Close BM

Hiked: 2/2/2014
Distance: 0.9 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 893'
Elevation Gain: 100'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.08
Round trip time: 20 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Balboa Ave
Difficulty: Easy

Close BM is a quick walk up from Moulton Meadows Park in Laguna Beach. The second OC peaklet bagged on Superbowl Sunday morning. Nice views into Aliso Canyon, the ocean and Laguna Beach. I'd been through the park on a number of trips, but never up to the local high point with the official OC benchmark.

Close BM

Peak 914

Hiked: 2/2/2014
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 914'
Prominence: 14'
Elevation Gain: 120'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.09
Round trip time: 30 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Vista Ridge
Difficulty: Easy

Orange County Peak 914 is an odd pick to be in the database since there are two clearly higher peaks with similar views just across the canyon. The use trail required some minor boulder hops but there was nothing distinguished about it. My wife came with me on this one and we went further down the road to the larger boulders and climbed around a bit, then started down the road before deciding we'd rather pick up another small OC peak this morning than continue down. The extra exploring padded the distance and gain, which is mostly flat to the "peak". On the largest boulder in the second pile, I found a benchmark labelled ICC 7084, but have no idea what significance it might have.

Pacific Ocean and a future expensive Newport Beach housing development from Peak 914

Moulton Peak

Hiked: 2/1/2014
Distance: 0.9 miles round trip on trail and road
Summit Elevation: 887'
Prominence: 317'
Elevation Gain: 292'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.23
Round trip time: 20 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Sprucewood
Difficulty: Easy

I continued sweeping up the small, trivial peaks around Orange County listed in Peakbagger. Moulton Peak was only a couple of miles from my house and made for a nice morning wake up cruise. A dirt trail leaves from the top of Canyon View Park, winds around two water towers, then you're done. There is a nice view into Wood Canyon, and I found a wooden cross at the north end with the initials JKL and a mountain biker helmet. A web search didn't turn up any info on who it was. This must be a popular destination for local bikers as I counted six in my 20 minute trip, but no other hikers. There was a biker who started up the trail just ahead of me and I passed him about half way up. A nice bonus. Out of my way, slow poke!

Saddleback over the top of a water tower on Moulton Peak

Comm tower on Moulton Peak

Memorial to an unknown mountain biker on Moulton Peak overlooking Aliso Viejo

Update 3/31/2017: Loop route from Soka University

I decided to try a new route to Moulton Peak, this time using a use trail to drop into Wood Canyon instead of the boring 1.5 mile paved entry from the OC Parks parking lot. This route is 4.6 miles with about 800' of gain and took me just over an hour. I sometimes run laps at the Soka track and noticed the use trail at the east end of the track. I jogged up the street, down to the track, around to the use trail, then started down. As I got to the bottom, I found the connecting segment of the use trail to the main Wood Canyon trail completely overgrown with ankle high grass. This was somewhat concerning considering a recent warning about rattlesnake activity in the canyon. I've seen a fair number of snakes on my trips into Wood Canyon. I moved cautiously through the field, not always able to see where I was stepping, and was relieved to reach the main trail. From there, I headed about a mile into the canyon before reaching the 5 oaks trail junction. The 5 oaks trail does indeed have a number of large oaks on display but I didn't verify there were five. It is a nice trail that wanders slowly up the ridge line and has small bit of shade and some poison oak along the sides of the trail. I climbed up to an intersection with a dirt road and continued to the top of Moulton Peak. I decided to follow the paved road down which was a mistake. The road ends between two gated communities. I could have bushwhacked through the manicured shrubbery down to Pacific Park, but I would have been exposed for a long time in an obviously unusual location and wanted to avoid unnecessary police attention. Instead, I climbed the locked gate to the north, hoping to jog out to Pacific Park. Unfortunately, I was now locked inside the gated community with a 10' steel gate blocking my way out. I waited a minute or two for a car to come or go and open the gate with no luck. A homeowner was out washing his car in the driveway a few houses away but paying me no mind. I considered asking him to open the gate for me but how would I explain being inside his walled garden? Instead, I pulled myself up enough to get my foot on the lock, then moved quickly over the gate. I jogged casually out to the street and back to complete my loop, looking over my shoulder occasionally to make sure I was not going to be stopped. I recommend returning on the trails from the summit.

Dropping into super green Wood Canyon from the Soka track

5 Oaks trail junction

Two of the five oaks

Wooden bridge in a shady area

Moulton Peak summit

A well disguised cell tower near the top

Vicker BM, Yaeger Mesa, Horsethief Peak

Hiked: 1/26/2014
Distance: 14 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 4316' (Vicker), 3000' (Yaeger Mesa), 4313' (Horsethief)
Elevation Gain: 3875'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.10
Round trip time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 156 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined)

Yaeger Mesa is a unique feature deep in Trabuco Canyon in the Santa Ana Mountains. This is the remote heart of the range where the last wild grizzly bear in California was shot in 1908. I planned a loop that would go over Vicker BM, down Trabuco Canyon trail, up Yaeger Mesa, then down and up West Horsethief trail and over Horsethief Peak. I avoided the awful Trabuco Canyon road and started from Main Divide Road by the Falcon Campground. It is a short climb up the road to Los Pinos saddle. Just before the saddle, I veered along a firebreak to visit Vicker BM about a 100' above the road. I was pleasantly surprised to find a benchmark, though no register. Vicker would be my highest elevation of the day, topping Horsethief Peak by 3'. After a short stay, I went down the firebreak on the other side to Los Pinos saddle.

Firebreak up to Vicker BM

Vicker benchmark

Firebreak down from Vicker to Los Pinos saddle

Los Pinos saddle is the junction of Main Divide, Los Pinos trail, and the Trabuco Canyon trail. This was my first time on the Trabuco Canyon trail as it descends into the canyon through a rare stand (in the Santa Anas) of pines and cedar. The tall trees and dense brush provided a canopy of cover, dimming the light of an already overcast day. Despite the lack of water this year, the upper trail was lush, with a little poison oak lurking on the side of the trail. I pushed myself down into the canyon at a quick pace, trying to give myself a little extra time for route finding to Yaeger, and knowing it would be slow climbing out. About half way down the canyon, the trees and brush drop off providing great views into Trabuco Canyon. I met a couple of hiking groups on the trail on the way down, but fewer than the Holy Jim highway.

Dense forest on upper Trabuco Canyon trail

It's still Xmas in Trabuco Canyon

Looking down Trabuco Canyon

I passed the junction with West Horsethief trail to continue down to 2400' to look for a trail up to Yeager Mesa. Apparently, until 2009, the mesa was a private inholding, but is now owned by the USFS. The other trail to the mesa I know about comes down from Los Pinos summit along Bell Ridge. It would have been a cleaner loop for me to go that way, but I wanted to hike Trabuco Canyon trail. There were several side trails descending to the bottom of the canyon, and I ended up passing the one that crosses the canyon and heads up to Yaeger Mesa. Instead, I descended all the way to 2246' where I spotted a duck and followed it into the canyon, looking for some way up. I went in circles looking for a trail, and ended up wasting about 30 minutes and some energy thrashing around the brush and boulders. Eventually, I headed back up and took the most likely looking trail along the canyon wall, and it turned out to be right. It is a steep climb up loose dirt to the mesa, and once I arrived, I wandered around the upper and lower mesa, a cool geological formation. After a short lunch break, I headed down and spotted the wreck of a PT-19 (WWII era two-seat trainer). (The GPX for this hike was uploaded to peakbagger under vicker and horsethief, I can email you the waypoint file as well if you request it.)

Sign at junction of West Horsethief and Trabuco Cyn trails

Lost and scrambling over boulders looking for Yaeger Mesa trail

Yaeger Mesa trail on the north side of Trabuco Canyon around 2400'

Yaeger Mesa

Yaeger Mesa

Plane wreck just below Yaeger Mesa

Back in the canyon, I started the 1600' climb out along West Horsethief trail back to Main Divide Road. The switchbacks are long and there is not much new to see along this stretch except great views of the mesa. When I got back to the road, I took a right and got my first clear view of Horsethief Peak. The road gave up some elevation before I reached it. The first firebreak I came to went up from the north. It starts with a 15' dirt wall and the last hundred feet is completely overgrown in spots with manzanita and other brush. I came prepared with my machete and hacked a path through the worst of it. Even though I cleared some of it, I still recommend avoiding the north firebreak and going up the south firebreak which is clear of obstructions. I found no benchmark or register at the top of this unofficial peak. After taking a few photos, I went down the south firebreak and headed back. I ran out of water just before reaching the Los Pinos saddle again, so I increased my recommended water on this hike. When I got back to my car, I downed another bottle of water before heading home. Temps were in the low 60s all day. This loop would be killer in the summer heat.

Looking back at Yaeger Mesa from West Horsethief trail

Deep wash on north firebreak to Horsethief Peak

Ready to chop

Santiago Peak from Horsethief summit

Vicker and Los Pinos from Horsethief summit

Gear update: I replaced my old Camelbak Rim Runner with the Alpine Explorer model. It is very similar but has more storage (27L vs 22L) and a handy quick access pouch. I think the Alpine has the most storage of any Camelbak hiking pack. The Rim Runner was great, but a little short on space for very long day hikes. OTOH, I am not known for packing light. The other new piece of gear I used on this hike was the Gerber Gator machete (about $25). The blade is 18" with a saw blade on top. With the handle, it is 24" long. It came with a sheath and it was sticking up out of my pack most of the day. I needed it for one short section on Horsethief Peak and it was very effective. Of course, hacking through brush is slow business, and I only cleared enough to make it through the worst parts.

Google Earth close up of Yaeger Mesa

Pinhead Peak, Point Rancho SM, Peak 735

Hiked: 1/24/2014
Distance: 2.6 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 662' (Pinhead), 668' (Point Rancho), 735' (Peak 735)
Prominence: 62' (Pinhead), 88' (Point Rancho), Unknown (Peak 735)
Elevation Gain: 614'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.49
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 16 oz.
Parking/Fees: $3 OC Parks weekdays, $5 weekends
Difficulty: Easy

Personal business cancelled my hiking plans today, leaving me less than two hours for something in the morning. None of my planned hikes fit into that window so I looked around at the county parks. Caspers Wilderness Park was close, just barely up the Ortega Hwy, and had the interestingly named Pinhead Peak.

Entrance to the park is $3 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. I haven't seen tiered prices at OC parks in the past, but maybe it is just at this park since it is large and multi-use. You pay an attendant when entering the park. For your cash, you get a nice park map and a warning flyer about mountain lions. I arrived at 9:15 and parked near the trailhead at Starr Mesa Equestrian Campground at #9. The trail was signed and portable restrooms were nearby. If all you want to do is Pinhead Peak, it is less than two miles round trip with a couple hundred feet of gain. If you want to add a little bushwhacking for the Point Rancho Survey Mark, it is a little longer but still easy. Finally, if you add Peak 735 along another use trail, the entire hike is still short and easy. This trail sees quite a bit of horse traffic, so watch out for droppings along the way.

Entrance to Caspers Wilderness Park

Trailhead

View into the park from Pinhead Peak, Saddleback in the distance

Pinhead Peak has no summit marker or register, a barely distinct point on the ridge. The trail continues to a lower peaklet with a little more prominence. At that point, there is a Trail Closed sign, which is the trail to the Point Rancho Survey Mark. It is somewhat overgrown and you have to pass through a barbed wire fence twice, but it is not difficult. I didn't find a survey marker when I arrived at the Point Racho summit, though now I wish I had moved the rock that marked the top. Maybe something was under there. On the way back, I was just getting warmed up, so I followed a use trail up to Peak 735, also requiring light bushwhacking and two more barbed wire fence crossings. The views were not very different from Peak 735 though I could clearly spot my car.

Typo on sign; it should say "Trail to Point Rancho SM"

Heading up the ridge to Point Rancho

Looking back at Pinhead and the lower peaklet from Point Rancho

Point Rancho Survey Mark, I should have checked under the rock to see if something was there.

Potato Mountain

Hiked: 1/17/2014
Distance: 4.5 miles round trip on dirt road
Summit Elevation: 3400'
Prominence: 440'
Elevation Gain: 1214'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.97
Round trip time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Mt. Baldy Road turnout (outside Angeles National Forest)
Difficulty: Easy

This was a backup hike, replacing the Mt. Zion loop that my friends and I had planned. The Glendora fire on 1/16/2014 changed that, closing Bailey Canyon, Chantry Flats Road, and Mt. Wilson Trail. The fire was started, allegedly an accident, by three men who had an illegal campfire. It quickly consumed 1700 acres of national forest and burned 5 homes, but caused no major injuries. After a day, it was only 30% contained, so we turned our sights east.

Chantry Flats closed

Potato Mountain is more of a beginner hike, but it would allow me to cross it off the Lower Peaks list. This is always a popular hike, even on weekdays, and today was no different. There were half a dozen cars parked at the trailhead off Mt. Baldy Road and several parties on the Palmer-Evey Motorway. It was 78F at the trailhead and no need for any layers. There was not much to see along the first part of the hike except parts of Sunset ridge. However, when we made the left turn toward the summit, Claremont, San Dimas, Upland, and Rancho Cucamonga opened up to the south. The summit views were surprisingly nice, with massive Ontario, Baldy, and Cucamonga Peaks looming to the north. There were already a few groups of hikers resting on the cement water storage tank owned by the LAFD. Someone apparently painted a misspelled Dan Quayle version of potato on the tank: POTATOE. After taking a few shots and some idle banter with the other hikers, we headed down. Looking over the edge of the road, Noel spotted a couple of deer, perhaps looking for water. The deer were a nice bonus.

Potato Mountain trailhead

Sign at the road junction to the summit

Hikers resting at the summit

Misspelled (Intentionally?) on the water tank

Ontario and Cucamonga dominate, Stoddard and Frankish in the foreground

Deer below Mt. Baldy road

The second part of our hike was supposed to be Sunset Peak, but the Glendora fire smashed those plans as well, with Glendora Ridge Road gated. This was the second time in 6 months this road had been closed on me when I needed it. Not cool. We debated what to do and decided to head up into Falling Rock Canyon as far as Rod and Noel wanted to go. We parked at Ice House Canyon and it was much cooler. My fancy new thermometer read 60F. We headed up the canyon and veered right into Falling Rock Canyon. After scrambling to the left of the first dry waterfall, we continued about half way up the canyon. Noel was ready to call it a day at that point, so we headed back, having taken some nice photos in the canyon.

Climbing up Falling Rock Canyon

Noel climbing up Falling Rock Canyon

Rod coming down Falling Rock Canyon

Squirrel having lunch