Glendora Mountain

Hiked: 4/4/2014
Distance: 0.8 miles round trip on use trail
Summit Elevation: 3322'
Prominence: 182'
Elevation Gain: 275'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.22
Round trip time: 30 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Easy

About 10 hours earlier, I had descended from Jones Peak in the dark. Today, I was looking for a quick hike, and got an extra quick hike on Glendora Mountain. I'm not quite sure how this peak made it as one of the Sierra Club Great Lower Peaks, other than it has some isolation and clear visibility from Glendora. I wound my way up Glendora Mountain Road passing a handful of bikes. I was surprised by a long line of skateboarders coming down the other side of the two lane road at high speed. They looked like professionals with sleek nylon jumpsuits and full motorcycle helmets. They were probably moving 30-40 mph taking the hairpin turns in stride. After dodging about 25 of them, I relaxed again and continued just north of Glendora Mountain to a turnout where I expected a use trail.

Glendora Mountain had apparently gotten more rain than Jones during the week, and the slopes were damp and muddy. I located the use trail, finding it very overgrown. It had knee high green grass and several downed trees blocking the way. It was not pleasant tramping up to the ridge, where tractors had scraped a very wide firebreak to the top. There was also plenty of poison oak that I unsuccessfully avoided, and later developed welts on my arms. I would have been better off sticking to the firebreaks the entire way. The ground remained soft and muddy on the firebreak as I gently walked to the summit. I found no register or benchmark, just one empty beer can. I thought about packing it out, but decided it was a fitting marker for this mountain. I took a few half hearted photos, then turned around and got back to car, finishing a 30 minute round trip. The skateboarders were the highlight of the day.

The overgrown "use" trail with poison oak that would cost me dearly

Glendora Mountain mudfest

Glendora Mountain Road and the Big City

Big Iron Mountain on the left, Mount Baldy center from Glendora Mountain summit

Jones Peak After Dark

Hiked: 4/3/2014
Distance: 6.1 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 3375'
Elevation Gain: 2395'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.91
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on streets near Bailey Canyon Park
Difficulty: Moderate

This was my first planned night hike. The trip was up Bailey Canyon to Jones Peak overlooking Sierra Madre and the greater LA area. Noel and Geoff were both interested, so we set out after work for Sierra Madre. We looked for a place to park on the street since the park officially closed at sunset. We arrived about 30 minutes before sunset and headed up through the park on the trail toward Jones Peak, Mt. Wilson looming far above.

I brought my usual lighting arrangement, LED headlamp and LED flashlight. I clipped my knife to my belt in case of close critter encounters. The trail was somewhat steep, but well maintained. Trail grooming equipment was visible stashed just off the main path. Once or twice we heard rocks dislodged above us, but never saw the cause.

Bailey Canyon Park - open sunrise to sunset

Fading daylight

City lights about half way up Jones Peak

After dark, we broke out the lights and continued at a moderate pace. The trail was in very good condition and gained a fair bit of elevation, but the frequent switchbacks made it manageable. The city glowed brighter as the darkness grew. The final hundred feet was steep, opening up to a grassy summit. A scattered cairn was all that marked the summit. No register or benchmark was found. The night view of the greater LA area was the point of the hike and well worth the effort. We stopped for a break, then headed down before a chill set in from not moving. On the way back, we took the short spur to see the cabin ruins. We knew the park would be fenced in as we descended so we stayed on the road at the bottom. We found the road was also fenced in with barbed wire but were able to squeeze through the gate. Back at the front of Bailey Canyon park, we found a couple of other easy ways over the fence. With the cool air and no sun, I ended up needing only 48 oz of water. I am certain I would have needed more in the daytime, and even more on a hot day.

Nightfall

Cabin ruins

Noel on the trail

Scattered cairn on Jones Peak summit

Greater LA from Jones Peak

Silhouette

City of Angels at night

Goff Island

Hiked: 3/29/2014
Distance: 1.4 miles round trip on beach
Summit Elevation: 42'
Elevation Gain: 210'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.16
Round trip time: 40 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: $3 OC Parks at Aliso Creek Beach
Difficulty: Easy

Goff Island is a landmark in Laguna Beach below the Montage Resort. It is rock formation that juts 42' above sea level. During high tides, water surrounds it, making it a temporary island, but most of the time you can make it to the island without getting wet. There is limited parking near the Montage, so I decided to make it a longer trek by starting from Aliso Creek Beach. Also, the parking was easier. It was a rare treat to drag my wife along with me on this one. When the kids are older, I hope to drag her out on bigger adventures.

From the Aliso Creek Beach parking lot, it is about 0.7 miles north to Goff Island. You pass over Treasure Island Beach, up a ramp to the sidewalk in front of the Montage, then down some wooden stairs to Goff Cove. There were quite a few skim boarders out this morning, making good use of the nice weather. Despite the warning signs of danger, I made the easy scramble to the top of Goff Island in a few seconds. It can be climbed from almost any direction. I did my best Jesus pose, then took some shots from the south side where a natural jetty extends into the ocean.

Leisa on the beach, Goff Island in the distance

On the sidewalk in front of the Montage

Heading down the stairs to Goff Cove

Leisa at Goff Island

Hazardous area, climbing prohibited

Jesus Christ pose, after the short climb

The natural jetty at the end of Goff Island

Looking down on Goff Cove

Panorama from the south end

Bear guarding a multimillion dollar beach mansion on Treasure Island

Thunder Mountain, Telegraph Peak, West Telegraph Peak

HPS Star Emblem Peak
Hiked: 3/23/2014
Distance: 12.2 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 8587' (Thunder), 8985' (Telegraph), 8900' (West Telegraph)
Prominence: 387' (Thunder), 1183' (Telegraph)
Elevation Gain: 4460'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.56
Round trip time: 7 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 138 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Strenuous

This was a group hike with Rod, Sean, and Cecilia. Sean organized it and had the idea to go over the top of Telegraph Peak in the Cucamonga Wilderness and about 4 miles down the northeast ridge to an unofficial peak he called Chalk Peak. I wanted to go at least as far as Telegraph and maybe one or two unnamed peaks down the ridge. We started a few minutes later than planned at 6:40 AM at Manker Flat. Sean suggested we climb up through Big Butch Wash, a steep gully to the right of the ski lift. It was great fun scrambling over the rocks with some class 2 and bushwhacking near the top. We weren't moving fast as a group, but the hike was off to a roaring start. We stopped at the notch to refill some water and picked up a few extra snacks.

Sean and Cecilia climbing Big Butch Wash

Rod, me, and Cecilia at the flowing stream in Big Butch Wash

As we started up the road toward Thunder Mountain, it got colder and I put on my balaclava. There were some patches of hard snow on the road, but they were easily bypassed or walked over. I had considered bringing my crampons, but brought only microspikes instead. As it turned out, I didn't need either. We summited Thunder and took a few pictures. There was another group there with a plan to do the entire 3Ts trail. Sean gave them directions, then we headed toward the 3Ts trail and Telegraph. The trail switchbacking up Telegraph was shaded and there were more snow patches. A few sections were touchy, but everyone made it up without incident. I was surprised by the quality of the 360 degree views from Telegraph. The high desert was visible and everything in the Baldy area. It rivaled and was maybe better than the views from Twin Peaks.

Telegraph Peak behind the Thunder Mountain summit sign, Sean chillin', West Telegraph to the right

Rod, Sean, Cecilia, and another hiker on Thunder summit

Coldwater Canyon from the Thunder-Telegraph saddle

Approaching Telegraph Peak

Telegraph Peak benchmark

Thunder Mountain below, Baldy and friends in the distance from Telegraph Peak summit

Looking north from Telegraph Peak

Timber Mountain, Cucamonga Peak, Bighorn Mountain, and Ontario Peak from Telegraph Peak

After a short break, pictures and register signing, we started a very steep descent down the southeast ridge of Telegraph, trying to traverse over to the northeast ridge. This was the way to Chalk Peak. It was slow going because of the angle, loose soil, and lingering snow. We reached Point 8735' on the ridge when Sean determined the use trail he had planned to take was completely covered in hard snow. Without enough equipment, this killed further exploration along the ridge. We headed back over Telegraph Peak for the second time and continued to the far west side of the Telegraph ridge to the unofficial West Telegraph Peak, or sometimes Terry Peak according to Sean. There was another register there we all signed. Sean and Cecilia were going to rest there and have lunch, but I had planned to be back by around 4:00 PM, so Rod and I headed back. We made good time descending and even the slog back up the side of Thunder Mountain did not put much of a dent in our pace. We followed the road down from the notch and completed the descent in just over 2 hours.

Snow covered slope preventing further progress on the NE ridge

On the West Telegraph summit

As a side note, I realized my GPS had been off since we left the notch on the way up, leaving a big hole in my track. I started a new track from the far side of Telegraph at Point 8735' so that I would at least have half of the track. This let me calculate the gain, but the distance is a best guess, based on Rod's data and an estimate of the distance saved by going up Big Butch Wash.

The return elevation profile from the SE ridge of Telegraph Peak (after trying to get to the NE ridge)

See also: Telegraph Peak via Icehouse Canyon

Robbers Peak

Hiked: 3/21/2014
Distance: 3.8 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1152'
Prominence: 174'
Elevation Gain: 862'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.68
Round trip time: 1 hour
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $3 OC Parks
Difficulty: Easy

Robber's Peak is in Santiago Oaks Regional Park in Anaheim Hills. It only has 174 feet of prominence, a slight rise at the east end of the park before another cluster of suburban homes. On the way to the park, Windes Drive narrows uncomfortably, but there was little traffic today. An automated gate greets you before the parking area, forcing you to pay the $3 entrance fee. The nature center was nice and there are plenty of restrooms at the trailhead. As in most of the OC regional parks, there is a maze of trails that criss cross the park. As long as you head east, any combination of trails will get you to Robbers Peak. I tried the most direct route I could find, but after the fact, it looks like there was a shorter way:

Santiago Creek Trail
Left on Wilderness Trail
Left on Peralta Hills Trail
Left on Anaheim Hills Trail

I jogged some of the downhills, getting up and back in one hour. This completed my Orange County peakbagger list of everything >250'. Aces!

Santiago Oaks Nature Center

Approaching Robbers Peak

Summit boulder, easy peasy

Looking back into the park from Robbers Peak

Scully Hill

Hiked: 3/16/2014
Distance: 1.5 miles round trip on dirt road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 925'
Prominence: 25'
Elevation Gain: 600'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.48
Round trip time: 21 minutes
Recommended water: 0 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Green River Country Club
Difficulty: Easy

It was 91F when I got out of my car at the Green River Country Club parking lot. I walked across the mostly full lot, past the busy driving range, hoping no one would pay any attention to me since I was clearly not dressed as a golfer. Just past the main building, a road drops toward the railroad tracks. A dirt road starts up Scully Hill on the other side at a moderate grade. I jogged about half way up, then walked to a junction where a utility road cuts left and down toward an electrical tower. From there, I went cross country straight up the hill. The summit had a square cement marker with ridges, but no writing on it. After enjoying the view for about 15 seconds, I started directly down the front of the hill until I hit the road, then jogged the rest of the way to the parking lot. No one seemed to notice as I saved my track file and drove away.

Scully Hill from the Green River Golf Club

Sierra Peak across highway 91 from Scully Hill summit