Distance: 5.3 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 5220'
Prominence: 1822'
Elevation Gain: 1060'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.9
Round trip time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Telephone Road
Difficulty: Easy
My plan was to mountian bike to Magic Mountain in the western San Gabriels. I wanted to start at a road junction several miles up Indian Canyon Road. I did not know the status of the gate and found it to be closed right at the trailhead. That meant the round trip would have been around 18 miles, a much bigger affair for which I was not prepared. I drove back to highway 14 to get cell service, then looked at Peakbagger to find something easier and nearby. I settled on Odell Benchmark, only 7 miles away.
I parked at a turnout and unloaded the bike. It was 43F but I was blasted by a 25mph wind sinking the wind chill to around freezing. I expected the wind and cold weather, but it was still a shock to the system. While I was getting ready, a dirt motorbike zoomed up the road, the only other person I saw all day. I started climbing the first hill, steep but paved. I made it about half way up the hill before switching to hike-a-bike push mode. Near the top of the first hill, I got back on and pedaled past the Hauser benchmark, surrounded by barbed wire and warning signs. The road turned to dirt but was in good shape. It would have been possible to drive all the way to Odell. I enjoyed the dirt road section and got minor breaks from the wind. By then, my face and hands were fairly frozen. When I arrived at Odell, the views were decent. I found a small mark but no register. I rode the brakes hard on the way down but was nearly blown over by the wind. This was hardly a dream outing, but at least I salvaged a prominent point and worked up a lather on the bike.
No comments:
Post a Comment