Tahquitz Peak

HPS Star Emblem Peak
Hiked: 11/11/2019
Distance: 8.6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 8846'
Prominence: 766'
Elevation Gain: 2500'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.0
Round trip time: 4 hours 12 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass at Humber Park
Difficulty: Moderate

Tahquitz Peak is a SoCal classic and one I had been saving until my wife could join me. She finally got a break from her EdD studies to head out with me. We drove to Humber Park stopping at the ranger station to issue ourselves a permit for the Devils Slide trail. In the summer, the number of permits on Devils Slide is limited, but not this time of year. I wasn't sure how busy it would be on Veterans Day, (thank you vets), but we didn't start until around 8:30 AM and the morning crowd was not bad. The trail gained steady ground at a reasonable slope. There was a delightful mix of pines, cedars, and deciduous trees. In short order, we had climbed 1700' to a flat section of trail heading toward Chinquapin Flats. The trail was easy here and stayed away from the cliffs. Another mile or so brought us to the junction that went to Tahquitz. We got great views on this stretch looking down on Lily Rock and Suicide Rock.

Looking up at Lily Rock and higher crags

Leisa heading toward Tahquitz

Looking down on Lily Rock and Suicide Rock

The final climb was a couple of hundred feet. The summit area had large boulders scattered around and the famous two story fire lookout. There was someone manning it who let us in to sign the official register and look around. We were the second party to summit. The fire ranger pointed out a lightning rod that had been struck in 2014 and was burned into pieces. A new one had taken its place. The benchmark was placed by the Army Corps of Engineers just outside the tower and stamped "Lois". That surprised me, but often the name of a peak will change over time. Views were sweet in all directions with San Jacinto looming large. Toward the coast, it was kind of hazy and smoggy. We sat down on a boulder to eat some snacks before packing up and heading down. On the way back, we met a lot of people heading up. It had warmed up considerably and we stopped a couple of times to adjust clothing. The trip was great fun and I was glad Leisa could make it with me.

Lookout tower

Smoggy toward the coast

Red Tahquitz down the ridge

San Jacinto

Toward Hemet

"Lois" benchmark

Cliffs on the way back

Mount Ellie

Hiked: 11/8/2019
Distance: 2.8 miles round trip on trail, use trail, and cross county
Summit Elevation: 2455'
Elevation Gain: 850'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Ellie Lane Trailhead (highway 67)
Difficulty: Easy

Mount Ellie is a small peak in Poway next to North Iron Mountain. I missed it the last time I was in the area so this was a cleanup mission. I parked at the Ellie Lane trailhead and followed the trail up to the saddle between Ellie and North Iron. I expected a moderate bushwhack from the saddle and started off where I thought it would be shortest. Most of the brush was waist high and generally thinner than it looked. More than half way up, I ran into what looked like a cut use trail. I followed it a short distance but it looked like it was skirting below the summit so I quickly resumed my direct attack. The summit had a couple of short boulder piles and a register in a plastic jar covered with a rock. There were not many signatures in the collection of pages. Someone included a stat sheet of all the Poway mountains showing Ellie as the 8th highest. The cut use trail was at the summit so I decided to follow it down as far as possible. It dropped quickly, then bent right and came out on a trail just past the saddle area. It's much better taking the cut trail so you don't have to look out as much for snakes. After Ellie, I headed a couple miles up highway 67 to the west side of Woodson Mountain to scout out some of the popular boulders and trad routes.

Ellie directly ahead

Where I started the bushwhack

North Iron from Ellie

Iron Mountain (left) from Ellie

Register jar

Zoom to Woodson

Looking down at the parking area and highway 67

Start of the cut use trail, a better way up

Pocket Mouse Hill

Hiked: 11/7/2019
Distance: 0.9 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 400'
Elevation Gain: 213'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.2
Round trip time: 19 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on San Luis Rey
Difficulty: Easy

This tiny hill was supposed to be a bonus on the way back from a bigger hike in San Diego County, but I had a little free time in the morning so decided to cross it off the list. I didn't take a pack. I followed the wide trail up and the use trail down. Both trails are sandy since it is so close to the beach. The morning marine layer hid the ocean views. I should have waited until late morning for it burn off. There was a tall pole of unknown purpose at the summit and nothing else. Didn't see any mice, but I did see a rabbit. I'm not the only one with low standards. There are dozens of peakbaggers that have documented their conquest of Pocket Mouse Hill.

Desert Divide Double Double

Hiked: 10/27/2019
Distance: 11.2 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 6868' (Little Desert), 7035' (Pyramid), 7054' (Pine), 6868' (Lion)
Elevation Gain: 3087'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.5
Round trip time: 7 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 132 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Moderate

I headed back to the desert divide south of Idyllwild for a 4-peak hike that had been on my radar a long time. It started at the Cedar Springs Trailhead with goals of:

• Little Desert Peak
• Pyramid Peak
• Pine Mountain
• Lion Peak

I parked in a small turnout just past the gated trail. It began as a dirt road and eventually turned into a single track. Trees along the lower trail are mainly oaks. After passing through a total of four gates, I worked my way up tight switchbacks to the ridge where it intersected the PCT. There was a Santa Ana wind event going on and the NW to SE winds built as I neared the ridge. The wind was a steady 35mph with 50mph gusts, enough to destabilize me on rough terrain. Just after the turn was Little Desert Peak, a questionable summit with 68' of prominence. It does have a cool view from a flat outcrop but no register or mark. I paused briefly for photos and to record a GPS waypoint. Next up was Pyramid Peak. There was a good use trail that branches up directly beneath it. The PCT ran along the east side of Pyramid and this completely blocked off the wind. Most of the day, I would alternate between cool and warm depending on my exposure to the wind. I found two reference marks on Pyramid stamped "Morris", possibly related to nearby Morris Ranch. A gust of wind blew my hat off (twice) and I had to take the register down the east side off the peak to sign it. I didn't take any photos on Pyramid due to the wind.

Sunrise over the divide

Cone Peak, not on the days agenda

Looking down on Vail Lake from Little Desert, Palomer in the distance

Pyramid right, Pine distant left, Lion distant right

Pyramid summit

Reference #2 on Pyramid (could not find benchmark)

From Pyramid, I headed for Pine Mountain. The giant boulder on the south end was visible miles away. The use trail for Pine was marked with a small cairn, but could be easily missed. It ascends the bump east of Pine first, then drops to the saddle. From there, it follows a narrow, cut path through dense manzanita that is overgrown in places. The use trail follows low along the ridge before climbing more diagonally. I had a GPS track, but didn't need it on the way. I was feeling kind of smug about my route finding abilities, but that was fleeting. The HPS summit is an outcrop near the middle of the plateau. It consists of class 2 boulders, then one slightly harder move for the upper summit boulder. The register was below the top of the summit in a plastic tube. I left my hat and pack below, then surmounted the HPS summit. Because of the wind, I crouched low for photos. The benchmark was stamped "Eve". Pine had fantastic 360 views on both sides of the divide. The monster 60' class 5 boulder rose above the HPS summit. I had carefully reviewed trip reports for Pine and noted most people do not attempt it. I generally try to reach the highest summit point but with the wind and lack of a partner and rope, I skipped it. The wind would have made even a roped attempt very dangerous. Of all the reports I read, only Bob Burd braved it for the glory. I did at least circle it to get a feel for it. The south face appeared most favorable. When I started down, I got stuck in a loop just below the summit. I couldn't find the sliver of trail that continued down and across. Eventually, I relied on my GPS and a 20' crawl under manzanita to right myself, killing every bit of route finding smugness. Pine was my favorite of the day.

At the saddle below Pine

HPS summit block

"Eve" benchmark on Pine Mountain summit

The south end monolith

Looking over at Lion Peak

Looking at Pyramid (left), Tahquitz and San Jacinto in the distance

South side of the monolith

The rockpile

HPS summit from the south

The trip over to Lion Peak was easy and mostly sheltered by the ridge. A clear use trail led up a class 2 path to the flat summit. Lion was the only summit not battered by wind, being protected by trees and vegetation. There were two register books with many names. Without the wind pushing me around, I rested on Lion to eat and empty debris from my shoes. On the return trip, I ran into a PCT through hiker. I hadn't considered this a possibility, but a small percentage of hikers go north to south, so he was just finishing up. He looked fresh and in good spirits, saying he expected to finish in about 7 days. I descended back to Cedar Springs without incident. This set of peaks was great fun. While the Pine monster block is far more difficult, Antsell Rock remains the king of the divide.

Lion summit

Other trip reports:
Desert Divide Peaks (Bob Burd)