San Jacinto: How Art Pod Scaled a Mountain

By Rose Schreier '27

10,000 feet above Palm Springs, a cluster of teenage girls huddle atop a rock—their faces are red, their heart rates are high, their foreheads are sweaty, and they have a 360 view of the Mojave Desert. If you were to ask them how they ended up there, they would tell you it started with a Homestyle Scramble. At approximately 9 am, the San Jacinto art pod awoke to the sound of boiling water. They crept out of their mildewed sleeping bags and huddled around the boiling water with mugs in hand. Some read books, others began their first sketch of the day. The girls included Gwen McTigue, Pari Malik, Makayla Niu, Karina Strofs, Naomi Avalos, Arelic Rodriguez, Precious Adjei, Ashley Chan, Michelle Wu, and Rose Schreier. The pod leaders, Mr. Szanyi and Ms. Calhoun, filled each cup with hot water for tea and matcha, while others began preparing the Homestyle Scramble. It was a slop of sorts, which only tasted good if you had spent all day hiking. Karina claims the scramble was “like a stew of eggs and water.” After the Homestyle Scramble, the girls rolled the tarps they had slept on, put their packs in their tents, and went on their way. 

The second hike of the trip began with a rolling incline through a pine forest that called for many breaks along the way, but the forest eventually turned into granite rock faces and a view straight into a valley. The girls took out their film cameras to capture the sights, along with posing under a hollowed tree. The art pod also sat down to watercolor various scenes at certain points, or journaling accounts of the day so far. After all, the pod's goal coming into the trip was to stop and appreciate. While the trail was flat and the sky was nothing but blue, the girls still had miles to go. They did a long switchback up the side of a mountain, climbing boulders and baking in the Palm Springs sun. A few snack breaks were had, which included the provisions of Bobos and Welches. 

Finally, the girls and pod leaders were at the final one-mile push to their lunch spot. Due to the high altitude, conversations had waned and were replaced by heavy breathing. At one point, there was the illusion of a flat spot for lunch, but it turned out to be a hill. Eventually, they made it. Michelle appreciated the utility of the place, saying, “I think the lunch spot worked well, as the summit was too rocky for a lunch setup. Also, for those scared of heights, having lunch on the rocks would’ve been a challenge.” At the lunch spot, many took a pause to draw nearby trees or read books to inspire their writing. Still, the journey was not over yet; the girls still had 0.2 miles to summit the peak—that 0.2 miles was straight up rock scrambling/bouldering up an exposed peak. The journey up left many with scratches and scrapes, and there were many moments of butt-scooting. Though slightly trembling, they made it to the top. The view looked like it had been painted—you could gaze down 10,000 feet into the squares of land that made up Palm Springs. 

At the top, a minute or two went by in silence; the only thing that existed was pure appreciation for physical ability and nature. Ashley now reflects, “Though the hike to the peak was challenging due to the altitude, the journey proved to be so worth it when we reached the top —seeing the beautiful landscape and experiencing the feeling of being enveloped by clouds was unforgettable.”