)

Distance:  3.86 Miles

Pace:  16:43 min/mi

Max Elevation: 1,460’

Elevation Gain:  900’

Time: 1:04:36

Burned:  382 calories

Worth It?  Absolutely!

Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5) 

Directions to the Trailhead: The north end of this trail starts at the end of Mesquite Road. You will have to park down by Palm Canyon and walk to the trailhead. There is a Tahquitz Canyon visitors at the end of the road, but you cannot park there if you are hiking the South Lykken Trail. As you walk up Mesquite you will pass a mobile home park on the left, and a big house on the right. Continue up the road, and the trailhead is right where the road turns right toward the Visitors Center.