Distance: 14.2 miles round trip on dirt road, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 5798' (Allen), 7832' (Birch)
Elevation Gain: 4130'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.3
Round trip time: 8 hours
Recommended water: 148 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Bear Paw Reserve (with permission)
Difficulty: Strenuous
I wanted to chip away at the Yucaipa Ridge peaks, this time working from the bottom. The best way to reach Allen Peak (HPS #203) was from the Bear Paw Reserve. It's private property and permission is needed to access road 1S08 that leads to the Yucaipa Ridge trail. I filled out the web form and got approved a day later with an email containing the gate code. The process went smoothly. The Reserve provides free hiker parking at the end of the paved road. I was the only fool out hiking in the heat. My plan was to get Allen, then Birch (HPS #79), then make a game time call on Cedar Mountain (HPS #57). Starting from the parking lot, I went up left of the house there and found a short single track that intersected the dirt road. The road before the Yucaipa Trail junction was slightly overgrown with grass and soft plants. At the junction, I turned right and continued past a gate to the use trail for Allen Peak. There was some encroaching whitethorn and unavoidable poodle dog born in 2020 El Dorado fire. Parts of the use trail were blocked by charred deadfall, but easily bypassed. I found the register outside a battered can and many pages scattered around. All the loose pages were empty, so I packed them out. After signing, I put the register back in the can and tried to secure it better. The most recent prior ascent was back in January. There were good views into Oak Glen, the IE, and San Gabriels.
I descended Allen, then continued on Yucaipa Ridge trail. The angle of ascent was mellow for the next couple of miles. There was little tree cover, but the ridge provided shade in the morning. When I reached the Oak Glen divide, the abandoned road became a mess. A hot summer salad mix of deadfall, fox tails, and whitethorn with poodle dog dressing. Though overgrown, it was possible to pick through it without great difficulty. Route finding became harder below Birch Mountain when the road vanished. I worked to the top of the ridge finding an occasional cairn. The final approach to Birch was up steep dirt and charcoal slopes around clusters of brush. When I finally reached the summit of Birch, I was pretty fatigued. The heat had taken a toll, and it took me an hour longer than planned. I checked my water supply and decided to abort the attempt on Cedar Mountain. My choice was validated since I almost ran out of water on the way down. The truck said it was 100 degrees out, but it only felt like 99 in the shade. In the future, I want to hit the middle of Yucaipa Ridge for the other two HPS peaks from the Oak Glen side.
