MT. GLEASON, MESSENGER PEAK, BEARTRAP & A FEW BENCHMARKS

 Mt. Gleason is another peak that has been on my liist for awhile now. It is about a 20 mile hike, mostly on a fire road. I was up for the long trek (since I am training for Whitney) but Sean wasn't. He wanted to wait until they opened up the gate by Mill Creek which has been closed since the 2009 Station Fire. I agreed to wait so we could go together and cross this one off our list. Sean promised to show me the Fire Camp 16 memorial, bag a few peaks and search for benchmarks. 

Now that the gate is opened we took the long drive up the rocky road to our first destination. We visited the area where Fire Camp 16 was located. Sean had been there before but it was my first time. I paid my respects and wrote in the journals for the two fire fighters who lost their lives in the fire. It was a beautiful memorial. 

One of two structures that survived the fire. The BBQ.

Signs of re-growth and the poodle dog was blooming.. 

Next we headed to Mt. Gleason. There was some communication equipment on the summit and the register was placed at the high point about a quarter-mile away. 

After hanging out for a bit, we drove to the trailhead of Messenger Peak. I did not find a benchmark but there was a register. 

Summit selfies on Messenger Peak

Next stop was in search of SOLD benchmark. A really cool summit with huge rock formations but the benchmark was no where to be found. Just an old firebreak sign and some old surveyor equipment.

By this time it was getting pretty hot and we decided to call it a day but not before hitting up one more summit and finding two more benchmarks. 

                                                       Beartrap summit

To add we did find another Benchmark named ROCKY dated 1945 along our route to bagging these peaks..

Overall, it was a great day bagging three peaks and finding some cool benchmarks along the way. It was nice to see lots of wildflowers and Yucca  blooms.

BLACK MOUNTAIN #1

Black Mountain#1 is the highest of eight Black mountain summits in Southern California. It stands tall at 7,772 feet. 

On Memorial Day, Sean and I decided to take a drive towards the San Bernardino Mountains with no real plans in mind, we decided on Black Mountain. 

Even though it is only four miles one way, this trail is very steep, but well maintained. However, there are a few small sections where the path is flat, so it gave us a chance to catch our breath. The entire area was really beautiful. We were surrounded by huge granite boulders, with a variety of fir trees and thriving manzanita bushes. 

Approaching the last mile towards the summit was the most strenuous. At the top of the ridge there was a road and the final climb to the summit is paved with railings. 

The lookout tower was intact. I climbed more than half way up the stairs but couldn't go any further because at the top some of the steps were removed. The summit views were impressive and breathtaking. There was a summit marker but no register. San Jacinto, Fuller ridge and Castle rocks could be seen from the peak. We ate lunch and admired the views for an hour before descending the tralil back to our cars.  

Stats: 8 miles r/t,  2800' gain (approximately)

HINES PEAK

I was invited to hike with Sean, Keith and Madison. I was so excited because Hines peak was on my to do list. Hines peak stands tall at 6,712 feet. It is the highest peak in the Topatopa mountain range. 

We all met at the Rose Valley campground then hopped into Keiths truck. The road to the trail head required a high clearance vehicle. In addition to this, Keith had to get the code for the gate from the Ranger station. It was only a 11-mile drive but it took an hour and a half to drive the very rough narrow road. The fog was so thick that we had to drive very slowly making sure not to drive off the cliff. 

This was truly a bad ass, tough hike. The last 1000 feet to the summit was the toughest. From the Saddle just before the steep ascent was a razor edge ridge that we crossed, followed by more steepness with loose dirt, rocks and some class 2 rock scrambling. Then there was a false summit with a beautiful rock outcropping to climb over. After that is was smooth sailing to the summit through some thick brush.

Despite the thick fog covering what I can imagine would have been beautiful views on the summit, I was so elated. in my opinion this was one tough, bad ass hike. At the top there was two benchmarks and a register. 

Descending the steep ridge from the peak was a bit challenging I fell twice because of the loose gravel but i did not seriously get hurt, in fact none of us did. Crossing the razor edge ridge on the descent was more scarier than the ascent. 

Anyways, it was a fun day. I'm glad that we all had a successful summit and that we made it out alive, thanks to Keith';s excellent driving skills. 

stats: 7 miles, 2500' gain (approximate)

last saddle before the steep climb to Hines

section after crossing the razor edge ridge

still have a ways to go

another view of the razor edge 

false summit

beautiful rock outcropping just before the summit

final push 

summit views blocked by thick fog

whooohooo!!!