I was able to get a permit and the combination to the locked gate for the Rincon Road Shortcut from the Glendora Ranger Station. My plan was to bag Monrovia, Rankin and Clamshell which have been on my to do list. Unfortunately, we did not complete all three peaks.
My friend and I got a late start on a Sunday afternoon. I knew these would be short hikes so time wasn't a big concern. The cool thing was we were able to drive many miles to the base of Monrovia peak and save alot of time and miles trekking on the forest road.
After opening the gate we had only driven a short distance when we were stopped by a sheriff who asked us if we were hunting. He said to watch the road because there were lots of trucks up there as it was the last day of deer hunting season. We didn't know this ahead of time and just decided to go this past Sunday.
Well he was right! As we were driving up the road, I counted 20 trucks that passed us by. It was crazy we had to keep pulling over.
Anyways we finally arrived at the pullout just below the Monrovia firebreak after driving 10.5 miles.
After climbing the steep firebreak with its false bumps along the way we finally reached the summit. By the way, lots of poodle dog but it can be avoided.
The views were fantastic. We could see the Channel Islands. We signed the register & left some Eispiraten swag at the peak.
After summit selfies, we set out for Rankin. Not much to see except the views and the plaque dedicated to Reverent Rankin. We took the obligatory selfies and returned the way we came.
We attempted to climb Clamshell by driving further up the road. We parked at the Spring Camp turnout and walked the road a bit but sunset was approaching fast so we just called it a day.
I will return soon because my permit is still good till December.
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