Thorn Point

HPS Star Emblem Peak
Hiked: 11/19/2021
Distance: 7.3 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 6920'
Prominence: 560'
Elevation Gain: 2002'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Thorn Meadows Campground
Difficulty: Moderate

I got up at 3 AM to prep for a long day of driving to Los Padres, pretty standard. I always curse the drive, but never end up regretting it. The target was Thorn Point (HPS #25), home to an abandoned look out tower in the heart of the forest. The start was at Thorn Meadows campground, an 8 mile drive on a bumpy dirt road (7N03B) with one stream crossing. High clearance recommended. The top of the stream was frozen when I crossed and the temp at the trailhead was a shocking 27F. I got started with 3 layers and gloves and was cold for about 30 minutes before body heat and patches of sunlight warmed me up. The hike was beautiful from the start with a mix of large deciduous and evergreen trees. The first mile was fairly flat along a drainage, then gained a ridge. The slope was steady passing cliffs and randomly scattered boulders.

I was pretty close to the top before I spotted the tower. The trail took a somewhat indrect path with plenty of switchbacks to keep the gain in check. Scenery opened up behind as climb unfolded. Below the tower was the Sierra Club register in red cans, and a USFS register book that was in pieces. Next to the tower was a shack littered with debris. From what I gathered online, the tower has not been in use since the 1980s. The structure was made of steel girders while the tower was made up of decaying wood. It wasn't locked so I climbed up an poked around, carefully testing the floor as I went. The tower had a book with a story written by son of a ranger who used to man the tower in the 1950s. A few tools were lying around and a few people wrote about their interest in restoring the tower. The whole vibe was cool. I don't always agree with the Sierra Club, but Thorn Point deserves the emblem badge. After loitering for a while, I started down the trail, taking my time to soak in as much as possible. I had the entire mountain to myself. Nothing better to reboot the soul.

San Guillermo Mountain

Hiked: 11/19/2021
Distance: 2.5 miles round trip on use trail
Summit Elevation: 6606'
Prominence: 1086'
Elevation Gain: 884'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.6
Round trip time: 1 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Easy

After hiking Thorn Point, I had some time and energy and wanted to increase my cardio and gain for the day. San Guillermo (HPS #146) was on the way back, a short hike starting at Pine Springs Campground. I parked near the restroom in the campground and wandered toward the start of the main ridge line. I didn't find the use trail until I was half way up the first rise. It was in decent shape and followed the main ridge south of the mountain, turning north to finish. The register cans were placed a little below the high point. Inside the cans was a 2-page print out of a hike from 2020 with signatures on the back of the pages. I put the pages in a plastic baggie, but a new register book is needed. I enjoyed the view north to Mount Pinos and Sawmill. Views were much nicer than I expected. Like Thorn Point, I had the entire mountain to myself.

Bobbie Benchmark and Peak 1704

Hiked: 11/5/2021
Distance: 5.5 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 2518' (Bobbie), 1704'
Prominence: 838' (Bobbie)
Elevation Gain: 1400'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 40 oz.
Parking/Fees: $10 State Park Day Use Fee
Difficulty: Easy

With only a half day available to hike, I looked for something local and easy. I drove to Lake Perris State Park and paid the $10 day use fee, although I parked just outside the park and could have skipped payment. There are 8 peaks in the hills surrounding Lake Perris. I had climbed 7 of them on previous trips and aimed to get the last one, Bobbie Benchmark. There were only 3 ascents listed for Bobbie and no tracks. I parked on a small maintenance road just off Ramona Expressway directly south of the peak. There was no official trail so I decided to go directly up the south face, expecting light brush and knee high grass. I was pleasantly surprised to find a use trail going up from the end of the road. The use trail was in good shape on the lower half of the slope, then I lost it, then I found it again on the upper slope. It was scrambley and steep in a couple of spots, but not difficult. On top were great views of the lake and the nearby Bernasconi Hills high point.

Bobbie Benchmark

From the top, I looked at the gully between Bobbie and Bernasconi as a possible descent path. There is rock climbing wall at the bottom of the gully called Big Duck Rock and I estimated the odds of descending the gully without hitting a cliff. It was hard to tell. I started down, finding one class 3 move to reach the saddle. There was a trail heading into the gully so I followed it. It faded out not far from the top, but there were several animal trails continuing down. The animal trails were helpful, but twice I hit what I thought was a cliff, only to find a continuation by going up a little or to one side. I wasn't sure it was going to go until I had only a few hundred feet left. As I exited the gully, I saw two climbers just starting up a long wall on Big Duck Rock. The wall looked like it might be too long for a single rope and I didn't see any place they might belay, but that was not my concern.

Climbers on Big Duck Rock
I followed the base of Bobbie to the west side looking for a bonus. There were a three bumps southwest of the lake about a mile away. I headed toward the highest one, Peak 1704, not listed in Peakbagger. The legal status of this strip of land is unknown. It looks like it is outside the state park and between the park and the fairgrounds. I figured I would go unless someone stopped me. As I approached Peak 1704, I decided to go up the center gully, mostly class 2 with good rock. On top was a metal cylinder and a couple of small, unlabelled marks. There was also a swarm of bugs encouraging me to drop down the north side. I returned the way I came and continued to walk along the base of Bobbie back to the truck. All my trips around Lake Perris have been fun little adventures. Hunting is allowed in the park during the fall so wear bright colors.

Dept of water resources mark near the base of the gully, stamped PR103, unusual location

Looking back at Bobbie BM (right)