After climbing Strawberry Peak in the morning, I drove over to hike the Mt. Pinos-Sawmill Mountain combo. I pulled into another nearly empty parking lot, broke out my camp chair, and enjoyed a tri-tip sandwich I bought at the local market (along with the firewood for later). Properly fueled up, I set off under the shade of the pines toward the first peak, Mt. Pinos. The section is a pleasant stroll up toward the high point of Ventura County. Soon, the familiar communications tower appeared. I grabbed a few photos from the summit and continued on. Just a short distance later is the Tumamait Trailhead and the Condor Viewing area. After briefly enjoying the panoramic view to the southwest, I continued on.
The trail now began descending, with some helpful switchbacks, down to a saddle and losing just under 500 feet of elevation. Here began the climb up to Sawmill Mountain. The temperatures were pleasant, and the light breeze felt great as I regained almost all the elevation I had just lost. The marker for the turnoff of the main trail was just as I remembered, and soon the tall rock cairn came into view. Unlike Mt. Pinos, which did not have any signs, Sawmill had two. I had a snack and some electrolytes before snapping more photos. Although I technically finished my SoCal Six Pack of Peaks Challenge with the summit of Strawberry Peak, I have a goal for myself to climb all 12 on the list this year. Just 5 more to go! The hike back to the car went quickly, even with the section down and up from that saddle. The entire hike took me 2:58, and covered 7.35 miles with a 1,427 feet of gain. All told for the day, I hiked 14.19 miles in 6:19 with 3,222 feet of gain.
Thankfully, I wasn’t driving back to San Diego then. Instead, I was camping at the Mt. Pinos campground. I was able to get the same spot as last year. After unloading and setting up the Luno mattress, I got the fire going. The breeze had picked up, so it was a tad cool. I only brought a fleece, so I did feel it more than I would have liked to. After a nice steak dinner, I watched the fire for a while before dousing it and turning in for the night. I had accidentally left my tripod back at the trailhead, so no real astrophotography on this trip. I awoke at first light and quickly made breakfast and then broke camp. I drove back to the trailhead to see if the tripod might be there, but no luck. Next up was hiking up Tecuya Mountain before driving home.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.