FIELD NOTES: CACTUS TO CLOUDS TO CACTUS

Words by Tony Wodarck

Touted as one of the toughest single-day hikes in the U.S., Cactus to Clouds earns its reputation fast. Add in the full descent back down, C2C2C, and you’re looking at 28+ miles, 10,000 feet of vert up and down, and a massive day out.

Nathan and I originally planned to hit it in November, but a week of storms pushed us back. Those same storms dropped fresh snow up high, setting us up for a mix of desert heat, snow-covered miles, and everything in between.

Nathan rocking the Airtex kit, a few hundred feet over Palm Springs just before sunrise.

 Moonrise to Sunrise

The Climb

We started at 5 a.m. from the Palm Springs Art Museum, just 485 feet above sea level. The Skyline Trail doesn’t ease you in, it throws a thousand feet of climbing at you in the first mile. We settled into a groove and inched our way up steep, technical terrain as the city lights slowly faded below.

Sunrise over Palm Springs was unreal. The sun peeking over the mountaintops brought excitement and energy for the big day ahead. 

Around mile eight we hit snow and worked our way toward the ranger station to refill water and prep for the final six-mile push to the summit. The snow came in every texture imaginable: powder, slush, and crusted ice. We slipped and postholed our way through the final stretch.

From Cactus to Snow

Refuel at the Ranger Station.

The Summit

The top delivered the kind of clarity you hope for but rarely get. We could see the ocean, Catalina, the Channel Islands, San Gorgonio, Mexico, a full 360° reminder of how big Southern California really is.

We grabbed a few photos, chatted with a couple of people grilling steaks on a backpacking grill, and then began the descent. By the time we reached the ranger station again, the sun was dropping and we’d been on our feet for 12 hours. The choice was either take the tram down or finish it out on foot. We did some bad math and assumed we could make it down in a couple hours, it turned out to be a lot longer than that. 

You could see hundreds of miles in every direction. Clearest day you could ever ask for and somehow no wind. Just perfection. "The view from San Jacinto is the most sublime spectacle to be found anywhere on this earth!” – John Muir

The Descent

The first miles through the snow were slow and deliberate. We only had one pair of microspikes between us, so each step required attention. Progress dropped to 38–45 minute miles, and the mental load stacked up.

Once the snow faded, we hit the endless dirt switchbacks. With headlamps on, you can only see a few feet ahead, and the repeated drops start to blur together. The city lights below were beautiful but felt impossibly far away, somehow never getting closer.

Just after 10 p.m., we stepped off the trail and back onto the pavement at the Palm Springs Art Museum. Nearly 17 hours, roughly 30 miles, 11,000+ feet of gain and loss, and legs torched.

Pit stop during the descent. 

Was It Hard? Was It Worth It?

I’ve gotten a lot of questions already, and the biggest two are always the same: How hard was it? and Was it worth it?

Physically, it wasn’t too bad, but that’s coming from someone who’s been running a lot and spending plenty of time in the hills. The real challenge was the length of the day and the constant mental focus required to avoid slipping, rolling an ankle, or sliding off a snowy section. Seventeen hours of paying attention adds up.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. C2C is a must-do.
The full “C2C2C” descent? In my opinion… totally unnecessary (and pretty funny in hindsight). 

What We Wore

The kit ended up being perfect for a day that swings from warm desert to freezing summit:

• Airtex 2-in-1 Shorts
  

• Airtex Shirt (Nathan)
  

• Prototype Merino Wool Tee (Tony) I typically wear Airtex for these types of adventures, but I wanted to give our upcoming Merino Wool Tee a try. I like the feel of it next to my skin a bit more and it keeps me a few degrees warmer in a good way. It ended up being perfect from the base to the summit and back down. I only needed a jacket for less than 1 of the 17 hours.
  

• Cordura Packable Windbreaker (releasing SP26) this was great for the start and as an easy small quick layer if needed for the wind. 
  

• Ultralight Packable Half Zip for the cold, slow miles after sunset. I needed this for about 45mins - 1 hour as we made a slow descent over the snowy, icy miles. Once we hit the dirt path, I warmed back up and stripped back down to just the Merino Wool shirt.
  

Packing for a route like this is tough, staying light without leaving yourself exposed. This setup worked perfectly. 

Final Thoughts

Cactus to Clouds is absolutely a bucket-list day. The climb, the terrain changes, and the summit views make it worth every step. If you want the full adventure, go for C2C2C, but if you’re just there for the experience, take the tram down and save your legs and sanity.