Iron Hiker: Desert Angel

Saturday, April 25, 2020

Desert Angel

Hiked: 4/24/2020
Distance: 2 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 2356'
Elevation Gain: 1597'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.2
Round trip time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at turn out off Highway 111
Difficulty: Moderate

Another day looking for summits on BLM land. My first goal was Orocopia south of I-10, but Riverside County had blocked the roads to the trailhead. I could have driven around the barricades, but chose to follow the rules (this time). My other goal for the day was Desert Angel, a peak at the end of San Jacinto's mighty Leatherneck Ridge. There was only one ascent of Desert Angel in Peakbagger by Mark McCormick, but no report. It looked like the best approach was directly up the ridge, about 1600' gain in less than a mile. I parked in a dirt turn out just off highway 111 where I could barely see the snow capped upper reaches of San Jacinto.

I took a side hill angle to the first saddle, then continued directly up the first bump. The terrain was mostly open with grass up to mid-calf. Nice boulder formations dotted the landscape. After a second smaller bump, the steep ascent to the summit came into view. Near the top, there was some slab work and class 2 scrambling to reach the summit area. I stayed left below the ridge to avoid dangerous drops to the desert floor. On the summit, I found a metal pole with a flannel shirt attached as a flag. The summit boulder was a 10' class 2 cylinder. No marks and no register. Views were wondrous in all directions. Palm Springs spread out to the north and hundreds of giant wind towers were lined up below. The wind was gusty but not steady and it really started to warm up on the way down. It was a slow descent, taking roughly the same amount of time as going up. Desert Angel was quick fun but hard on the knees. Once I got down, I started searching for nearby peaks to substitute for the missed opportunity on Orocopia.