Panther Peak

Hiked: 5/26/2024
Distance: 6.8 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 9046'
Elevation Gain: 1890'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.4
Round trip time: 5 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 96 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee (one vehicle for 7 days) or Annual Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

Our second day in Sequoia was reserved for Panther Peak. With serious snow clinging to higher elevations, we knew it was going to be a challenge. We eyed Panther a few years earlier when we climbed Alta Peak. I mapped a route using the Long Meadow trail to Panther Gap because it was new to us. We started around 8 AM, but the Long Meadow trail appeared closed and the first Wolverton Creek crossing looked daunting. We resorted to the familiar Lakes Trail, which was clear of snow to about 8300'. Snow encroached on then covered the trail from there. We donned our microspikes and followed boot tracks for a while until they wandered into a swampy area by one of the four stream crossings. GPS got us back on the trail and we met a couple of parties on their way down from camping at Panther Gap. Melting snow bridges covered the rest of the crossings. We tested the snow with our poles near each bridge to see how close we could get, then took a leap of faith to the other side, hoping to land on solid ground and not plunge into the flowing water beneath. This section of trail was shaded and the snow reasonably firm all the way to the Gap. Sun had melted the snow on part of the Alta trail, but we knew there was plenty ahead as we left the trail to climb the western ridge of Panther.

Almost to Panther Gap

Looking up the west ridge of Panther

We found a use trail at the start of the ridge, but it quickly faded under patches of snow. The ridge was somewhat open with low vegetation, downfall, snow mounds, and boulders. We picked our way up going directly over a false summit. At 8800', snow surrounded the summit like a moat. It was roughly 3' deep with drifts up to 6'. The direct approach from the south was steep and with temps hovering around 50F, the top layers of snow were soft and we struggled to maintain traction. We traversed east of the summit looking for a slope less than 40 degrees. Because we were slipping so much, Leisa decided to hold her ground while I aimed for a column of high class 3 boulders. I dropped my pack and pole and got about 50' up the column before getting stopped by a vertical boulder and a snow bank. In dry conditions, I could have just walked around the boulder. I was high enough to see a flat area with a lone tree below the final 40' of boulders to the summit. The slope further east looked like it might reach the tree. I dropped back down, collected my gear, and told Leisa I wanted to make another attempt. I carefully side-hilled east, then used my pole and free hand to aid my ascent to the tree. Above the tree, I only had another 20' of snow before reaching the final boulder pile. The last scramble was class 2 and I left my spikes on out of laziness. On top, the summit view was exhilarating. I let out a triumphant yell. Leisa could not see me and she told me later that she didn't know if the whoop was success or me falling to my doom. I found no register or marks on the summit. The down climb was easier, though the snow slope was still sketch. Had Leisa wanted to go, I would have guided her up, but she was content this far up. Our return trip was mostly uneventful, though I did fall partially through one of the snow bridges, drenching my right foot. At the Pear Lakes junction, we removed our spikes and coasted the last 1.8 miles to the trailhead.

Approaching the summit

Climbing boulders on the my first attempt

I was turned back about 50' above

This slope and tree were on my second attempt

Final scramble, summit to the right

Alta Peak is the higher peak in the back. We climbed it in 2021

Melting snow bridge on the way back

Patch-nosed snake

Tokopah Falls

Hiked: 5/25/2024
Distance: 8.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 7361' (Falls)
Elevation Gain: 1400'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee (one vehicle for 7 days) or Annual Pass
Difficulty: Easy

Leisa and I spent Memorial Day Weekend in Sequoia National Park. One of the few popular hikes we had not done was Tokopah Falls. Tokopah Falls is part of the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. The regular trailhead is at Lodgepole, but due to the insane number of people in the park, all Lodgepole parking was full. We were instructed to drive another parking area and take a shuttle back. Instead, we drove to the Wolverton trailhead and hiked to Lodgepole. This added over four miles round trip to the hike, but was probably a wash as far as time. Wolverton was also higher than Lodgepole so it added about 700' gain to the hike. The connector trail was in good shape and empty. When we finally started on the Tokopah Falls trail, we shared it with hundreds of eager hikers, though more were coming back than going out. Tokopah Falls has many cascades, and the main fall was flowing nicely. The Watchtower rose starkly in the background. We took photos and got ready to leave, then spotted a man sitting neck deep in the river below the falls. The ultimate cold plunge! Air temp was about 55F. My guess is the water was closer to 40F. It was a pleasant hike and a great warm up for our attempt on Panther Peak the next day.

Falls start at the top of the ridge, a dozen cascades before the main fall

The Watchtower dominating the scene

Dude sitting up to his neck in freezing water

Estelle Mountain

Hiked: 5/17/2024
Distance: 3.8 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 2767'
Prominence: 1207'
Elevation Gain: 975'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Galivan Springs Road
Difficulty: Easy

Estelle was on my radar because it was a P1K and relatively close. May gray was in full flower as I drove by Lake Matthews in Riverside County. It was another dirt road hike on Galivan Springs Road. Shortly after I turned onto the dirt road, I was stopped a black, medium-sized, stray dog (no collar). It was in the road barking at my truck. When I got near, it ran in front of the truck and I had to stop. I tried to back up, but it ran behind the truck. Then, it circled, barking every few seconds. When it was behind me, I moved forward slowly before it ran back in front. We played this game five or six times before I was able to get far enough ahead of it that it couldn't catch me. Unclear property lines and these kinds of annoyances made me question whether these small IE peaks are worth the effort. I continued up the road just past the last house. This was where Robert Luher parked and the road looked unused and degraded after this point.

Unwanted dog attention continued immediately after I exited the truck. As I got my pack ready, there was steady barking from the last house. A german shepherd, a doberman, and a white dog of unknown breed were all sounding the alarm. At least they were fenced. The barking only stopped when I rounded a bend about a half mile up the road. In some places, the road was overgrown with weeds and grass. Other parts were clear, but it didn't look recently used. I gained about 300', then gave it all back as the road dipped before the final short climb to the summit. A loud static buzz filled the air as I followed power lines to the summit. Clouds had it completely socked. I found a reference mark and the benchmark in good condition. There was no register and views were utterely blocked by the clouds. The only thing of note at the summit were the hazy ghosts of giant electrical towers. Estelle gets my vote as ugliest summit with 1000' of prominence. I spent no more than 5 minutes looking around before reversing course. I met a work truck rolling by on the way back, but no hikers. I was concerned about meeting the stray on the way out, but the road was clear.

Start

Estelle in the distance

Summit

Magic Mountain and Garfield Benchmark

Hiked: 5/7/2024
Distance: 14.2 miles round trip on road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 4864' (Magic), 3842' (Garfield)
Elevation Gain: 2729'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.1
Round trip time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 92 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Santa Clara Truck Trail
Difficulty: Moderate

I had a day open up unexpectedly, so decided to head to Magic Mountain. I've wanted to visit the real Magic Mountain for some time. I made a bike attempt from the east last year, but a key gate was closed and I didn't have time to complete the longer distance. This time, I was split on whether to do a bike or hike. With high wind gusts forecast, I settled on a hike. This time, I started from Bear Divide and a western approach. I parked just before Bear Divide where the Santa Clara Truck Trail (forest route 3N17) crosses Sand Canyon. This was a road hike all the way. The high winds never materialized. A bike would have been faster, though I would have been pushing it a lot the last couple of miles.

I started about 7:30 AM, solo on the road. After a half mile, I came to a huge washout. I had seen photos of the washout, but it was from years ago and I didn't know if the road had been repaired. Turns out no. Other than rockfall scattered across the road in places, this was the only major damage. The ascent angles on the road were easy so I concentrated on keeping my cadence even going uphill. I took short breaks for calories every hour, making great time. I realized about half way that the distant peak with three towers was Magic. It looked pretty far away in the early going. My optional bonus peak was Garfield Benchmark, not far off the main road. The Dagger Flat Trail passes below it from the east side. As I passed Garfield, I studied the west ridge for a use trail. I didn't see anything but the brush looked no higher than waist level. Mendenhall Peak and the Pinnacle were in constant view on a parallel ridge. The road went about 0.4 miles past the summit where it intersected the Magic Mountain Truck Trail. From there, it was less than a half mile to the top.

Washout

Gate to Magic Mountain Truck Trail

Summit
I saw two Nike missile launch pads on the east side just below the summit. There were also two water towers and three radio towers. The summit was fenced. I walked along the perimeter of the fence and stumbled on an LA County Engineering benchmark on the west side, just outside the fence. It was named "Little Tujunga" and placed in 1964. If there was a USGS mark, I didn't find it, or maybe it was inside the fence. Didn't find a register. After taking photos, I returned to one of the Nike silos for a break. Soon, I started back at a steady clip. When I got the junction with the Dagger Flat Trail, it looked a little overgrown. I decided to continue up the road a bit. I spotted a better section of the Dagger Flat Trail and left the road to grab it. From there, it was about 0.3 miles to Garfield. I left the trail to climb the ridge to Garfield, stepping slowly through waist high grass and soft plants. I kept stabbing where I could not see the ground with my pole to check for snakes. No surprises. Garfield had an intact benchmark in a small cinder block. No register. Garfield rose about 150' above the road. Next, I decided to descend the west ridge instead of going back. I was going to have to wade through tall grass and minor bushwhacking either way. There was enough of an animal trail on the west side that I got down without much fuss. The diversion probably cost about 30 minutes. I was amazed to have waded through so much grass with no ticks. I did several checks along the way. The rest of the descent was easy and I got back in time to avoid the worst of the traffic home.

Silo welded shut, missile battery closed in 1963

Benchmark on the west side outside the fence

Looking south toward civilization

Taking the Dagger Flat trail toward Garfield

Looking back at Magic from Garfield

Light bushwhacking back to the road

Mendenhall (left) and Pinnacle (right)

Washout on the way back

You can see the side trip to Garfield on the descent