Strawberry Peak

With my lingering back issue, Ted graciously offered to take over the driving duties. We pulled in the Red Box parking area just a touch before 8 a.m. I put my America the Beautiful pass on the dashboard and we set about getting ready. The reason a pass is needed is this area does have bathrooms available. Another group of hikers was getting ready to hit the trail as well. I then realized I had forgotten the strawberries I brought to eat at the summit, so we headed back to the car. We crossed the highway and stopped for photos in front of the trail marker. We caught up with the group from the parking lot and they let us pass. The first couple of miles or so were pretty gentle, so we cruised along nicely, stopping to snap a photo or two along the way.

Once we reached Lawlor Saddle, the real effort would begin. So far my back was causing no issues. I was also using my Osprey waist pack instead of my usual daypack to keep any weight off my upper back. We started the climb up toward one of several false summits.

At the top of one of those false summits, we took a short break. One big change for me in using a waist pack is I have to either stop for some hydration or have a manageable section of trail to grab a drink from my bottle. With my day pack I use a water bladder and a hose, so it is easy to grab a quick sip of water. Soon the true summit came into view and we found ourselves amongst several others enjoying their achievements. We learned that the group we had been leapfrogging was a group of Russian Jews. If we had found three more Jews, we could have had a minyan on the summit! I broke out the strawberries and they were really flavorful! After our snacks and soaking in the views, we said goodbye to the group and began our descent.

I was starting to feel a little discomfort in my back, but nothing to raise any concerns. We took it carefully, but I still wound up slipping once. The worst part was I mentally told myself to be careful just before I slipped. I brushed off the dirt and continued on. We encountered quite a few folks (some with their furry hiking partners) making their way up. As we neared the end of the hike, volunteers were doing some trail maintenance. We stopped and thanked them for their efforts. The parking lot came into view. Ted’s tracker had us at over 7 miles, while mine logged us at 6.8 miles. I clocked our moving time at 3:48, so we made decent time on the hike.

Now onto the next part of the adventure, exploring Mt. Wilson. We headed up to the Cosmic Café and grabbed some lunch. Other hikers milled about the various tables. After enjoying our well-earned sandwiches, we set off to explore the various telescopes and exhibits. My back was hurting a bit more, and I was hoping the pain relievers would kick in soon.

We took our time, as we had to pick up Ted’s youngest from an event at Tustin at 8 p.m. So after viewing the 100” inch telescope, we made the short walk down the trail to Echo Rock. The views were sweeping and as a bonus, some summit signs! We sat and relaxed on the chairs watching small clouds form, drift upward, and then evaporate. We returned to the main parking lot and headed over to see if we could find one of the markers. Off in the southeast corner, we finally located it. We grabbed a few more photos and then headed down the mountain. After exploring some offerings at Divine Science Brewery and dinner at Lucille’s BBQ, we picked up Ted’s son and headed home. My back had stopped aching, so that was a good sign for me.

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.

Monument Hill

Today’s adventure was a hike to summit Monument Hill, which is a peak listed on the Sierra Club Lower Peaks Committee list. The peak is located in the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, which for a time was closed due to the Tenaja fire back in 2017. The Reserve is now open again, so I thought this was a perfect opportunity to go explore it. After a one hour drive, I found myself pulling into the gravel parking lot next to the Visitor Center. I knew there was a use fee for the Reserve, but did not see anywhere to deposit the $4. The Visitor Center was closed, so I figured I would try to figure this out when I returned from the hike. I headed south along Waterline Road until I reached the Tenaja Truck Trail. I followed it for a short time until I reached the Vista Grande Trail. Now I switched from the wide trails I had been on to a more traditional single track. This trail climbed up at an easy grade, offering some nice vistas of the plateau. It was here that I spied my first tarantula along the trail.

When I reached Monument Hill Road, I could finally see the summit about ½ mile away. I was back cruising on a wide road again toward it. I came to the cut-off that would take me up the small hill to the top. Once there, and after another tarantula sighting, two benches greeted me. I poked around the area and found the benchmark and two reference marks. It offered more great views of the area. I’m going to have to return some time during the spring, as I can only imagine how lovely it must be.

Once I descended, I opted to continue along Monument Hill Road until it reached the Lomas Trail. If I had more time I might have continued on to the historic Adobes, but I decided to save that for another time. The Lomas Trail was a little steeper than the Vista Trail, so I was glad to have done the loop in the direction I did. The trail ends back at the Tenaja Truck Trail, so I followed it back toward Waterline Road. It was here that I passed some of the first other people out enjoying the Reserve. Once back at the trailhead, the Visitor Center was still closed, so I began walking around the parking lot looking for a place to pay my use fee. I found it in the center of the parking lot, partly behind some shrubbery. I slipped my $4 into the metal box, and headed back to the car. The day had warmed up a bit, so I was glad to be done. The entire hike was 4.9 miles, with a gain of 287 feet and four tarantula sightings!

San Jacinto Overnight

I pulled into the overnight parking lot at the Palm Springs tram station and got myself ready for another overnight on San Jacinto. This was going to be my first overnight and major peak since my foot surgery in April. Having done this trip 15 months earlier, I knew what lay ahead for me. I pulled on my hiking boots, slung my pack onto my back, and headed up to the tram station. I was also trying out my new smaller bear canister (Bear Vault 425) for this trip. It is just the right size for a quick one- or two-day overnight trip. The tram car was only partially full as we made our ascent up from the desert. Once at the station, I walked down the concrete switchbacks and over to the ranger station. I checked in with the ranger and got some last-minute information about being mindful of camping under trees. Tropical Storm Hillary has done some damage to the mountain, and recently a tree limb fell and injured a camper. I certainly was going to be inspecting my possible campsite a bit closer before pitching my tent.

Long Valley Creek was flowing nicely as I made my way up to Round Valley. I passed a few hikers along the way, including one who had attempted Cactus to Clouds (C2C) that day. We chatted about his attempt, and he told me he had some trouble just before the tram station (a section known to be difficult), and once he reached Round Valley, he knew he was done. C2C is one of the hardest hikes in the US, so just doing Cactus to Tram is a major accomplishment. He headed back down the trail and continued upward toward the campground. I decided to stay at the same site I stayed at last time—Buckthorn. The forecast called for some wind, so I was looking for one of the more sheltered sites. I surveyed the various tent spots and opted for a different one from the last time, in part not to be under a tree. I set up my site, grabbed my water bags, and returned to the water spigot at the trail junction. The water was flowing well and I quickly filtered my water needs for tonight and tomorrow. I relaxed for a while and enjoyed my dinner and the beer I hauled up (for 2 miles I’ll carry a can of beer). Soon after the sun dropped behind the mountain, I turned in. The general plan was to be at Wellman Divide around sunrise.

The winds weren’t too bad. Once in a while the tent got a good shake, but it was nothing like the winds I had when I camped at Parson’s Landing on Catalina. The bigger issue was I pulled a muscle in my shoulder and could not get comfortable to really fall asleep. Ugh! It finally relaxed enough for me to get some sleep before my alarm went off. I had a nice warm breakfast. I am guessing it was about 40°F as I finished loading my slack pack. I began my climb up toward the Wellman Divide. From Round Valley, it is just about 1 mile, but you are going to gain about 800 feet of elevation. I briefly lost the trail a couple of times in the dark, but just for a minute or two. I would stop, turn about, and take in the beautiful colors that were appearing to the east.

At the Wellman Divide, I took a well-earned break. I am trying to be better about taking rest breaks and eating snacks along the way. I mentally broke the hike into three parts; Round Valley to Wellman Divide, Wellman Divide to Miller Peak, and then Miller Peak to the Summit. Each section was about a mile in length, so a perfect way to balance the effort out.

The trail up Miller Peak went well. This section is more exposed, so I got some nice views of the sun as it rose up through the bands of clouds. While the air was getting thinner, the grade wasn’t as bad as that first mile. Soon Miller Peak came into view. I was considering adding it in, but was going to wait and see how I felt after the summit. I took another break when the trail turns back southward, knowing I had about 8/10 of a mile to the summit. I continued my steady pace and at the junction with the trail from Little Round Valley, I took another quick rest break before the final push. I was feeling the poor sleep affect me some and I was at over 10,400 feet. I continued climbing, scanning the trail ahead for that first glimpse of the rescue hut. That was the sign that the maintained trail would end, and then the final rock scramble to the summit would begin. I picked my way up the rocks, following a path that I remembered, and soon the summit came into view.

I scrambled up the rocks to the benchmark and took my photo with my challenge badge next to it as my summit proof. I surveyed the views for a short while, then ducked down to find a spot out of the wind and take a VERY well-earned break. I looked around to see if any of the summit signs were around, but I suspect the high winds yesterday and last night might have blown them away. After a nice break, I knew it was time to head down the mountain. I still had to pack up camp and hike back to the tram station. At the Wellman Divide, I met two hikers who had come up via Devil’s Slide. We chatted briefly. One was heading back, while the other was going for the summit. We said our goodbyes and took off down our respective trails. As I made my way down toward Round Valley, I wondered if I might encounter someone attempting C2C today. It was still too early for any hikers to have come from the tram station. Alas, my descent was one of solitude.

After packing up camp, which is much easier in the daylight, I sauntered back toward the tram station. I passed a lot more folks this time, including 10 or so backpackers heading to Round Valley. As I neared the Ranger station, my eye spotted something moving on the trail. I looked down and it was a Western Mountain Toad. I grabbed a photo or two before continuing on. There had been a sign to be aware of them at the Ranger station and I was happy to actually see one. I checked back in with the same ranger as the day before. I also let him know they were down to one roll in the pit toilets near the Gooseberry campsite. I then made that long climb up the concrete switchbacks to the tram station. It certainly was busier than the day before. I got a nice cold soda and waited for the next tram. I always feel bad for folks riding down and having to stand next to stinky hikers and backpackers.

Once back at the car, I let Anita know I was skipping going on to Baden-Powell, as I was a bit wiped from the hike, and I would be home in time for dinner. While certainly not my fastest time up the mountain, it was a solid hike for me.

Ranger Station to Round Valley Campsite: 2.27 miles, 1:19, and 800 feet of gain

Summit: 5.81 miles, 4:30 (moving time), and 1,648 feet of gain.

Round Valley Junction to Ranger Station: 1.94 miles, 1:09, and almost all downhill :).

San Emigdio

I initially thought about hiking over from Marian Campground to San Emigdio on Sunday, but I knew that after the effort Sawmill took, plus planning to stay up a bit late to catch the meteor shower, that was not going to be in the cards. Instead, once we were back on Hudson Ranch Road, we then turned onto Forest Route 9N34 and began driving up. This road was a little rougher than the one to the campground, but nothing an Outback couldn’t handle, so the Rubicon had no issues. We stopped at an incredible vista then backtracked a touch for me to walk up to the peak. The rest of the group opted to see the old quarry just to the south.

At the summit, a pile of rocks surrounded the register. After scaring a lizard away, I removed the register to see my friend Greg Gerlach’s name twice on the main page. I added mine and returned it to its spot on the summit. While the mountain itself has 1000 feet of prominence, the actual summit affords no views to speak of. I retraced my steps with my legs feeling the Sawmill hike earlier in the day. We continued our off-roading adventures by taking the 22W12 that led directly back to our campsite. The campground had filled up with folks coming to watch the Perseid meteor shower slated for later in the evening. We had another fine dinner. I turned in early, figuring at some point during the night I would wake up and enjoy some of the light show. I was too worn out from the Sawmill hike to stay up until midnight when they were slated to be at their peak. I did wake up around 1 am, and saw a few shoot across the sky, before crawling back into my tent and drifting back to sleep.

Cerro Noroeste

Since Campo Alto was just up the road from the trailhead, we made the short drive to see it. This was where we initially had planned to camp this weekend, but some campsites were closed due to tree hazards, and ours was one of them.

Dave parked near the summit and I took a short walk— first to the radio tower then over to the actual summit of Cerritos Noroeste. I looked to see if there might be a register, but given its proximity to the campground, I doubted it. I grabbed a few photos and went back to the Jeep and some more adventures…

Sawmill Mountain (via West Tumamait Trail)

After a decent night’s sleep in my tent, we made a lovely breakfast of real scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee before heading out. The plan today was to drive over to the West Tumamait trailhead and approach Sawmill from the west. When we arrived at the trailhead, three other cars were parked alongside the road. We found a spot, grabbed our gear, and began our trek.

Our route started with a steep 1/2 mile descent along a ridge. I think we would lose about 500 feet of elevation, which would taint us on our return. Off to the east stood Grouse Mountain. We reached Puerta del Suelo and now it was time to start regaining the elevation we lost and more. I could feel the altitude and where my recovery was and I was feeling all of it as I plodded upward. I told Dave and two of his sons to go on ahead and met them at the junction with the trail to Grouse. While they were fine having me set the pace, I felt too guilty about my slow pace.

We regrouped at the junction, and I took a short break. For the most part, I kept plodding along, never stopping for more than a breath or two. We continued climbing, passing the turn-off to Sheep Camp. I gave them the directions to look for the turnoff to Sawmill. As I approached it, they were not there. Another hiker was just coming from the other direction and I asked if he saw three hikers, he replied that he just saw them. So with a strong shout, I yelled and got Dave and the boys to return. Where there had usually been an X made of tree limbs to mark the trail, it wasn’t there and they walked past it. Now back together, we strolled up to the monument. After snapping some photos, we enjoyed a well-earned lunch. However, the final climb back to the trailhead weighed heavily on my mind.

Dave, unfortunately, developed a blister that we had first addressed back at the Grouse junction stop. It was still bothering him, so he applied some duct tape to the area. Once that was (hopefully) resolved, we set off and began to retrace our route. Along the way, I crossed paths with a pair of hikers I met while making the climb to the Grouse Junction. They were doing the whole traverse from Mt. Pinos to Cerro Noroeste. Turns out one of them was also doing the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge, so we chatted some before parting ways. We again regrouped at Grouse Junction. Neither of the boys felt adventurous enough to make the climb to it, so we continued on. I ate an energy chew just to give me a little more juice before the big climb. At the saddle, a hiker who had been with us on Sawmill was enjoying a snack after hitting Grouse and then going cross-country to his usual turn-around point. I said goodbye and began to climb.

My goal was to try to be mindful of my heart rate and pace myself. Some afternoon clouds had formed and gave me some shade which I welcomed, as a modest portion was exposed. Soon I spotted the trailhead and pushed on. That route was certainly a harder option than the traditional route from the east. All told the hike covered 5.8 miles with 1,485 feet of gain.

Brush Mountain

With Sawmill Mountain such a long drive from San Diego, I looked to do it as some kind of overnight adventure. I knew I was not ready to backpack it again, so I convinced my good friend Dave to come do it as a traditional camping trip. He has an awesome off-road trailer and a Jeep to pull it, so we would have a very comfortable stay. Initially, I reserved a spot at Campo Alto Campground, but due to some tree hazards, they canceled us. Looking around I found Marian Campground. The campground is primitive, and despite what is stated on the website, there are no pit toilets. I met Dave at his house and transferred my gear to the trailer and we set off. After a quick stop to pick up his oldest son in Santa Monica, we made it to the campground in the late afternoon. The drive up the dirt road was not a problem, and we only dropped into 4wD due to the weight of the trailer and the four of us. We pulled in and had our pick of the five spots. After setting up, I went off to bag my first peak. Just to the west of the campground stands Brush Mountain, #115 on the Sierra Club Hundred Peaks Section list. I followed the steep road toward the summit, enjoying the views. Once I reached it, according to my GPS, I looked around for a register but came up empty.

I decided to continue along the road to Brush Mountain-North Peak, as I thought I read the register was there. Again no luck, but still had rewarding views. I retraced my route and was greeted by the rest of my campmates busily finishing up making dinner. Grilled chicken, veggies, and rice. A nice step up from a Mountain House Meal! We enjoyed a nice fire for a while, then around “hiker midnight” we turned in. Tomorrow we were driving over to near the campground we initially wanted to stay at and hike Sawmill Peak from the West Tumamait trailhead. I have never hiked this section so it was going to be an adventure!

Toro Peak – West Peak

After the punishing heat atop Santiago, I knew I wanted to hike somewhere cooler this weekend if possible. After some research, Toro Peak, technically Toro Peak – West Peak, seemed like a nice option. The actual climb to the summit wasn’t too long, and to offset the drive, there were camping options. So, after checking with the family, I loaded up the Subaru for the adventure. The one gamble was all the sites, known as Yellow Post Sites, are first-come, first-served. So, there was a chance they could all be taken by the time I got there. I left mid-afternoon on Friday and made my way out to the Santa Rosa mountains. I pulled into the Santa Rosa Pit Stop and grabbed some firewood. Most of the Yellow Post Sites have fire rings and picnic tables. Alas, most do not have bathrooms. I turned off onto the dirt road that I would take up the mountain, keeping an eye out for cars and looking for points of interest. The road was fair, a little rocky at times, and there are sections where passing might be troublesome. Any regular truck or SUV would do just fine on it. As I made my way further and further up, I passed the painted rock and trees that offered their insights on past wildfires.

Each of the Yellow Post Sites is numbered, and I decided to see if #5 was still available. After one tricky section, I pulled into the spot. There was a nice level section for the car, so I parked and began setting up. The nice thing about car camping is it really doesn’t take long to set up. Just to the north of my campsite was the summit of Santa Rosa Mountain (HPS #67). I grabbed a trekking pole and strolled up the road. Atop the summit there is a huge fireplace, all that remains of a cabin that once stood there. I scrambled to the top of the summit rocks and took in the view. A hint of smoke filled the air from the Bonnie Fire, burning off to the west. There are actually two Yellow Post sites here as well, and I did consider relocating, but since it was just me, I was fine with my site. As I returned back down from my stroll, some ideas for a work project had gelled in my head, so I grabbed my notebook and sketched them down. Depending on where I stood, I had some cell signal, so I checked in with the family. Peakbagger showed another summit just off to the southwest of me, so I was off for another mini-trek.

I climbed the short slope onto the ridgeline and then followed it for a short while until I reached its summit. I brought my Garmin, just in case. Once at the summit I found a nicely shaded rock and wound up taking a short nap. Once back at camp, I began prepping my fire and watching the sun slowly set. The moon had risen and I could see Toro Peak directly off to my east. That peak is on the Santa Rosa Indian Reservation and is off-limits. I tried to spot the “replacement” peak but had no luck. I lit my fire and later enjoyed my dinner and beverages. With the bright moon, I knew that any real star-gazing would not be in the cards, so I crawled into the car and went to sleep.

For some reason, I did not sleep all that well. I woke up just before dawn and was thankful to get a lovely photo of the pre-dawn sky. Rather than start from where I had camped, I decided to continue driving toward the trailhead and start somewhere closer. According to the map, there was a vault toilet about a mile to the east at a cluster of three campsites. I parked at the one closest to the road. All three were empty, so I did not have to worry about waking anyone up. As I gathered my gear, a rainbow appeared to the west. I already had a few sprinkles coming down on me when I was packing up, so a rain jacket was added to the pack. The first part of the hike followed the main road toward Toro Peak.

I spotted the cairn that marked the steep gully that I would follow up to the saddle. I left the road and began working my way up the steep and pine needle-covered slopes. To give a sense of the steepness, the average grade was about 28%, and coupled with being at almost 8,000 feet, my lungs were working overtime. Once at the small saddle, I turned westward for the final push to the summit. It had sprinkled on me from time to time on my ascent, so I did not expect to linger too long on the summit. I found the register and signed in. The views were breathtaking, but I was mindful of the weather, so I headed back down. Pictures never do justice to the steepness of the terrain, but trust me, it was steep! Once back on the road, I quickly cruised back to the car. I did not have a real breakfast, so the Paradise Valley Café was calling my name. All told the hike was 2.6 miles and had an elevation gain of 775 feet.

Santiago Peak

Today’s plan was to summit Santiago Peak, followed by Modjeska Peak. We drove up from the Maple Springs Trailhead to the pullout to start our adventures. The forecast from NOAA seemed to be good enough for us to hike the 5 or so miles for these summits. After applying a good amount of sunscreen, we set off to Santiago. It felt a light warmer than we wanted, but it was still pleasant enough. We reached the junction with the side trail that would allow us to leave the main road. I took the lead as we followed the slightly overgrown trail up toward the summit. The shade was welcomed, but there was now an uptick in the number of bugs that were beginning to swarm around us. We passed by the crashed truck. How it got here is a puzzle I would love to solve one day…

I kept pushing myself up the trail. I have to keep reminding myself that I am still rebuilding my fitness from being off-trail due to my foot for almost a year. The towers on the summit drew nearer, and soon we reached the summit. We snapped some photos and then found some shade to cool off under. But the bugs were just too bothersome to linger, plus it was getting toasty.

We retraced our route and found ourselves at the saddle between the two summits. Now we took a different trail that would climb toward the road that leads to Modjeska. The trail is a bit more exposed, so we could feel the sun beating down on us. Once at the junction, I found some shade to rest for a bit. Although the summit was about 1/2 mile away, I did not feel up to it (plus I had driving responsibilities). Modjeska was the peak that Susie was interested in summiting, so she set off for it. I cruised back down to the car and relaxed for about 20 minutes until Susie returned. She was thankful I had been running the AC in the car. The thermometer on the car read 101! WTF! That was a far cry from the mid-80s that were forecasted.

While on the way up we only saw 2 motorcycles, but this time we had some traffic to deal with. One jeep was coming up way too fast and they had to dive into the brush to avoid the collision. I squeezed by them, but still got some new pin-strips on my car. Once back with some cell signal, we punched in the route home and our estimated time to home was over 2 1/2 hours! Switching apps, it found a route through the surface streets that avoid whatever mess was happening in Dana Point. While I would have liked to have gotten both peaks, I know I will be back as I have promised to bring Ted up here so he can work on his SoCal county high points. While the hike itself was only 4.3 with 1,020 feet of gain, part of the test was seeing how the foot would do with a bit more driving. So far it is feeling pretty good.

Sawmill Mountain & Mt. Pinos

After climbing Mt. Baden-Powell, I set off for my final set of peaks, Mt. Pinos and Sawmill Mountain. The original plan was to car camp at McGill Campground about two miles from the trailhead, wake up early, get these peaks, then make back to San Diego for a graduation party. Unfortunately, I missed some fine print on the reservation and no longer had a spot. Since my legs still felt good and I wasn’t in any real hurry, I decided to see if I could make the 7.5 mile round trip out to Sawmill. The parking lot was almost empty when I pulled in. I changed into a fresh shirt, made sure that I had refilled my water bladder and set off to the first peak, Mt. Pinos. While the temperatures were in the mid-70s, a light breeze and shade of the trees made for some nice hiking weather.

A few clouds dotted the sky, giving my photos some nice texture. Soon the summit of Mt. Pinos came into view, and I walked over and found the summit sign. After snapping a few photos, I set off toward the Tumamait trailhead and the “hard” part of the hike. From here, the trail loses about 400 feet of elevation to almost immediately gain it again. I took my time and plodded along, much like the climbs earlier in the day. Soon the turnoff to Sawmill appeared, and a short 2/10 mile later the large rock cairn stood before me. I grabbed the summit sign and snapped a few photos. For many, they will continue onto Grouse Mountain to the west to complete the 3-2-1 challenge, but this time I had no desire to tack on another couple of miles.

I started heading back down toward the saddle for that climb back up. Surprisingly, it went fairly well. I have to think the past few days at something besides sea level might have helped. Soon I was back at the Mt. Pinos Condor Observation Site and had just about 1.7 miles back to the car. Thankfully it was almost all downhill.

Once back at the car, I took a moment to reflect on the past three days. I had put in some serious miles and elevation gain. I grabbed some cold sodas and a sandwich from the market then began the drive home. Thankfully the traffic wasn’t too bad and I was home before 10 pm.

The final stats for these summits was 7.3 miles in 3:17 with 1,430 feet of gain.