MT ISLIP RIDGE ROUTE- EISPIRATEN 16TH ANNIVERSARY

 On saturday night we drove up to Crystal Lake to camp before the big hike on Sunday. Jeff joined us and also camped for the night. It was a cool night a bit more chilly than the last time we camped a few weeks ago. Lucky for us we grabbed a spot at the same campsite. 

As we were chilling by the fire we heard the sounds of a mountain lion growling in the distance. It was a bit freightening for me as this was the first time I ever heard a mountain lion. 

anyways, the next morning we met another friend and caravanned to Crystal Lake. 

we walked along the road for a bit then started on the lost ridge trail. I had never hiked this route and it was very nice. I gradual uphill and maintained trail. We continued on to Deer Flats where we took a break before continuing on to Big Cienega then finally to the summit of Mt. Islip.

At the peak we admired the views and chef Jeff cooked Grilled Cheese sandwiches for us which seems to be a tradition now. We all contributed by bringing our own ingredients to add to the mix. 

After spending over an hour on the peak we headed down the Islip Ridge. This was another new trail that I had never descended. It was very nice and pleasant at first until the final 2 or 3 miles to the Lake. 

Along the way we could see the damage from the Bobcat fire which burned above Crystal Lake.  A few knocked down and burnt trees along the way but the trail was still visible. 

I didn't enjoy the last few miles of this trail down to the lake. It was mostly exposed and very rocky along with narrow overgrown areas. 

However, I must admit the views of the lake from this side were very nice. Maybe it was the time of day but the lake glistened and the shadows of the trees on the lake made it feel like I was in the Sierras. 

It was a perfect day for celebrating the San Gabriel Forum's 16th anniversary, 

Stats: 10 miles, 2750' gain

PINYON RIDGE LOOP FROM CRYSTAL LAKE

Last week Sean and I camped out at Crystal lake. we arrived on a friday afternoon and claimed our spot at camp site 55.  we had the site all to ourselves the first night. it was peaceful. we went up there on friday because sean had planned a hike with the forum boys on saturday.

sean's friend nate arrived on friday evening. we cooked carne asada tacos for dinner, enjoyed some wine and beer then settled in for the night. 

the plan: ascend pinyon ridge trail to South Mt. Hawkins road then bag all four  hawkins peaks via the hawkins ridge, bag peak 8000' (aka Neight thousand), descend the pct to Mt. Islip and finally hike down big cienega trail.

we met at 6:30 am on Saturday. We started hiking along the Pinyon ridge trail then ascend the beautiiful steep Pinyon ridge. we followed a use deer path. it was very nice. a few downed trees along the way and some white thorn to get through but overall a nice ridge with awesome views. 

We finally approached the South Hawkins road. With the recent storms, there was more rock falls and downed trees to climb over .

Once we reached the South Hawkins saddle, I opted out of bagging South Hawkins because I had been there before. Sean and I waited and ate half of our lunch and waited as the others continued to the first peak of the day.

by this time I was a bit tired. it started getting hot and I knew it was going to be a long trek. when the boys arrived we all ascended the Hawkins ridge trail to the PCT. 

It had been a few years since I hiked this ridge and I forgot how steep it was. two miles seemed like forever with its ups and downs along the trail. Its a lovely trail with nice views but the heat was getting to me and slowed me down. 

I managed to bag Sadie Hawkins. I chose not to bag Middle and Hawkins peaks. Once I reached the saddle of the PCT and Hawkins ridge I decided to rest and took a break with Uncle rico & Jeff.  we waited for three of the boys to continue on to peak 8000'

[the purpose of this hike was to get Nate up to the high country. It was his first time hiking in this area.. Peak 8000' was now dubbed Neight thousand]

We continued on the PCT to Little Jimmy Spring.  Jeff and Uncle Rico filled their water bottles as I waited for them. Then we continued to Windy Gap where we waited for the others. Along the Pct the views were clear. We could see the Channel Islands.

By this time everyone was spent. When the rest of the group returned everyone agreed that we would not hike up to Mt. Islip and just head down the Windy gap trail to the campground. 

we found out later that getting to peak 8000' was tough for Sean, Nate & Tim. They had to descend 500 ft to the peak then ascend back up. there was lots of debris and thick white thorn along the way. so basically it was exhausting

Once at the campground, Jeff the master chef made us all grilled cheese sandwiches. This has become a tradition on our forum hikes. However, he stepped it up a notch by  adding pesto and sun-dried tomatoes. 

overall the total distance was 11 miles with 4340 ft of gain. but not all of us made it to all the peaks. I did about 10 miles 3000' gain

BALDY WATER SLIDE

 I finally had the opportunity to check out the famous Baldy Water Slide.  It started out being one of those hidden gems in the San Gabes that is seldomely visited and. is probably more popular with canyoneering. 

However, lately this area has been very popular on social media. The true name is Baldy Water slide. People have been calling it Stoddard Falls or Antonio falls which is false. There truly is a Stoddard falls but in a different location and the Antonio Falls is off the Mt. Baldy road. 

Anyways, I was very excited about this hidden gem. After reviewing the videos on YouTube it looked very worthy of my time. 

It is very easy to get to but there are a few obstacles along the way. From the Barret-Stiddard road it is a short walk along a fireroad then you have to drop down a steep rocky slope with the aid of a rope. Once you arrive at the first water hole, it is a short distance upstream. 

The first obstacle: A rock face that you have to walk along a narrow path with the assistance of a rope. Clinging to the rope and navigating along this pathway is quite a challenge to some. If you loose your grip you can fall into a deep pool below. When I was there I observed many in-experienced kids trying to do this. To add, you really need to feel comfortable with rock scrambling on a ledge and wear the appropriate shoes to do this. 

The second obstacle: A huge knocked down tree which aids as a climbing ladder that is wedged between two rocks. It does help you to get up and over another ledge where the famous water side exists. 

The slide is a forty-foot waterfall. The pool at the bottom is very deep. I dared not to step in and see how far I would sink to the bottom. Instead, I sat on top of a huge boulder and observed others. You definitely need to be a good swimmer or very tall otherwise the water goes over your head. 

On a positive note, the blue-green crystal clear water was spectacular!  It was truly a gem.! I felt as though I was at some tropical island because it is rare to find Emerald color swimming holes in this area..

The water slide looked like so much fun!. I was tempted but as I watched others slide down from the trail above. It looked dangerous but the kids were very successful and no one was harmed. 

I managed to take a short video. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvxR7zgNypW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Also, there was a rope and some people were trying to climb up it to get to the top but failed. 

As I mentioned earlier,  it looks like a playground for Canyoneers. There were hooks in the rocks around the waterfall that was obviously used for rapelling, 

Just before checking out the Baldy water slide, I led a small group to Stoddard peak to get more mileage then we ventured out towards the water pools. 

We also went downstream first to check out the canyon and it was well worth the effort. I had never been downstream and wanted to explore this area. The canyon was amazing. As we walked through the creek, we were pleasantly surprised by the many, huge swimming holes we encountered. The pools were pristine with colors of Emerald-green and crystal clear. 

We took advantage of every water pool by jumping in to cool off. As we were walking along the canyon, we also found many cascades and mini-waterfalls. The canyon was shaded with lots of trees.. Again, I was in such awe of this hidden gem. It was so serene and yet there was no one around to take advantage of this gorgeous canyon. 

After having our fill of excitement then we headed upstream to check out our planned destination.