Rouse Hill and Rouse Ridge

Hiked: 10/9/2024
Distance: 11.5 miles round trip on dirt road and use trail
Summit Elevation: 5168' (Rouse Hill), 5464' (Rouse Ridge)
Elevation Gain: 2150'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.7
Round trip time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 80 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Forest Route 5S15
Difficulty: Moderate

After Thomas Mountain, I planned to drive most of the way to Rouse Hill (HPS #265) on Forest Route 5S15, which takes a sharp right turn at the intersection with 6S18. There was a locked gate at the intersection with a Road Closed sign, but also a wide path around the gate. I stopped and saw a posted sign stating that the road was closed due to a fire order. The post listed a phone number for the San Jacinto ranger district. I had one bar of signal and I made three attempts to call the ranger station, but none of the calls went through. I debated whether to drive around the gate, eventually deciding to park and walk the road to Rouse Hill. I only realized later looking through photos that the fire closure also included foot traffic. Oops. The GPS showed Rouse Hill was 4 miles away (as the crow flies), but it turned out to be farther on the road. A mile from the intersection, I left the road on the south side to tag a Peakbagger point, Rouse Ridge. I found an old register in some cans and signed it. The road remained flat for a while, then started to wind downhill. I turned a corner and spotted Rouse Hill across a valley. There were good views along the way of the Santa Anas and San Jacinto. The road got steadily worse: no big rocks, but deep ruts and washouts. I'm not sure I could have driven it all the way. When I reached the top of the road, I found a triangle pole marker and thought I was there. However, Rouse Hill was the next bump over and may not be the local high point. It was hard to tell. I waded through some tall grass to a group of rocks where I found the benchmark and a reference mark. The last signature in the register was from February. I rested about 15 minutes, then started back. There was more gain than I remembered on the way back and I worked up a lather during the hottest part of the afternoon. I had plenty of water, though, and made it back in good order.

Looking back at Thomas Mountain from Rouse Ridge

Santa Ana Mountains in the distance

Rouse Hill far left

Rouse Hill summit

San Jacinto

Thomas Mountain and Little Thomas Mountain

Hiked: 10/9/2024
Distance: 2 miles round trip on dirt road and use trail
Summit Elevation: 6825' (Thomas), 6572' (Little Thomas)
Prominence: 1945' (Thomas)
Elevation Gain: 530'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.4
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Forest Route 6S13
Difficulty: Easy

I drove near Idyllwild to hit two HPS peaks in the area: Thomas Mountain (HPS #128) and Rouse Hill (HPS #265). Both are ostensibly drive ups. From Highway 74, I took Forest Route 6S13 to the junction with Little Thomas Road and parked there. The road was good shape, but high clearance helped in a few spots. It was 0.6 miles round trip to Little Thomas on Little Thomas Road. A small weather station was near the top, but the high point was just off the road in a small pile of boulders. Pine trees blocked views in most directions. No marks and no register. I appreciated the pines, but there wasn't much else to recommend Little Thomas. I returned to the truck and continued past it toward Thomas Mountain. The road made a long switchback before coming back to Thomas, so I started uphill when I was directly below it. It was open country with a bed of pine needles. When I reached the upper road, I saw a Jeep driving down. The summit had a picnic table and fire pit. Like Little Thomas, it was pleasant, but most views were obscured by trees. No marks and no register. I spotted a use trail going down the ridge so I followed it. The trail was in decent shape and was better than my ascent path. Visiting both peaks took an hour. Next up was Rouse Hill.

Little Thomas Road

Little Thomas summit

Heading to Thomas Mountain

Cross country shortcut

Thomas summit

San Jacinto

Vetter Mountain, Mount Mooney, and Devil Peak

Hiked: 10/4/2024
Distance: 7.6 miles round trip on paved road, dirt road, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 5908' (Vetter), 5849' (Mooney), 5896' (Devil)
Elevation Gain: 1350'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 3 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass or National Parks Pass
Difficulty: Moderate (combined)

My other goal for the day was Vetter Mountain (HPS #191) with a central fire lookout tower. I parked at the Charlton Flats picnic area and displayed my National Parks pass. There was a restroom at the parking area. Behind the locked gate, a paved road goes to the base of Vetter. The final quarter mile is a dirt road. Along the way, there were multiple picnic tables and benches. Each one had a restroom, but when I looked inside one, it looked unmaintained and filled with construction equipment and materials. No one was using any of the facilities. The only interesting thing I saw on the hike to Vetter was a giant pile of bear scat. The fire lookout looked clean and new, probably the nicest I've seen. The only tower I've seen that came close was the one on Slide Mountain. A volunteer named Andy was working and he invited me in to look around. He explained the Osborne fire finder, a mechanical wheel that let's you sight and locate a fire (via trigonometry). He said they were always looking for volunteers, and they provided extensive training every March. I said I would consider it. I never realized how central Vetter was and what great 360 views it had. I spent about 20 minutes talking with Andy and forgot to look for a benchmark. When I got back to the truck, I still had plenty of time left so I decided to head for Mooney and Devil peak on the other side of ACH.

Bear scat

Vetter ahead

Osborne fire finder

A dirt road heads up toward Mooney (HPS #198). The gate was open and I could have driven to the base of it, but I didn't. I thought about going up the firebreak and that would have been shorter, but the area was overrun with whitethorn and the firebreak might not have been worked. From the base, I followed a use trail to the flat summit. A pair of black cans held the HPS register. With only 229' of prominence, Mooney doesn't technically quality as a standalone peak. Most of it had burn scars and the views were not special. Hard to believe this was an actual HPS peak. "Toasted Turd" might be a better name for it. Somewhere on Mooney, I accidentally put my camera into portrait mode, which blurred the edges. It mostly ruined the photos.

I returned to the road, then went around a gate toward Devil Peak (not an HPS peak), less than a mile away. I passed a small observatory I didn't know existed. At the end of the road, a firebreak led to the top of Devil. There were a lot of downed trees, burned and decayed. Poodle dog and whitethorn were also in abundance, but a use trail made it navigable. Views from the top were OK, but blocked by trees and brush to the west. I found a cairn at the summit, but no marks and no register. The firebreak continued down the south side. I spent 5 minutes on top, then returned to the truck. Mooney and Devil were ugly peaks, but I still had fun.

Devil Peak

A hundred sports cars were racing on the ACH.
This one hit a wall.

Mount Akawie and Peak 7160

Hiked: 10/4/2024
Distance: 1.7 miles round trip on use trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 7293' (Akawie)
Elevation Gain: 550'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.4
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Angeles Crest Highway
Difficulty: Easy

I took a trip along the ACH to pick up some easy HPS peaks. I wanted to get some of the higher ones in Spring, but a large section of the ACH was still under repair from the previous winter. I still could not drive to Mt. Lewis, but I could get to Akawie (HPS #106) from the west side. The starting point for Akawie was a nondescript turnout on the north side of the ACH. Google maps directions were accurate. I started along an abandoned dirt road that ended at a gully. I continued up in the direction of Akawie, though I could not see much through the tall pines. I stumbled on a use trail and followed it a short distance to the summit. The summit rocks were class 1. A green can held the HPS register. I found circular indent where the benchmark had been placed, but someone had removed it. Views were poor due to the trees. I could see Mount Waterman, but that was about it. I made a short detour on the way back to get P7160. On approach, I thought it might have be an interesting summit block, but it also turned out to be class 1. No marks or register. I was back to the truck in less than an hour. Awakie had just enough prominence to be considered a separate peak (>300'), but it's weak sauce. Next on the agenda was Mount Vetter.

Mount Waterman from Akawie

Missing benchmark

Akawie from P7160

Sawtooth Peak and Lamont Benchmark

Hiked: 9/28/2024
Distance: 13.3 miles round trip on trail, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 8000' (Sawtooth), 7429' (Lamont)
Elevation Gain: 4217'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.3
Round trip time: 8 hours, 45 minutes
Recommended water: 148 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Canebrake Road
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined)

Sawtooth Peak (SPS #243) is in the southern Sierra, a little north of Owens Peak. I drove in on Chimney Basin Road, a smooth dirt road, to where the PCT intersection. There was room on the side of the road for a couple of vehicles, or I would have had to part at Chimney Basic Campground a half mile earlier. The drive from the OC took about 4 hours and it was going to be a long drive home. I took the PCT southeast for about 3 miles until I was south of Sawtooth. Gnats became a problem within the first mile. For most of the hike, I was wearing my bug net. Oddly, the gnats were not an issue on the summits. At a saddle south of Sawtooth, I left the trail through open country up a steep slope. I found a faint use trail part way up. There was a short scramble through white rocks at the top, then the terrain leveled out a bit. I crossed a field before the second steep slope. The second slope gained about 900' and was more forested. I found and lost the use trail multiple times, but upward progress was not too difficult even without the use trail. The solid summit rocks were class 2 from the north or south, class 3 from the west. There were two register books in an ammo box, but I didn't find any benchmarks. The oldest register book was started in 1966 and there were well preserved loose leaf pages that went back to 1957. I did some aerial shots, then spent about 30 minutes reading through the history in the oldest register. The skies were blue, though it was a tad warm. Views were very nice south to Owens, Spanish Needle, and north to Olancha. Langley and Whitney were visible, but mostly gray smears through the haze. The descent was uneventful and I was back on the PCT about 90 minutes faster than expected. With the extra time, I set off for nearby Lamont Benchmark as a bonus.

Heading up the first slope

Sawtooth from the field

Summit rocks

South to Owens Peak

North, Olancha distant left

I didn't have a GPS track for Lamont, but it seemed close and uncomplicated. I took the PCT up a few long switchbacks, then left the trail going northwest. As I gained elevation, I stumbled on some cairns which boosted my confidence. What I thought was the summit was only the first of several false summits. Piles of boulders lined the ridge and I mistakenly climbed a few, then immediately realized they were not the high point. I don't recommend following my track near the stop. Eventually, I reached the end of the ridge and scrambled up to the Lamont Benchmark. The mark was intact and the high point was on a boulder that required an airy step. Views were nice, but not as nice as Sawtooth. I descended to the PCT, then trudged about four miles back to the truck. I was glad I brought a cooler with ice and relished the cold water before starting the drive back. House to house, it was a 17 hour day.

Looking up at Lamont

Sawtooth from the PCT

False summit

Lamont summit

South to Spanish Needle and Owens Peak