Desert Divide Double Double

Hiked: 10/27/2019
Distance: 11.2 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 6868' (Little Desert), 7035' (Pyramid), 7054' (Pine), 6868' (Lion)
Elevation Gain: 3087'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.5
Round trip time: 7 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 132 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

I headed back to the desert divide south of Idyllwild for a 4-peak hike that had been on my radar a long time. It started at the Cedar Springs Trailhead with goals of:

• Little Desert Peak
• Pyramid Peak
• Pine Mountain
• Lion Peak

I parked in a small turnout just past the gated trail. It began as a dirt road and eventually turned into a single track. Trees along the lower trail are mainly oaks. After passing through a total of four gates, I worked my way up tight switchbacks to the ridge where it intersected the PCT. There was a Santa Ana wind event going on and the NW to SE winds built as I neared the ridge. The wind was a steady 35mph with 50mph gusts, enough to destabilize me on rough terrain. Just after the turn was Little Desert Peak, a questionable summit with 68' of prominence. It does have a cool view from a flat outcrop but no register or mark. I paused briefly for photos and to record a GPS waypoint. Next up was Pyramid Peak. There was a good use trail that branches up directly beneath it. The PCT ran along the east side of Pyramid and this completely blocked off the wind. Most of the day, I would alternate between cool and warm depending on my exposure to the wind. I found two reference marks on Pyramid stamped "Morris", possibly related to nearby Morris Ranch. A gust of wind blew my hat off (twice) and I had to take the register down the east side off the peak to sign it. I didn't take any photos on Pyramid due to the wind.

Sunrise over the divide

Cone Peak, not on the days agenda

Looking down on Vail Lake from Little Desert, Palomer in the distance

Pyramid right, Pine distant left, Lion distant right

Pyramid summit

Reference #2 on Pyramid (could not find benchmark)

From Pyramid, I headed for Pine Mountain. The giant boulder on the south end was visible miles away. The use trail for Pine was marked with a small cairn, but could be easily missed. It ascends the bump east of Pine first, then drops to the saddle. From there, it follows a narrow, cut path through dense manzanita that is overgrown in places. The use trail follows low along the ridge before climbing more diagonally. I had a GPS track, but didn't need it on the way. I was feeling kind of smug about my route finding abilities, but that was fleeting. The HPS summit is an outcrop near the middle of the plateau. It consists of class 2 boulders, then one slightly harder move for the upper summit boulder. The register was below the top of the summit in a plastic tube. I left my hat and pack below, then surmounted the HPS summit. Because of the wind, I crouched low for photos. The benchmark was stamped "Eve". Pine had fantastic 360 views on both sides of the divide. The monster 60' class 5 boulder rose above the HPS summit. I had carefully reviewed trip reports for Pine and noted most people do not attempt it. I generally try to reach the highest summit point but with the wind and lack of a partner and rope, I skipped it. The wind would have made even a roped attempt very dangerous. Of all the reports I read, only Bob Burd braved it for the glory. I did at least circle it to get a feel for it. The south face appeared most favorable. When I started down, I got stuck in a loop just below the summit. I couldn't find the sliver of trail that continued down and across. Eventually, I relied on my GPS and a 20' crawl under manzanita to right myself, killing every bit of route finding smugness. Pine was my favorite of the day.

At the saddle below Pine

HPS summit block

"Eve" benchmark on Pine Mountain summit

The south end monolith

Looking over at Lion Peak

Looking at Pyramid (left), Tahquitz and San Jacinto in the distance

South side of the monolith

The rockpile

HPS summit from the south

The trip over to Lion Peak was easy and mostly sheltered by the ridge. A clear use trail led up a class 2 path to the flat summit. Lion was the only summit not battered by wind, being protected by trees and vegetation. There were two register books with many names. Without the wind pushing me around, I rested on Lion to eat and empty debris from my shoes. On the return trip, I ran into a PCT through hiker. I hadn't considered this a possibility, but a small percentage of hikers go north to south, so he was just finishing up. He looked fresh and in good spirits, saying he expected to finish in about 7 days. I descended back to Cedar Springs without incident. This set of peaks was great fun. While the Pine monster block is far more difficult, Antsell Rock remains the king of the divide.

Lion summit

Other trip reports:
Desert Divide Peaks (Bob Burd)