EISPIRATEN

Wesweswes and I just did the C2T2C: Palm Springs to the Leatherneck ridge to the tram, skyline down. I've hiked Leatherneck ridge before. As the last time, this route is excellent. Super pretty. Fun scrambling, but nothing hard or dangerous. Feels out there.

My boots were still dead, and I made a last-minute walk to big5. The previous strategy of "buy-the-most-expensive-big5-boots" was getting tiresome: they work fine, but just aren't durable enough to survive the bushwhacks. So I employed a new strategy: assume it's all going to fall apart quickly, and buy the cheapest thing they have. After 20min I walked out with a brand new pair of Denali something boots for $25.

The tram isn't running, so we'd be walking up and down. But it also means that that whole side of the mountain is deserted: didn't see anybody all day. We started walking at the bottom of Tramway rd a bit before sunrise; it was 80deg F. The breeze picked up once we started climbing, and the heat was mostly not an issue the rest of the day. It was cloudy and it rained a bit, so the conditions were perfect.

The lower section is steep and slabby and fun.











Then it flattens out and goes on for a looong time. There are deer here



And magnificent views





At 5000ft is a lotta mosquitos for some reason. The trees up on the ridge are visible from far below, but it takes a while to get up to them



Eventually at ~6000ft we were there!







The section is amazing. The next section is a scrambly rollercoaster:



At point 7446 the view opens up into Snow Creek and the San Jacinto summit ridge:



The final section crosses several bumps. It's a scramble and it is great.



Eventually we crested the ridge and took a looong break



Got up here in 8:22, a far cry from the 5-hour time I was shooting for based on previous skyline experiences. We rested here for a bit, and decided to skip the summit: it was late, and we still had to hike all the way back down. The descent down the skyline trail went faster, but it still took us a solid 5 hours from Grubb's notch to the art museum. Saw the Salton Sea



And very glowy red mountains at sunset



We got back to town after dark. It was laughably hot.

We didn't summit, and my legs haven't been this sore in a long time. I don't understand how headsizeburrito did 2 laps, both physically and also just being able to motivate to go back up after the first lap. Instead of the second lap, we devoured some pizza, and drove home.

Leatherneck ridge is great. Go do it.

The $25 boots from big5 have some odd fit issues, but are functional, and are still in one piece!

I really liked it too

Well this was a pleasant report to read! I'm c2c curious but not c2c2c2c curious. How much water and food did y'all bring?

Those be some serious gainz!

Would coming down on the tram be an option?

Not today. The tram wasn't running, so there was no temptation.

Regarding your boot strategy, I've always decided that getting a better pair of boots/shoes was worth the extra money I might spend. But maybe I've just bought into the marketing.

After experimenting some, taking into consideration fit, support, durability, comfort, and cost, what do you find the better approach? Buying 6 pairs of cheap Big 5 boots at $25, or buying one "brand name" pair at $150?

I get my Altra shoes on eBay at much less than full price. I'm also happy with last year's model, in fact I have two new-in-box pairs in the closet right now because they were good deals at the time. I come from a shoe family and with wide feet I've always been willing to pay for comfort.

I don't mind paying $$$ for durable boots, I just haven't found any that last longer than the fancy-pants $70 big5 boots. Also the big5 is open late and I can walk there, so I've made last-minute purchases there multiple times. Just went to rei, and bought a $200-something pair that maybe will be better. We shall see.

Uncle Rico wrote: Sun Sep 28, 2025 7:50 am After experimenting some, taking into consideration fit, support, durability, comfort, and cost, what do you find the better approach? Buying 6 pairs of cheap Big 5 boots at $25, or buying one "brand name" pair at $150?

Oh, and to answer the question. I don't have much experience at the $25 price point yet. I've been buying the fanciest thing they have (these; usually on sale for ~ $70). They fit well and work well, but do fall apart eventually. After roughly a similar period of time than the various $200-ish boots at rei that I tried previously. Just got a pair of Salomons that I haven't tried before; maybe those are bettter.

I am in the 35-50 dollar camp. The more expensive shoes fall apart just as fast as the cheap ones in my experience or the tread wears down at a similar pace. The problem with the 25 dollar ones is they aren't comfortable and I have had some manufacturer problems where I've had to return them for another pair. Go up about 15 dollars much more comfortable and quality improves. I hike three times a week and my sneakers last between 3-6 months assuming they don't get a soaking in a creek.

Interesting discussion. I am limited by having narrow feet. I wish I could find narrow shoes and boots at Big5.

The $25 boots have a too-narrow-for-me toe box, so maybe they're what you want. They're a "Denali" something.

There was water at the ranger station in long valley, so we refilled there. We brought 3L each.

I would do it again, but probably summit and then take the tram down; it's just down for maintenance this month. Awesome ridge hike for real.

I've been pretty happy with my la sportiva hiking shoes ("ultra raptor 2"), and I think they're a little more durable than other pairs I've had: I used to wear some salomons ("x ultra 3") but stopped after they changes models. After about a year and a half on the former my soles are almost flat and I've got a bunch of gouges in the uppers, but I tend to beat 'em up pretty bad so I feel like it's a pretty good run, and yeah, they're quite comfortable.

If you have narrow feet, a narrow toe box makes it worse. Your feet slide forward going downhill. A wide boot for people with narrow feet is not a big problem hiking uphill on a good trail. It is a problem when footing is poor, and becomes a big problem on long downhill runs, and when climbing.

dima wrote: Wed Sep 24, 2025 10:54 pm Not today. The tram wasn't running, so there was no temptation.

Tram always closes near the end of September for maintenance. Open again 10/13/25 this year.

Leatherneck is still on my to do list (maybe), but I am not up for hiking back down. Hard to beat a Shock Top at the bar before riding back down.

For some reason, the terrain looks different than earlier reports, but it's a big, long ridge, so probably just shots from different points of view.

Thanks for the report and photos. I'm glad to see Leatherneck is still there. I splurge for the $50 boots at Big 5 because they're more comfortable and they're waterproof, which comes in handy. I usually wear out the tread before other stuff breaks on the shoe.