Friday, November 25, 2022

PINNACLES PEAK IN ARROWHEAD

 For my birthday I wanted to return to the Pinnacles in Arrowhead. I was there during covid in 2020. I did not summit because the person I was hiking with wasn't feeling well, so we had to turn back. I had only made it as far as the saddle. 

Anyways, I wanted to return and finish what I had started two years ago. From the saddle, you can see some of the cool rock outcroppings. I was excited & ready to scramble up to the top. I was hoping to find a benchmark or a register. 

We started around 7 am. It was so cold, probably 40-degrees. As we started hiking along the trail we could see that the water in the creek was frozen. We soon warmed up as we started to ascend the trail. 

I really enjoyed this trail. However, there are some sections where the trail is lost. There are a few cairns to mark the way but the main trail branches off into smaller ones. It's a good idea to just be aware of the surroundings or have a map. 

The trek to Pinnacles Peak is a short one but with all the rock scrambling it seems like it's longer. After reaching the saddle the trail becomes flat for a short distance until the final climb to the summit which involves good route finding and some bushwacking. 

At the top, there are 360- degree views of the surrounding San Bernardino Mountains. Silverwood Lake and Mount Baldy covered in snow could be seen. It was a clear day but a bit windy. By the time we reached the summit, it was 50-degrees. We never took our jackets off because of the cold breeze throughout the day. 

I found an old, tiny benchmark at the high point and a register below under some rocks. Around the summit are some huge boulders to climb and a small cave to squeeze through. 

We ate lunch and admired the views for about 45 min before heading back to the cars. We had the trail all to ourselves probably because it was a weekday. 

We checked out some more cool rock formations nearby and I climbed up a few because that's what I love to do. There is actually a cool pinnacle-shaped rock formation, a short distance away from the final climb to the summit. 

Overall, it was a nice short hike. If one is inexperienced with rock scrambling skills then it could be a bit exhausting. 
































 

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