With some possible weather arriving over the weekend, I opted to take the day off from my coursework and head up to Idyllwild to do some peakbagging. After passing through Idyllwild and Pine Cove, I turned onto the Black Mountain Truck Trail and began the drive toward the Fuller Ridge Trailhead for the first peak of the day, Castle Rocks. The road began its climb up that mountain and was in pretty good condition. From time to time, sections of asphalt would appear, probably to reduce damage to the road. I passed the junction to Boulder Basin Campground and the Black Mountain Lookout Tower, which I would be stopping at on my return. The road then passed several Yellow Post sites, as it continued its steady climb up the mountain. I had entertained the idea of camping, but didn’t get my act together quickly enough to make it happen.
Soon, I pulled into the Fuller Ridge Trailhead parking area and gathered my gear. My route would follow the Pacific Crest Trail for about 2 miles before leaving it to take a use trail to the summit. This section of the PCT is quite infamous in the early thru-hiking season. Since the trail sits on the north side of the mountain, the snow and ice will linger for some time. Couple that with the steep slope that the trail traverses, and it can be deadly in the wrong conditions. It is speculated that David O’Sullivan died on this stretch of the trail (https://fofound.org/our-work/). In fact, a week or so earlier, searchers were once again scouring the slopes for any sign of him.
I cruised along the trail, only really looking at my route as I neared my exit point. I knew that if I started on the switchbacks, I had gone too far. I spotted a cairn and the faint use trail leading up the very steep slope. Thankfully, the climb to the summit wasn’t going to be very long. As granite rocks began to appear ahead of me, I knew that I was almost at the top. As I reached the summit, I spied the two register cans and the matching rock piles that form Castle Rocks. I slipped off my pack, signed in, and did some exploring. Being solo, I did not attempt any real rock scrambling. After a short rest, a snack, and the various photos and videos, I set off down the use trail. Once back at the PCT, I realized that I left my camera tripod at the summit. I had no desire to climb back up and retrieve it. The descent back to the car went quickly, and with that, my 75th peak on the HPS list was complete. Driving back to Boulder Basin Campground, I swung into each Yellow Post site and took a few photos for later reference. The entire hike to Castle Rocks was 4.0 miles, with 806 feet of gain, and it took 2:08.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I co-authored Urban Trails: San Diego, available now!
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. I’ve also conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I look forward to exploring new summits and adventures across the Southwest.