Saturday, April 29, 2017

Los Pinos via Los Pinos Ridge, Peak 1590

Hiked: 4/28/2017
Distance: 16 miles round trip on road, trail, and use trail
Summit Elevation: 4510' (Los Pinos), 1590' (Peak 1590)
Prominence: 610' (Los Pinos)
Elevation Gain: 5423'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 4.33
Round trip time: 9 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 192 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Strenuous

It had been a long time since my last grueling training hike, so I lined up Los Pinos Ridge in the Santa Anas. I need to do high mileage/gain from time to time to stay in the game, both physically and mentally. This hike, with a bonus peak at the start and almost 1000' of gain on the way back, was a firm test. It is best to do this one before it gets too hot because the ridge seems to reflect and magnify heat. There was very little shade and no water. The major ups and downs reminded me of the main trail to El Cajon in San Diego county, just bigger. It is easy to underestimate this hike.

The hike starts at the San Juan Trailhead off Ortega Highway. The Los Pinos Trail starts about half a mile up Hot Spring Canyon Road in the private in-holding of Lazy W Ranch, just past the archery range. Technically, you need permission from the Lazy W Ranch to use their road to get to the Los Pinos trail. I called their number on the way (949-728-0141) and the person I spoke with was very nice about granting access. They don't really care who hikes the trail, but want to be informed. Jerry Schad listed this ridge in his Afoot and Afield in Orange County book as a 10 mile one way trek starting from Blue Jay Campground, over Los Pinos, then descending the ridge. He gave the one way descent his toughest difficulty rating. Schad's write up mentioned that the trail was overgrown, but it was mostly clear except in a few spots. I walked through the Lazy W not seeing anyone and headed up the signed trail. In less than a mile, I reached a saddle where a use trail on the left went to Peak 1590. I decided to do this first, knowing I would not feel like the side trip on the way back. I dropped my pack, taking only a pencil in case there was a register in need of one. I ascended the good use trail about 350' to the summit where I found no register or marks. From the summit of 1590, I could see Los Pinos far up the canyon and knew I was in for a grind. Once I got back on the Los Pinos trail, I noticed some inspirational signs probably placed by the camp. The signs disappeared near the top of the first bump. The ridge trail rolled up and down, then through an overgrown grassy field before reaching the first of three major bumps. I picked up dozens of fox tails from the grass and had to step carefully in case any vipers were in my path. None were. The trail that switchbacked up the major bump looked very overgrown so I took a steep, direct use trail instead. I continued up the ridge to the peak where the ridge turns west. Just after the turn, I stopped for a break and dropped a water cache for the return trip. Half way to Los Pinos, I was already drenched in sweat and tired.


Start of the trail


Early steps


Peak 1590


Remains of an antenna on Peak 1590


Los Pinos from 1590, about one light year away


Overgrown grassy section below first major bump


Bell Ridge, Santiago behind


Approaching the 3rd major bump

During my break, I noticed a tick on my leg, not yet attached. I ended up killing three ticks before the day was over. The next part of the trail led up to the most prominent bump at 3907'. On the other side, it dropped more than 300' to a saddle before going up again. The constant up and down was a mental drain, giving up gain, then climbing again, over and over. Finally, the end was in sight. I had three minor bumps to overcome to get to Los Pinos. I don't know if it was the heat, but I felt a half-step slow all day. When I reached the summit, I signed the register. I planned to finish the sandwich I brought, but there were a lot of flies on the summit, so I decided to descend to the first attractive boulder and eat there. Along the way, I started feeling overheated. It was killing my appetite. I found a small bit of shade and forced most of the sandwich down before going on. In addition to the 3 major bumps on the way back, there were 4 minor bumps, and several I didn't count. I humped it over the major bumps and rested again at the water cache. I checked my thermometer and it read 90 degrees. It was at least 5 degrees above the expected high in Rancho Santa Margarita. Heat reflection. I took time to clean out my shoes and continued the descent. I was glad I had done Peak 1590 at the start. It was a relief to get back to the car. This was my third and toughest summit of Los Pinos in Orange County. I had now climbed it along all three major ridge lines, completing the "Los Pinos triad": the West Ridge (standard route), Bell Ridge, and Los Pinos Ridge. It was a nice day and a great training hike despite the suffering -- although I guess that was the point.


Descending the 3rd major bump


Weird marker at a minor bump just below Los Pinos


Final stretch


Summit! But a lot of work to do to get back


Newest register, added by Sierra Club notables


Long ridge back (right), Old Sugarloaf looking pointy (left)


Smartly colored horned lizard




Trail maintenance shovel on the way back




The Triad: West Ridge (green), Bell Ridge (yellow), Los Pinos Ridge (red)

Other reports:
Pinos Ridge (Mountaineering Review)

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Sugarloaf Redux (Orange County)

Hiked: 4/14/2017
Distance: 7.6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 3227'
Elevation Gain: 1507'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.20
Round trip time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 72 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Strenuous (class 5 summit block)

One of the first Lower Peaks I hiked four years ago was Sugarloaf in the Santa Ana Mountains. The Sierra Club guide mentions a class 5 summit block. With fledgling rope skills, I felt an obligation to return and stand on the summit block. I upgraded the rating on this hike to strenuous since it includes carrying the weight of the climbing gear out and back, and climbing the summit block. I parked at the small turnout near Blue Jay campground, taking the same route to Sugarloaf as I did in 2013. Since my last visit, the road had been repaved and was in great shape. I started down the San Juan trail staying left at each side trail leading up to the campgrounds. At the first 4-way junction, I turned left, though going straight would also get you to the next 4-way junction in a more leisurely and shaded way. At the second 4-way junction, I continued straight dropping down to a series of glades near Chiquito Spring. This is probably the most scenic part of the hike. I saw two mule deer in the glade but they bounded away too fast for my camera. Poison oak was heavy along the trail through Chiquito Spring, even intruding in a few places. The trail then started to grow more rutted showing heavy mountain bike use. I passed 8 bikers on the day, 4 out and 4 back. By comparison, I only met 3 hikers. When I reached the use trail to Sugarloaf, I followed it to the summit area and unpacked my climbing gear. I took a few pictures around the summit boulders and scrambled up the class 3 lower boulder to look at the air gap. The lower block is only about 4' lower and is separated from the higher block by a 4' air gap. It is possible to make the leap to the higher block, but there is no margin for error. After I completed this hike, I found a picture of my friend Brad Stemm on the summit and jumping back from it on Patrick O'Neills blog. A slip or bad landing might lead to a 15' "plinko" between the two blocks, banging your head multiple times on the way down. A successful jump requires a risky leap back to the lower block. I wanted no part of it my first trip and looking at it again, decided that using a rope was safer.


Sugarloaf from the start


One of the lush glades near Chiquito Spring


Use trail start


New summit sign, highest boulder in the back middle


West face, shortest ascent line of the class 5 boulder


Air gap from below, between the highest (left) and 2nd highest (right) boulders


View of the gap from the 2nd highest boulder


Standing on the edge of the lower boulder looking at the highest boulder across the air gap

I circled the highest block looking for the best anchor locations and ascent lines. The boulder is strangely shaped, kind of L shaped. The shortest line was up was the west face, about 15' and also the most convenient to climb. There were tiny imperfections in the rock that might serve as holds. I checked out a few boulders on the opposite side for anchors, but one was rotten so I decided to use two healthy trees instead. I threw the 30m dynamic rope over from the ascent side, (it took three tries), then I rigged the anchor with 1" nylon webbing and two carabiners. I returned to the ascent side and geared up. I attached my harness to the rope with a prusik for protection, and rigged a second to use as an aid if needed. I made a couple of attempts to start up using only rock holds, but the rock was not vertical. It was a little more than 90 degrees, and tilted back at me in a slight overhanging angle. I could not stay on the holds for more than a few seconds. I fell back on my 2nd prusik for aid, but as I stepped down, the dynamic rope stretched and negated much of my effort. I should have brought the static rope I used on Squaretop. Eventually, I was able to struggle up enough to get a foot hold on the rock. Then, I used upper body strength to pull myself close enough to swing my left leg over the lower part of the summit and pull myself the rest of the way up. It was probably the ugliest climbing I've ever done. First class ugly, but I got to the top. The summit was big enough for several people. Layers of rock were flaking off the very top. The views were great and I took some video and photospheres to enjoy later. There were no official marks on top and I didn't expect any. After a short celebration, I realized I left my belay/rappel device in my bag below and would have to rely on the prusik to get down. I learned another important lesson today -- always rappel from summits if possible. I had re-positioned the rope to what I thought was ideal for friction, then slid toward the edge. As I started to go over, the prusik hung on the lip and I was stuck. I had to find purchase on the rock with my feet to ease the pressure on the knot so I could slide it down. I worked it free and lowered myself further. What happened next, putting a positive spin on it, was a semi-controlled rapid descent to the ground. I came down quickly through part of a tree into a sitting position on a small boulder at the bottom. I took a quick inventory of body parts and found no major damage. Whew. I did have a pretty bad rope burn on my left hand from the rapid descent. I was surprised the prusik did not bite past the lip. It might have gotten tangled when I tried to free it. Anyway, I should have combined it with an arm rappel and not relied solely on the knot. A teachable moment. After a brief rest to catch my breath and sign the register, I gathered up my gear and started the hike back. Despite two aspirin, my hand screamed at me all the way to the truck. The class 5 summit boulder was more difficult than I expected, but it was worth it to nab the true summit block. I left a good-natured comment on Bob Burd's site prodding him to come back and climb it, but he may not have taken it that way. The comment is gone. I am sure he would do a better job climbing it than I did.


anchor


Looking up the rope from the ascent side


Rope coming off the back side to the anchor


Climbing the rope more than the rock


Over the edge


Looking back over the ascent side


Old Sugarloaf from the Sugarloaf true summit


Looking at the air gap back to the lower boulder


Looking south to the summit area, register can is underneath the large boulder




Friday, April 14, 2017

Ortega Falls

Hiked: 4/14/2017
Distance: 0.7 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 2227' (above the falls)
Elevation Gain: 450'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.36
Round trip time: 40 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Easy

For several years, I confused Ortega Falls and San Juan Falls. It wasn't until I started doing more research that I figured out Ortega was a separate area a couple of miles up highway 74 past the Candy Store. There is a large turnout on both sides of the road at mile marker 4.4 and today it was almost filled. Families and rowdy teen groups were out in equal force enjoying the still strong multi-tiered falls. The area is criss-crossed with use trail leading to different sections of the falls. I followed what looked a major artery down to the lowest tier. People were swimming, picnicking, and there was a general party atmosphere. I took some photos and video, then moved up to the next tier. Some of the tiers could be scrambled in reasonable safety, while some I followed use trails up and around. I repeated this until I came to the last tier and the use trails and safe scrambling options ran out. I followed random use trails back to wrap up a 40 minute visit. The upper tiers of the falls are quite impressive and flowing with authority. Despite some graffiti and trash, it's a nice area and worth a stop.


Main use trail to lower falls area




Scrambling to tier 2


Tier 2


Looking down from tier 2


Tier 3


Looking down from tier 3


Tier 4


Wednesday, April 5, 2017

Sierra Club Lower Peaks List Finish

Hiked: 10/12/2012 to 6/23/2021
Distance: 573.9 miles
Average Distance: 7.8 miles (per hike)
Summit Elevation: 1266' (Lowest) to 4957' (Highest)
Total Gain: 151,910'
Total Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 121.5
Average Gain: 2080' (per hike)
Total Hike Time: 268.5 hours
Average Miles/Hour: 2.1
Total Miles Driven: 12,208
Parking/Fees/Fares: $355
Islands: 2
Difficulty: Easy to Strenuous

Santa Paula Peak (highest on the list) has been suspended for years due to closure of a private access road. I hiked up Santa Paula Canyon to an unmaintained trail to reach it in 2021, 4 years after finishing the rest of the list. Stats were updated to include Santa Paula.

The Sierra Club Lower Peaks List contained 85 peaks at the time of my list finish. The list changed three times while I was working on it. It may have changed again by the time you read this. I found an old version of the list online that only had 63 peaks, and a version from 2004 that had 75 peaks. It is fluid. This meta post provides concrete data on what chasing the list required. It surprised me how much driving was necessary to get to all the mountains. Your experience will vary depending on where you live and how you many peaks you combine into single trips. A quick note about the Average Distance and Gain. I used the average per hike (74 hikes) instead of the average per peak because I climbed more than one official peak on many hikes. I thought it better represented the experience to list the averages per hike. For comparison, the average distance per peak was 7.1 miles and the average gain per peak was 1,898'.

Bagging all the peaks is something most people can physically do, but few have the perseverance and desire to do. It required a significant commitment of time, energy, and treasure. A natural way to approach the list is by doing the closest ones first, and that's what I did. The problem with that strategy is that each additional peak got more painful in terms of drive time and inconvenience. Completing the list is an accomplishment about which I have some small amount of pride. At the same time, I am humbled having stood on the shoulders of giants who provided beta, routes, reports, and inspiration. Thanks to the Sierra Club for selecting a fine group of peaks under 5000' to explore. Thanks to Bob Burd for the original inspiration to chase crazy lists. And special thanks to Adam Walker for being my climbing partner on Bishop.

Distance and Time in the table is for the round trip hike. Drive was the round trip drive in miles.

The table below can be sorted by clicking on any column heading or filtered by typing in the search box.
Note: a zero (0) for distance, gain, time, and drive means that peak was part of a multi-peak day hike and the stats were combined for one peak in the trip.

Peak Summit Distance (mi) Gain Time (hrs) Drive (mi) Report
Sitton Peak 3273' 9.5 2150' 4 58 report
Bonita Peak 3983' 6 1900' 3 138 report
Bedford Peak 3803' 7.2 1953' 2.5 58 report
Woodson Mountain 2897' 7.2 2059' 2.8 138 report
Los Pinos Peak 4510' 5.4 1400' 2 70 report
Sugarloaf Peak 3227' 11.2 2450' 4.2 68 report
Old Sugarloaf Peak 3326' 0 0' 0 0 report
Sandstone Peak 3111' 8 1927' 4.3 194 report
Boney Peak 2825' 0 0' 0 0 report
Inspiration Point 2800' 0 0' 0 0 report
Tri Peaks 3000' 0 0' 0 0 report
Trabuco Peak 4606' 10.9 2230' 4.7 70 report
Margarita Peak 3189' 6 1000' 2.2 118 report
San Mateo Peak 3591' 4.4 800' 2 70 report
Pleasants Peak 4007' 16.5 3775' 7 58 report
Yale, Mt. 4763' 9.2 2575' 4.3 166 report
Hastings Peak 4003' 0 0' 0 0 report
Bald Peak 3947' 9.4 2911' 4.3 64 report
Sierra Peak 3045' 12.7 2600' 5.2 60 report
San Juan Hill 1781' 9 2031' 2.8 62 report
Gilman Peak 1685' 0 0' 0 0 report
Iron Mountain 2696' 5.5 1101' 1.8 148 report
Cahuenga Peak 1820' 8.6 1783' 2.8 118 report
Hollywood, Mt. 1625' 0 0' 0 0 report
Azusa Peak 2081' 2.5 1260' 1.2 104 report
Wild Horse Peak 3279' 10.6 2121' 5 136 report
Stoddard Peak 4627' 14.2 2794' 6.3 130 report
Frankish Peak 4201' 0 0' 0 0 report
Potato Mountain 3400' 4.5 1214' 1.7 114 report
Zion, Mt. 3575' 9.2 2375' 4.7 128 report
McKinley Mountain 3795' 3 1645' 2 162 report
Jones Peak 3375' 6.1 2395' 3.5 124 report
Glendora Mountain 3322' 0.8 275' 0.5 112 report
Bliss, Mt. 3720' 8.5 2963' 3.5 112 report
Mugu Peak 1266' 2.1 1250' 1 196 report
Exchange Peak 2950' 8.3 2613' 3.7 26 report
Big Dome 2900' 0 0' 0 0 report
Russell, Mt. 2704' 3.7 1133' 1.8 134 report
Harrison Mountain 4743' 3.2 1725' 2.7 136 report
Verdugo Mountain 3123' 5.3 1981' 2.2 130 report
Muir, Mt. 4688' 6.5 1750' 2.2 162 report
Clamshell Peak 4360' 8.3 3435' 5.2 122 report
Silver Mountain 3388' 12.6 4100' 7 118 report
Pine Mountain 4542' 0 0' 0 0 report
Wilson Benchmark 4573' 11.8 1920' 4.5 210 report
Simi Peak 2403' 5 1530' 1.5 184 report
Temescal Peak 2126' 7.2 1000' 2.5 12 report
Eagle Peak 3226' 4.4 1050' 1.8 228 report
McAuley Peak 2049' 5.7 1540' 2.2 156 report
Saddle Peak East 2825' 2.3 630' 0.8 16 report
Calabasas Peak 2163' 4 1000' 1.7 12 report
Newcomb Peak 4166' 9.3 2025' 3.7 182 report
Agua Tibia 4779' 16.7 3300' 7.7 154 report
Arrowhead Peak 4237' 4.8 2470' 4 156 report
Morton Peak 4624' 8.1 2000' 3.7 150 report
Cram Peak 4162' 0 0' 0 0 report
Brown Mountain 4466' 14.4 2775' 8.5 148 report
Mastodon Peak 3440' 2.5 500' 0.8 112 report
Malapai Hill 4280' 1.7 570' 1 116 report
Monument Mountain 4834' 6.3 1620' 3 116 report
Mel, Mt. 3814' 8.7 2000' 4 66 report
Keys Peak 4484' 0 0' 0 0 report
McKinley, Mt. 4926' 19.8 4330' 9 178 report
Redrock Mountain Benchmark 3991' 12.3 2500' 7.5 202 report
Rocky Peak 2714' 5.2 1400' 2.2 176 report
Mission Point 2771' 4.7 1266' 2.2 50 report
Mendenhall Peak 4636' 7.7 2280' 3.2 184 report
Jupiter Mountain 4498' 4 1485' 2.2 216 report
May Peak 3948' 1.8 870' 1 172 report
Saddleback Butte 3651' 1.7 720' 1 300 report
Slide Mountain Lookout 4631' 9 2800' 3.5 214 report
Nordhoff Peak 4485' 11 2700' 4 152 report
Echo Mountain 3207' 5 1400' 2.5 138 report
Montecito Peak 3214' 2.6 950' 1.2 320 report
Cathedral Peak 3333' 3 1800' 3 5 report
Ghost Mountain 3400' 4.2 900' 2.5 240 report
Silver Peak 1804' 12.7 2800' 6.5 92 report
Gaviota Peak 2458' 6.2 2200' 2.4 362 report
Cachuma Mountain 4696' 7.7 1650' 2.8 376 report
El Montanon 1808' 9.3 2074' 4.25 250 report
Bishop Peak 1546' 3.9 1210' 3.5 512 report
Cerro Alto 2624' 4.3 1890' 2.5 22 report
Valencia Peak 1347' 4.3 1300' 2 20 report
Little Pine Mountain BM 4449' 18.7 3980' 8.25 344 report
Monument Hill 2046' 5.7 774' 1.5 136 report
Santa Paula Peak 4957' 16.4 4681' 10.5 246 report

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Valencia Peak

Hiked: 4/2/2017
Distance: 4.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1347'
Prominence: 527'
Elevation Gain: 1300'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.04
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 36 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Pecho Valley Road
Difficulty: Easy

The last summit of the trip was Valencia Peak, a coastal mountain south of Morro Bay. There was ample parking at the trailhead on Pecho Valley Road. The marine layer had only partially burned off and Valencia was hidden somewhere in the clouds. Adam and I started up the trail and got a better look at the small bay below. There were several parties on the trail, most of them on their way down. We continued up into the clouds, losing sight of everything but the next section of trail. Fortunately, there were plenty of wildflowers to add some color to the otherwise off-white blanket of fog. An hour later, we were standing on top of Valencia. A loose cement fragment held the remains of reference mark #3 pointing in a random direction. We also went zero for three on registers for the day. Even though we couldn't see anything, we could hear the roar of the ocean below. It is probably a vision on a clear day. None of that mattered since Valencia was my Lower Peaks List finish (with a caveat). Little Pine Mountain Benchmark was still on my to do list, but was currently suspended due to the Rey Fire closure. Santa Paula Peak was also suspended and looks like it may not be added back. Until something changed, the LPC list was done. I would have time to wax philosophically about the chase later. At the moment, Adam and I were both hungry so we headed back to look for food. We drove to a Chipotle in downtown SLO and I found a parking spot, ignoring the parking meter next to it since it was Sunday. After finishing a burrito, I returned to find a $33 parking ticket on my windshield. Like the clouds, it did't dent my satisfaction of completing three peaks on the day and the list.


Trailhead


Coastline


Stratified trail


Valencia is somewhere up in the clouds


Rocks just below the summit




Reference mark 3, could not find the triangulation mark


Finish


Looking east from the summit


Poppies


Indian paintbrush