Massage Therapy Following Nature's Therapy

If you like to hike, you’ll love hiking on Mt. San Jacinto. The State Park offers 54 miles of hiking trails located within a 14,000 acre pristine wilderness, one of the last in California. All trails are accessed by exiting the Mountain Station and descending a concrete pathway less than a mile to Long Valley. In Long Valley, there are picnic tables, water, a Ranger Station, flush toilets and some easy trails.

San Jacinto State Park Tram Tower 5

In this past year, I have become an avid hiker. Ask any of my Facebook pals, who have had to endure my continuous “hiking updates” and photos. To say the very least, the views in Palm Springs are spectacular! I love to share the stories and photos of my adventures, as often as I hike.

My friend Jules and I purchased special $60 Season Passes which allow us to take unlimited rides on the Palm Springs Ariel Tramway to the top of the San Jacinto mountains. TWO AND A HALF MILES above the Coachella Valley, the top of the mountain is a refreshing break from the Summer heat below. I’ve heard that the temperatures are, on average, 30 degrees cooler up there! From my front door to the top of the mountain takes about 20 minutes. The tram ride itself is breathtaking, and worthy of a blog entry all its own. Maybe I’ll write that someday soon?

Passing the Descending Tram Car

Just inside the city limits of Palm Springs, you will see the aptly named road called Tramway. Turn Southwest and continue up the winding road, across the alluvial fan. In Palm Springs, we have fancy names for our geological formations, which natives use in our daily vernacular. We have quite a few of these alluvial fans in the area, but I would say none are as dramatic as the one at the base of the San Jacinto Mountain.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, an alluvial fan is: unconsolidated sedimentary deposit that accumulates at the mouth of a mountain canyon because of a diminution or cessation of sediment transport by the issuing stream. The deposits, which are generally fan-shaped in plan view, can develop under a wide range of climatic conditions, and have been studied in the Canadian Arctic, Swedish Lappland, Japan, the Alps, the Himalayas, and other areas. They tend to be larger and more prominent in arid and semiarid regions, however, and generally are regarded as characteristic desert landforms. This is particularly true in the basin-and-range type of areas of parts of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the western United States, Chile and Peru, Sinai and western Arabia, and Central Asia, where the basic landscape configuration consists of mountains set against adjacent basins.

The Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, constructed in rugged Chino Canyon on the north edge of Palm Springs (about two hours by car from Los Angeles and San Diego), did not just happen. It required foresight, planning, financing and, most of all… a vision. For years, it was the dream of a young electrical engineer named Francis F. Crocker to "go up there where it's nice and cool". Crocker's dream began in 1935 while he was on a trip to Banning, California, with newspaper publisher Carl Barkow. Mopping his brow in the heat of the day, Crocker gazed on longingly at the still snow-capped peak of Mt. San Jacinto, 10,834 feet high. "Crocker's Folly,'' as it was soon dubbed by one newspaper woman, began.

Rugged Granite Cliffs Below

It is worth every moment of planning to take this trip when you come to Palm Springs. Hiking can be done all year round but is best when done in cooler temperatures. If you decide to hike the many trails around here, especially in the Summer time, be certain to plan your hike for EARLY in the morning; as in first light! By 2pm the temperatures  climb to their warmest, and summertime temperatures can reach 120 degrees. Beware that in the cool of the sunrise and sunset, “others” (as in snakes) choose to take advantage of the trails at these times too. Native snakes include rattlesnakes.  The chances of seeing one is slim, but here is a nice reference guide to study. Native Snakes

Also, be certain to take adequate amounts of water with you. Tiny little “two swallow bottles” (as I call them) will not suffice. Here is a link to helpful information regarding water. (Please note: I am NOT in favor of the sports drinks, as the article suggests. Read the bottle’s ingredient label, and then consider drinking water and finishing with an ice cold Coconut Water instead. Sports Drinks include High Fructose Corn Syrups, sugar, and vegetable oils. Yes, vegetable oils! What to Drink When Hiking

HIKING RECOVERY:


As a pharmacist once told me, “You only need about a tablespoon or two of a sports drink to help bring your electrolytes into balance”. Drinking a whole bottle of the stuff can actually be harmful.  But, this is a topic for another blog. Of course, I offer you this information with encouragement to research on your own. Everyone is different, and you should consult with a knowledgeable doctor if you have questions regarding your health.

Once you finish hiking, you should really consider a relaxing massage. Being both a hiker and a massage therapist, I suggest a firm therapeutic massage.  


After hiking I also highly recommend a good tub soak using 2-3oz of 100% pure Magnesium OIL. If you have any questions on how to find this oil or massage questions please use the comment area below. Or you can reference my website at:

Palm Springs Massage Therapy