Every trail has a personality. And like the rider, it has good days and bad days. Sometimes it wants to play. Sometimes have fun. Sometimes to be left alone. Other times, to wreak havoc. The trailhead greeting is a thing of uncertainty. Like meeting Beorn; the Middle Earth, temperamental skin changer that Gandalf hesitantly brought the dwarves to. Which version would they get: fearsome bear or skeptic host? Approaching the trail induces a similar, internal tension for the rider; which version will show up?

For the four of us, clammy skin and elevated heart rate brought on by the day’s uncertainty, gave way to laughter and marvel at the surrounding landscape. The trail came to play. We caught up to Beorn on a good day.

Beginning things

The ride begins on Santa Rosa Mountain with a 3.5+ mi plunge for a 1,000 ft descent. It’s steep and fast with punchy ups, rock crops, skinny sections, cliffs, off-camber singletrack, and loose granite floor. For us San Diego ocean dwellers, the lungs felt every bit of the mountain’s 4,500 ft elevation.

These first few miles set the tone on the day. Filled with almost falls, overshot switchbacks, and cactus finger – that phenomenon that happens when you get 8 cactus spines in your pinky because you’re a bit out of control and your handlebar swipes the overgrown poker on the inside part of a sharp turn, the first re-group and rest at the Pinyon Flats Trail intersection is necessary. Creeping doubt and the sinking realization that it’s going to be a long day are kept at bay with story time; everyone’s own version of the descent and favorite trail feature. Cactus finger removal is a must. There’s a lot of hard breathing too.

The middle bits

The best part of the ride is the middle section. There is more climbing, but it is spread over 18 miles. Kind of like too little jelly spread over too much bread; it’s hardly noticeable. Except when it is, of course. The mountain opens up to long winding descents, woop-de-doo’s, g-outs, and epic vistas. The huge eastern slopes of the San Jacinto Mountains showcase their unique, jagged, and massive landscape, providing the backdrop for amazing photography and inspired silence. It’s hard to appreciate because the trail is a distraction, and it should be, but during the few inevitable regroups, it’s to be soaked in.

The final plunge

In a word, steep. So very steep. There are options to descend into Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, or Cathedral City. They’re all kind of the same. For this ride, we did the new to us drop into Palm Desert on the Hopalong Cassidy Trail. I wouldn’t choose this option again. The loose, chunky singletrack along the cliffs into the burbs, was disappointing. For an otherwise amazing experience, there are better ways to end it. Also, I didn’t get to see a bighorn sheep.

There is a lot of behind the scenes activity to make rides like this work. Multiple vehicles are required. A shuttle is needed that can carry all bikes. Schedules must be coordinated. The left behind family must solo parent for the entire day. The departing parent must do a lot of dishes to make it easy for the left behind parent. Putting rides like this together isn’t easy. Its strange to me then that the best part of the it is when it’s over. In the car. Destination In-n-Out. Silence. Perhaps it’s because of the previous few hours that these small things can be appreciated with greater depth. Strange.

The Pine to Palms Epic is a SoCal bucket list ride. Do yourself a favor and find a way to experience it. Do it in a group and do it on a dry winter day to beat the heat. Come prepared with extra water, extra nutrition, and extra whatever else you think might be appropriate. Too much anything is a good problem for this ride. Also, enjoy it. You’ll be back for another go, even if Beorn shows up as a ferocious bear.