Johnstone peak and the Experimental Forest

On Christmas day, Sean and I wanted to hike through the San Dimas Experimental Forest that is restricted to enter only by permission. They do not allow through hikers only Forest personnel. There is a locked gate at the entrance. 

We both had been wanting to do this for years, so this was our opportunity hoping for the best that the San Dimas forest service had the day off. 

The goal was to summit Johnstone peak, There is another way to do this hike but the thrill of starting form the restricted area was very appealing to both of us. 

We drove the long way from Big Tujunga to Glendora Ridge road. We started early and didn't see antoher soul in sight. 

The hike is mostly fire road very easy to follow with a gradual ascent. Surprisingly, it wasnt the typical boring road and had some great views. At the halfway point we could see the towers at Johnstone peak. 

The final push to the summit was very nice. It was shaded, lush and green. At the top, there is a junction and a sign. 

There was also a water tank that says Johnstone. At the summit, we found a place to eat our luch and soak in the views. I found two benchmarks that made me very happy. In the distance, we saw some more towers and another road that continued on. We decided not to explore any further. 

We walked around the huge summit and found a nice dedication place to Mr. William Johstone who died in 1937 at the age of 67. He had lived in San Dimas. He was president of the LA county civil service commission and was director of the California Fruit Growers exchange among other things. in 1940 they named a peak after him. 

We descended the way we came and bagged a few small numbered peaks along the way. I also found some really cool witness posts.

I really liked this trek. It was very serene with nice views. 

Peak 4408 Sean B-day hike

For Sean's birthday he wanted to do an obscure peak that was seldomely visited in the Tujunga area.  He has also been doing some trail work on the Fall creek trail with Kristen and the Tujunga Posee crew. so the plan was to do a loop hike that would include a portion of the restored trail back to our cars. 

We started at Hidden Springs. Jeff made us some hot chocolate before we started our adventure. It was very cold that morning so the hot chocolate was very refreshing.

This was a very cool peak. We were surrounded by awesome views the entire way. It was a gentl climb with a few steep sections. Along the way there were some really cool rock outcroppings that a few of us stopped to climb. 

We had the peak all to ourselves. It was pretty nice and flat with 360-degree views of the surrounding San Gabes.

Chef Jeff made our traditional Grilled cheese sandwhiches. Sean had requested that the theme for this gourmet fest be fast food items. We had ingredients to choose from like the avocado salsa from El Pollo Loco, cilantro, Taco bells inferno hot sauce, jelly and more. 

Every forum hike we try to add to the list of ingredients. But the gold standard has been pesto with sun-dried tomatoes which is just delightful with grilled cheese. 

I also brought some tasty cupcakes for the celebration. 

After all the laughs and tasty treats, Sean was un-expectedly bombed with silly string that I secretly planned with my cospirators. from the forum.  

We descended the peak by descending a overgrown gully. It was steep and treacherous in my opinion. A few of us fell, and we shed alot of blood, sweat and a few tears (at least I did).

I love cross-country, off trail hikes but this was one I will never forget!

Anyways, we finally made our way back to the section of the Fall Creek trail that they crew has been restoring. It was nice to be on a beautiful trail that we followed back to our cars. 

After the hike we continued the celebration by resting on some benches, drinking beer and finishing up all the left over cupcakes and goodies. 

Happy 49th b-day Sean!