Mt San Jacinto, Summer, 1992

 Mt San Jacinto, Summer, 1992

It was during an extended heat wave in the summer of 1992, that Steve and I decided to spend a day up in the cool wilderness around Mt San Jacinto. Palm Springs was hot and empty as we came up on a Friday night and, for a fraction of the normal rates, took a nice air-conditioned room in a resort with a large pool.
 
After breakfast, we headed for the tramway where we quickly found ourselves standing in the coolness of the upper station, 8500’ above sea level. We had in our packs a fine lunch and a soft-sided cooler holding a nice white wine and some frosty beers. It was still cool in the mid-morning when we stopped at the ranger station and filled out our wilderness permits. We put as our destination Round Valley, but we were actually heading for the overlook I had visited the winter before.
 
Good company and a perfect day make the trail short, and we quickly found ourselves walking up the depression to the overlook. When we reached the spot where the mountain lion’s tracks had crossed over mine on that cold December afternoon, I stopped and described it all to Steve, what the day was like, the quality of the late afternoon, how I felt standing there alone in the growing dark. He is receptive, interested. After reliving that moment, we continue to our destination, there to have lunch and enjoy a cold drink.
 
Arriving at the overlook, we work our way down the rocks on the right to a shady little bench area in the stone made soft by moss and dirt. We unpack and put our parkas down for a ground cover. Lunch is a fine Italian cold-cut sandwich with potato chips and deli pickles, a cold beer and a glass of white wine in a plastic stemmed wine glass. In the pack is a thermos of Irish coffee and some dark chocolate for desert. We each light a small cigar and relax back against the stone as the tiredness comes over us.
 
After a while, I hear some voices behind us and to the left, I rise up and look behind to see man and woman arriving. He drops his pack and they pick a spot to the left side of the rocks where they spread a blanket and open their pack for lunch. I see that they too have a bottle of wine that they are enjoying in plastic glasses. I sit back down and continue with my nap.
 
Later, a new sound arouses me from my slumber. I look over to see the couple laying naked on the blanket and making love to each other, there in the wilderness in the summer sun. I hear Steve rise up behind me to look over my shoulder.
 
“Yes,” he says quietly, “that’s what I thought I was hearing. Should we let them know we’re here or what?”  
 
I thought the scene beautiful and natural, real and alive. “No,” I answered quietly, “let them have their minute in the sun, why embarrass them and ruin the moment.” We sat back down behind the rock with the soft sounds of joy coming through the spruce. I poured out some coffee and opened the chocolate.
 
They packed up and left without ever knowing we were there. Later, in the long shadows of evening, we packed our gear and began the trek back to the tram. It was pleasant and cool heading back down the trail. We knew we would be having dinner in the heat of the desert floor. We passed the spot where I had seen the mountain lion tracks back in December, and I had another realization. This was my second encounter here on this overlook trail, and the memories of this one would come back to me over the years, and remind me of the joy and desire that humans seek in the wilderness.