Hines Peak and Creampuff Peak

Hiked: 5/16/2021
Distance: 8.2 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 6716' (Hines), 6486' (Creampuff)
Prominence: 3196' (Hines)
Elevation Gain: 2987'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.4
Round trip time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Recommended water: 88 oz.
Parking/Fees: Gate code from Ojai Ranger Station
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined, cross country)

Last year, I hiked Nordhoff Ridge Road to get Chief Peak and Topatopa Bluff. Out of reach that day were Hines Peak (HPS #137) and Creampuff Peak. Hines packs over 3000' of prominence and is very remote. The closest public trailhead demanding a 20 mile day. The other option is to get a permit and gate code from the Ojai Ranger to drive Nordhoff Ridge Road. After a few tries, I got the permit. Sean, Cecelia, and Madison met me at Rose Vally Campground and piled into my truck. We passed through the locked gate and drove a nail biting 11 miles through thick fog to park below Topatopa Bluff. Visibility was about 20' and Madison had to get out of the truck once to tell me where the road was.

We started hiking in the clouds, but climbed above them after ascending to 6000'. From the junction to Topatopa Bluff, we could see Creampuff and Hines rising out of the clouds. Sean was not in hiking shape and was already talking about waiting behind. The group coaxed him into continuing at least to the saddle below Hines. We took a short break there to assess the ridge, then all of us started up. At the beginning of the ridge, there was a 25' knife edge section. It was about 1' wide but a sturdy tree had taken root on the ridge and helped get past it. The rest of the ridge had a faint use trail, very steep over loose dirt and rocks. The crux was a class 2 chute below the false summit where the angle and scree requried either a scramble or a bypass around a tree. Madison had to descend a little to show Cecelia how to continue. Sean got half way up, then decided he would wait for us. Near the top of the false summit, better rocks were available and preferred over the loose dirt. From the false summit, it was a short trip through and around a patch of buckthorn. The views were better on the ridge than the summit, enclosed on three sides by brush. The benchmark and register were at the high point, and a reference mark was just past it. After another short break, we started to leave when we ran into Sean who had gutted out the rest of the ascent. We went back to the summit for second round of rituals. After Hines, both Sean and Cecelia decided to pass on Creampuff.

Crazy drive in the fog

Passing by Creampuff, we got it on the way back

Hines

Madison and I took off for Creampuff. We agreed to meet Sean and Ceclia later at the saddle. We dropped off the trail and started our second peak. We planned to head directly up the slope to a large tree, then angle left between the two highest points. There were remnants of a use trail on the rib that led into vegetation. Where it ended, I chose to plow directly uphill aided by shrubs and dead trees while Madison looked for a cleaner way. We both ended up doing some unnecessary bushwhacking. The best way up seems to be directly up the ridge. Like Hines, the dirt was loose with a layer of pebbly scree over bedrock. It was tough to maintain traction and often required both arms and legs for progress. I found my way to the summit coming up left of the high point. Madison arrived from the right. There was no benchmark, but a large plastic tub contained the register 10' below the high point. The register proclaimed it a Seldom Visited Site (SVS). The oldest entry was from 1999 and the register was less than half full after 22 years. It had more signatures than I expected, though many were repeats by Los Padres die hards. We spotted Sean and Cecelia waiting for us on the trail below. We descended directly down the ridge, plunge stepping and sliding. We followed the trail back below Topatopa Bluff and were mired in the clouds again. We braced for the long, slow drive out. Bonus: no one got killed. The round trip time does not include the hours of drive time from Rose Valley Campground and back. The Tacoma got a solid workout on this one.

Climbing Creampuff

West ridge of Creampuff

Hines from Creampuff

Other Reports:
Cream Puff Peak (SVS), with Hines Peak and Topatopa Bluff (David Stillman)
Los Padres Double Delight

Palm Canyon Stone Pools

Hiked: 5/8/2021
Distance: 6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 1617'
Elevation Gain: 1147'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.9
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 40 oz.
Parking/Fees: $9/adult Indian Canyons Day Use Fee
Difficulty: Easy

We were in Palm Springs celebraing Leisa's birthday and Mother's Day that are close together each year. Leisa found this popular hike nearby. Since the weather was trending hot in the desert, we tried to start a 7 AM, only to find out the entrance gate doesn't open until 8 AM. We spent the hour getting extra liquid for the hike. For the entrance fee, you get a parking pass and nice color map of all the hiking trails.

We drove to the Trading Post, the trailhead for Palm Canyon, bathrooms available. The trail drops immediately into a large grove of palms that fill most of the canyon with shade. It's a pleasant walk beneath the trees following the canyon upstream. Each junction is well signed so there is little chance of getting lost. At 1.5 miles, the trial takes a sharp switchback to climb out of the canyon into the desert. The gain is spread over the next 1.5 miles where you drop down to the stone pools. There was water in the pools, but it wasn't flowing. We had the place to ourselves. Some interesing slots appeared to be further down canyon but it was warming up and we hadn't planned for any off trail exploring. We returned the way we came, and met several parties on their way out. One family of 4 asked if we had seen any snakes, and we hadn't. The youngest girl stated she had not "planned to spend her vacation in the wilderness" and that "this is torture", before she made a mad face and stomped by. New York is where she'd rather stay, she gets allergic smelling hay.

Stream crossing

Dropping back into Palm Canyon

Trail Canyon Falls

Hiked: 4/25/2021
Distance: 4.6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 2480' (above the Falls)
Elevation Gain: 1348'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 2 hours
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Big Tujunga Road
Difficulty: Easy

Leisa wanted to check out this waterfall on a Sunday in the Angeles National Forest. I was familiar with the area and had heard horror stories about the condition of the upper reaches beyond the falls. We arrived at the trailhead at 7:30 AM and found at least 25 other parked cars. We had to park a little further down the road at a turnout. It was quite a popular trail. The same trailhead is used for the Gold Canyon Truck Trail to McKinley and Iron #2.

The trail went by a few private cabins before turning into a single track. The canyon narrows in places and there were a few easy stream crossings. Really pleasant area despite some graffiti. The trail gains elevation as it climbs out of the canyon on the left side leaving you about 100' above the twin falls. Then, a use trail drops steeply into the canyon. Some hand lines were installed to assist the final 50' of descent. At the waterfall, a dozen colorful people and a couple of dogs were milling around, drinking beer and smoking weed. We took our photos then hiked out meeting dozens of other parties on their way in. It's a great waterfall but weekends are probably not the best time to do this hike.

Leisa descending the hand lines

Queen Mountain and Queen Benchmark

HPS Star Emblem Peak
Hiked: 4/23/2021
Distance: 4.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5680' (Queen), 5677' (Queen Benchmark)
Elevation Gain: 1432'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 3 hours 10 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: $30 National Parks Fee (1 car good for 1 week)
Difficulty: Moderate (navigation)

Queen Mountain (HPS #217) was the third of my planned peaks in JT for the day. The closest parking is a turnaround not far from the base. Queen Valley Trail is a one way road, so I took Queen Valley Road and turned north onto O'Dell Road to reach the trailhead. I was able to take Queen Valley Trail on the way out.

I started north from the turnaround and followed an old road that goes around bump 4628'. The road ends at the base of the mountain but a single track use trail takes over from there. I had planned 4 hours for the trip expecting it to be cross country. The use trail with periodic cairns made it easier than expected. After gaining some elevation, the trail side hills into the major drainage that separates Queen Mountain (hiker left) and Queen Benchmark (hiker right). I headed left to Queen Mountain first. The upper part of the drainage has some class 2 as well as the big summit block. On top was a reference mark pointing 0.2 miles away to the official but lower by 3' benchmark. I also found and signed the HPS register. Great views in all directions with lots of unusual rock formations. By far, the best views of the day. The Wonderland of Rocks was also in sight. After a quick photoshoot, I climbed down and followed a different use trail to Queen Benchmark. In addition to the benchmark, there was a large plastic ammo box with many registers. I think all of them were placed by the Boy Scouts, who use this mountain for navigation training. It was odd the official mark was placed on the lower of the two summits, but it was impossible to tell without precise instruments so I gave the USGS some slack. I had to make two course corrections on the way back after following the wrong set of cairns. I found the use trail a little harder to follow on the way down in the side hill section. I was on the fence about whether to rate this hike easy or moderate. The Sierra club rates it moderate so I'll leave it that based on navigation. Queen was a lot of fun.

Approaching the summit block

Reference mark on Queen Mountain pointing across the drainage to the BM

This was on the north side of Queen BM, couldn't figure out what it was

Looking at Queen from Queen BM

Warren Point and Eureka Peak

Hiked: 4/23/2021
Distance: 5.5 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5106' (Warren), 5518' (Eureka)
Elevation Gain: 1078'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.8
Round trip time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 36 oz.
Parking/Fees: $30 National Parks Fee (1 car good for 1 week)
Difficulty: Easy

This was a Joshua Tree HPS roundup. I aimed for three peaks on the day: Warren Point, Eureka Peak and Queen Mountain. The starting point for Warren (HPS #270) is the Black Rock Campground Visitor Center. The park was crowded and I got the last parking spot. The trail to Warren (NPS signs call it Warren Peak) starts behind the visitor center going south. The trail is wide and sandy like walking on the beach. There were a dozen parties coming and going, though not all of them were bagging Warren. Newer metal signs marked trail junctions along with some wooden posts. I was about half a mile from Warren before I could positively identify it. I wasn't sure the trail went all the way to the top but it did. The summit had a benchmark and reference mark. It also had a tin can stuffed with full registers. Summit views were nice with San Jacinto looming large, snow still packing the north facing gullies. I considered leaving the trail to take a ridge shortcut on the way back, but didn't. Might have added some spice.

From the visitor center, I started the long dirt road drive to the Eureka (HPS #234) trailhead. If I drive between trailheads, I usually make a separate report, but Eureka didn't deserve it's own report. I knew Eureka was short but hadn't really done much research. The roads were in good shape and I didn't need 4x4 or high clearance at any point. From the trailhead, it is only 0.2 miles to the summit, it's really a drive up. It took five minutes to walk to the summit with no pack. No marks and no register. Views were similar to Warren Point but better.

Eureka from the parking turnaround, Gorgonio behind

San Jacinto