Distance: 8.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 7517' (Reyes), 7439' (Haddock)
Elevation Gain: 1935'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.5
Round trip time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Pine Mountain Road
Difficulty: Moderate
I drove north of Ojai and took Pine Mountain Road from highway 33, slowly climbing through the thick marine layer that kept my speed below 20 mph. Pine Mountain road went through a nice campground, then became an easy dirt road for 1.3 miles ending at Reyes Peak (HPS #94) Trailhead. The road was sedan friendly. Someone had set up camp at the trailhead. The trail split almost immediately. The left trail was signed for Haddock Mountain (HPS #101), the middle trail went up to Reyes Peak (unsigned), and the right trail went to the south side of Reyes, maybe to more camping spots. I headed to Reyes first. Having rained the night before, the trail was damp, but not muddy, making traction better than usual. The trail bed was soft dirt covered in pine needles, like a spa day for my feet. At one mile, I reached the summit of Reyes and it's class 2 boulder pile. The benchmark and stuffed register were just below the highest boulder. I had great views of Los Padres in two directions, but pine trees blocked the other half. Peaklets poked through the clouds below like braille dots for the sun to read. I didn't take a break, but continued down the ridge on a use trail to intersect the Haddock trail.
The Haddock trail moved gently up and down below the ridge line, passing several rocky outcrops. The summit was a huge class 2 boulder exposed by erosion. The base was somewhere below the cliff it overlooked, but only 15' above the trail. I did not find a benchmark. I found the register in an ammo box lying sideways in pool of water. The box was airtight and I was surprised to find the register dry inside. After signing, I left it in a different spot out of the water. Like Reyes, it had nice views in a few directions and blocking pine trees in others. I continued down the ridge a little to make sure there wasn't a higher point. After checking two possibilities, it was clear the high point was the summit. On the way back, I stayed on the Haddock trail. When I got back, the camper was up and moving around. It was a lady who asked me if I had seen any deer. She was there bow hunting and so far had been out of luck. I didn't realize hunting season had started, but she said bow hunting starts before guns in CA. The only animals I had seen were squirrels and birds. Reyes and Haddock were very nice peaks, almost worth the soul crushing drive from the OC. Almost.
No comments:
Post a Comment