Meeks Mountain

Hiked: 10/7/2026
Distance: 3.5 miles round trip on dirt road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 6280'
Elevation Gain: 935'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on OHV Roads
Difficulty: Easy

After Bighorn Mountain, I parked at an intersection of the road leading toward Meeks Mountain (HPS #165). Meeks was visible from there and since it was a short hike, I wasn't worried about adding an extra half mile. When I got to a bend in the road, I decided to head directly toward Meeks. I saw cairns once in a while, but was just following a path of least resistance. I found a car wreck in a wash that might have been a road in the distant past. As I got closer, I stayed south (left) of major rock outcrops, though any path through might have worked. It was steep, but easily kept class 1. The summit had a benchmark stamped "EEKS" which I think would make a better name. There were several registers in a set of green cans. I signed the newest one. Meeks had 685' of prominence and the views were the best of the day. I loitered on the summit a little longer than usual enjoying the sights. There was bighorn scat on Meeks, but alas, no visible sheep. I started off the summit following cairns north of my route. This was the official use trail and a better route than my haphazard ascent. It was easy to follow the cairns all the way back to the road. Meeks was the clear winner of the day and I'm glad I saved it for last.

Bighorn Mountain

Hiked: 10/7/2026
Distance: 5.8 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 5894' (Black)
Elevation Gain: 905'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on OHV Roads
Difficulty: Easy

Two days away from my follow up with the orthopedic. In the meantime, I had HPS peaks to bag. First up was Bighorn Mountain (HPS #193) in San Bernardino County. The drive in from the east turned out to be the crux. From highway 247, I took Dixie Mine Road, then a maze of OHV roads. I followed Robert May's driving GPS track and still made a wrong turn. GPS nav on the drive was essential. I also recommend 4x4 for deep sand. Beyond where I parked, the boulders were large and hazardous to vehicle health.

Bighorn was a road hike. The morning was warm, but breezy and pleasant. There were a few shortcuts available through washes, but they didn't really save time or distance, so I skipped most of them. The terrain was not really a transition zone, it was desert and felt like Joshua Tree. The road went past a couple of bumps that were higher than Bighorn before I reached the pile of rocks that was the summit. The summit boulder was 6' and held standard issue HPS cans with the register. Based on the register, it didn't seem very popular. Despite having almost no prominence, the views were pretty good. A handful of other HPS peaks were visible. Black Mountain #4 and Meeks were the closest. I was on the look out for bighorn sheep, or at least signs of them, but found none. I only stayed a few minutes, then returned and drove a couple miles south toward Meeks Mountain.

Bighorn summit

Black Mountain #4

Black Mountain #4 and Peak 5990

Hiked: 9/30/2026
Distance: 5.3 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 6152' (Black)
Elevation Gain: 1455'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on unnamed road north of Burns Canyon Road
Difficulty: Easy

There are a few HPS peaks between Big Bear and Joshua Tree. Black Mountain #4 (HPS #179) is one of these remote peaks. I got to the starting point by driving up Burns Canyon Road from Pioneertown. The road was in decent shape for being privately maintained. High clearance recommended. Since this was a relatively short hike, I did not push the driving. I could have easily driven a little further. I parked next to a private drive with a sign that read "No Vacancy Ever". There was also a sign on the post that read: "Nothing Here Is Worth Your Life". Friendly folk out in desert.

I continued up the unnamed dirt road (not the private drive!), turned right and went about a half mile to where the road ended. It was cross country from there, but mostly open country with some rocks and rolling hills. A faint use trail appeared then vanished, but much of the route was marked with cairns. It was hard to follow the ridges or determine whether going over or around a bump was better. I followed a GPS track when unsure. Black Mountain didn't come into view until I was at Peak 5990. Before the final slope, I dropped about 200' and crossed a dry stream. The final climb looked steeper than it was, never exceeding class 1. A standard set of HPS cans held a couple of registers. The most recent one was placed in 2021 and only had a few pages of entries. The previous visitor that signed was more than a year ago. I didn't check the other registers, so maybe people were signing into different ones. There were nice views of Tip Top Mountain and nearby HPS peaks. San Jacinto was visible in the distance. The view east was mainly a desert expanse. On the way back, I visited Peak 5990, 150' off route. Below 5990, I spotted an unusual mark. It was stamped 1/4 S19/S30. An Internet search said this was a cadastral survey marker established by the U.S. General Land Office (GLO) in 1937. Unlike USGS or National Geodetic Survey (NGS) benchmarks, which are set to establish precise elevations or geographic coordinates, cadastral markers define legal land ownership boundaries. I ran into a similar one near Tule Mountain in San Diego County.

I stopped twice to pull fox tails out of my socks. Ankle gaiters highly recommended on this one. Packed out one mylar balloon.

Terrain made it hard to see what was ahead

Black Mountain #4

Benchmark was stamped Antelope. The topo map showed that as well.

San Jacinto distant left, rising above the smaller peaks

On the way to Peak 5990, found a class 1 route

Cadastral mark

Tip Top Mountain on the right

Cienaga Peak

Hiked: 9/22/2026
Distance: 9.8 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 9144'
Elevation Gain: 3046'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.4
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 72 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass or Annual Pass at Humber Park, Free day hike permit
Difficulty: Moderate

After clearing it with my physical therapist, I decided to test my left shoulder on a moderate hike to Cienaga Peak. The MRI and surgery are still weeks in the future. Most of the pack weight was carried by my hips, while the shoulder straps were supported mainly by the collarbone and trap muscles. Nothing directly hit the external rotator or deltoid. I modified how I put the pack on and took it off, and didn't use my left arm with the hiking pole. I tried to keep the left arm down and stationary.

I arrived at Humber Park in Idyllwild about 8:45 AM to a mostly empty parking lot. It was sunny and cool, 55F, where pleasant temps hovered all day. I think the San Jacinto Wilderness is the most beautiful of the three major SoCal ranges (others being the Angeles and San Bernardino). I had kept this peak in my back pocket for when I needed a chill hike. I really needed a chill hike. I started up the Devil's Slide trail, a moderate grade with soft sand winding through giant evergreens. I was focused on my shoulder as I gained elevation. At Saddle Junction, everything seemed OK. I turned north on the PCT and hiked to the saddle north of Cienaga, then came back south to the summit. When I left the PCT, I had about a quarter mile of open country to reach the summit. I half expected a use trail, but found none. I went around various boulder piles until I reached the highest one. Since Cienaga has low prominence, I didn't see the summit through the trees until I was near. The summit block was about 20', class 2. I dropped my pack and was able to get up without using my left arm at all. Cienaga was not a listed peak, but there was a register in a single can. The most recent visit was a week prior and it appeared quite popular based on the number of entries. The views were great up toward San Jacinto and the satellite 10k peaks, and down to Tahquitz Peak and Suicide Rock.

Lily Rock

Summit block

Marion Mountain, June Peak, San Jacinto

Tahquitz and Suicide Rock

A note on permits: The Devil's Slide trail starts in a national forest and requires a self signed day use permit you can get at the Idyllwild ranger station. The section of the PCT that heads toward San Jacinto goes through the state wilderness and requires a different day use permit. The route I followed barely crosses into the state park (about 500') before turning south. Cienaga itself is in the national park. I didn't have a state wilderness permit, but if you left the trail earlier, it wouldn't even be a consideration.

My shoulder seemed no worse the day after, no noticeable change in pain. This was a successful test of the shoulder on a moderate hike, and I'll take it. I'm slightly encouraged, but I'm not counting it as a data point for how things will feel post recovery.