Nine Peaks Challenge

Last year, when I rode my bike to South Fork, hiked to the peak of San Gorgonio Mountain, then rode home (all in one day), most of my friends told me I was crazy. Given that most of my friends are a whole lot smarter than me, I should probably listen to them and stop this nonsense. Not!

This year was no exception as I made it my goal to do the 26-mile Nine Peaks Challenge on my birthday, which conveniently fell on a Saturday and on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

The Nine Peaks Challenge is a rite of passage for local Boy Scouts, who usually do it in two or three days of backpacking and camping. My goal was to do it in one day and earn the $4.95 patch they sell at the Mill Creek Ranger Station that says: "I climbed nine peaks." Here are the peaks, in order, from east to west:

Mount San Gorgonio - 11,500'
Jepson Peak - 11,205'
Little Charlton Peak - 10,696'
Charlton Peak - 10,806'
Alto Diablo - 10,563'
Shield’s Peak - 10,701'
Anderson Peak - 10,864'
San Bernardino Peak East - 10,691'
San Bernardino Peak - 10,649'

Well, I did manage to do the 26 miles in one day, but it's going to have to be recorded as a "do-over" because -- much to my disappointment -- I couldn't find routes to all the peaks. I have the topo map the Forest Service sells and I've been to San Gorgonio and San Bernardino peaks and they're pretty well marked, but I haven't been to all the others. Before I made the trip, I asked the Forest Service ranger who runs the Mill Creek ranger station if the routes to each of the peaks were clearly marked. The ranger's response was, "There aren't any signs, but you shouldn't have any problem finding the route off the main trail."

Unfortunately, I didn't see a single trail to any of the peaks. I almost missed San Bernardino East Peak a week earlier and was able to bag it only because I noticed a pile of rocks with tree limbs poking out of it and climbed it to find the register box.

Weather for the day was absolutely perfect. Low clouds filled the valley, but when I left the house at 5:45 a.m. and drove up Hwy. 38, I was quickly out of the haze and saw clear blue skies above the mountains to the east. I parked my truck at Angeles Oaks and rode my bike back down Hwy. 38 to the Forest Falls turnoff and up to the Vivian Creek trailhead, stopping at the Forest Home Conference Center to fill my three-liter Camelback and two ceramic-lined, aluminum-coated one-liter bottles (bought at Joyce's store in Vancouver -- I love those bottles!). The entire ride, including the stop for water, took about an hour. I changed clothes, locked the bike to a sign post and set out toward San Gorgonio peak at about 7:45 a.m. I would drive back to get my bike after finishing the hike in Angeles Oaks.

Here is a screen shot of the GPS data view of the ride portion of the morning, taken from the Garmin Connect website (click on the image to see a larger version):


I had been only as far as High Creek on Vivian Creek Trail and that was about 40 years ago, so I wasn't sure what to expect, except for steepness: it climbs from 6,000' to 11,500' in 8.7 miles. I made trips up the trail on April 19 and April 26 and had to turn back because of the snow. The only remaining snow on this day was near the peak and the hike was incredible! I recall saying to myself over and over: I am so blessed to be here, to be able to take these steps, breathe this air, hear these natural sounds and see this view.

I told myself I was going to limit my photography to only a few shots because I was venturing onto several new sections of the trail and wanted to make sure I could make the entire 26 miles before dark. I did manage to get off a few shots on the trail (click on these photos to see a larger version), along with a short video from the top of San G.

This is looking south at the Yucaipa Ridge, which looms above Forest Falls:


This is another view looking south with Mt. San Jacinto in the background:


Here is a view of The Tarn, the ridgeback-shaped bump on San Gorgonio that is prominent when you view the mountain from the southeast (e.g., Beaumont). This is also the end of Vivian Creek Trail:



Unlike last year, when I got to the peak of San Gorgonio and it was complete socked in and I got hit with hail and rain, this was the view I was hoping to get. It was incredible! I was also very cold and windy (as you'll see and hear in the video). The mountain behind the flag is Mt. San Jacinto:



At about 11,000 feet my hands got really swollen and I was concerned about edema, so I kept them above my heart, frequently in my armpits to warm them or holding my backpack straps. That helped, but I was still very uncomfortable and standing up in the wind at the peak was not pleasant. I was barely able to move my fingers when I signed the register, but here -- for all posterity -- is a record of my time at the highest point in Southern California on my 59th birthday:


As I left the peak, I scoped out the area to the west where I was headed. The mountain in the far distance beyond the cloud-covered valley is Mt. Baldy. The ridge with three peaks in the near distance (beyond the barren landscape of San Gorgonio) is the San Bernardino Divide. After going over those peaks, I would drop down into Angeles Oaks:



I consulted the map in order to make sure I made it to the next peak, Jepson Peak. It looked easy on the map, but as I went along the trail I saw no sign of a route to another peak, so I pressed on. As I kept moving on the trail, it was apparent that I was passing alongside the other peaks, but saw no route to the top and didn't have time to venture into unmarked areas, hoping to blaze my own trail to the top.

Eventually, I made it to San Bernardino East Peak, which offers a spectacular view. From there, the trail was not very well defined and I lost it on the way to San Bernardino Peak. I've read many books about hiking and what to do when you get lost and I began to feel the sense of panic and urgency set in. I kept my head, noted the direction I came from and crisscrossed the ridge to try to find a hint of a trail, but had no luck.

Finally, I heard the sound of voices and was really lucky that a group of four or five hikers passed along the trail about 100 yards down the mountain from my position. Relieved, I soon found myself on the familiar trail from Mt. San Bernardino to Angeles Oaks. I arrived back at my truck at about 6:30, meaning the hike took around 10 hours and 45 minutes.

Below is the GPS view of the hike portion of the day (click on the image to see a larger version). As you'll see, there is a straight line from San Gorgonio to a place about two miles west on the trail. When I got to the peak of San G, instead of hitting the lap button to mark my time, I hit start/stop and didn't realize it until about 45 minutes down the trail. Garmin Connect's mapping software drew a straight line between the stop and restart points and doesn't include that time or distance. I also question their calorie calculation. I think it was at least twice what they estimate. It sure felt like it!


My time from the parking lot in Forest Falls to the San Gorgonio peak was 3:45, which is more than 2.3 miles per hour -- on a steep climb, no less. I'm really excited to know it can be done so quickly and plan to do it again this summer to see if I can improve my time. I'll return on Vivian Creek Trail in order to have more time for photography.

It was a spectacular birthday and a great way to say good-bye to a beautiful spring and hello to what portends to be an equally splendid summer. Whatever you do, make time to do some of it outdoors!

All of the photos of the day can be seen here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/takeaflyer/NinePeaksChallenge#