As the winter season quickly draws to a close a few things have crossed my mind. I have not been skiing yet this year and it seems unlikely I will do so, I went snowshoeing only once this year and lastly, I have not been up to encounter any Orange County snow which would break a 5 year track record I have! With such a lack of winter adventures I have done what any normal Southern California person would do, take up summer sports! My recent reintroduction to mountain biking has been great but I still need to get in a good hike every now and then and felt the need to cook up something interesting.
While driving with the family to dinner a month back I saw the full moon rising low on the horizon over Santiago Peak. It was at that very moment I realized I had to plan a full moon hike to the peak! A week or so later I looked up the next full moon and rise and set times and had the date set. We would go on a Friday night and the moon was set to rise at 9PM so I figured an 8PM hike start time would be perfect. The plan also included about an hour worth of party time on the summit, no need to just tag the summit and head out, I wanted to enjoy a feast up top with my friends and take in the view we would have.
I put the word out to all my regular hiking friends. Many thought I was insane to want to hike all night, others thought I was just a little crazy but they figured why not, what else do they have to do other than sleep! The hike is about 16 miles and most had done it before. The group was to be nine of us, evenly split between my Turtle Rock hiking group from the Orange County Hiking and Backpacking Club and some friends I have met through Boy Scout training activities. We consisted of Aleshia, CP, Miranda and Pete from the club and Kathy, Brian, Darby and Kirk from the Scouts and plus me. Two of our hikers had never been on the summit before, CP and Miranda, so this would be a very memorable experience for them to summit the highest point in Orange County at 5,687 ft., let alone in the dark!
Those that know me understand I am a punctual person and detest tardiness! My itinerary called for for us to meet at 7:15PM, consolidate and head out to the trail head by 7:20PM and start hiking by 8PM. Fortunately for me I was on time as everyone was at the rally point waiting for me. I handed out glow sticks for all to put on their packs and we crammed into the two cars and headed out, exactly at 7:20PM. We reached the trail head parking for the Holy Jim Trail and got ourselves ready and were hiking at.......7:58PM! I was praised for my scheduling and punctuality, I love it when a plan comes together!
We started under full darkness as the moon would not be up for another hour. We were a talkative bunch and had a great pace that kept us all together with our headlamps guiding us along. We were in mountain lion territory so we needed to stay together. I was certain we were not going to sneak up on anything with as much noise, light and dust we were producing. As if on cue, at the expected moonrise time of 8:58PM, we all got a glimpse of the moon rising over a nearby ridge and we all cheered. The big event was here!
We kept on hiking to the first crossing of the Main Divide Road. We took a quick break here, 10 minutes tops, and then set out down the road to intersect the Upper Holy Jim Trail. We all decided to go lights out at this point as the full moon was lighting the path quite well. We were finally up high enough to catch a glimpse of the lights of the Inland Empire. They looked so nice below us and was a view I had never seen in Orange County before. It wasn't long before we had made up the Upper Holy Jim Trail and met the road again. The finish was in sight but we needed a little snack to keep us going. We took another 5 minute break to fuel up and then set out for the final push up the roadway to the summit. Fortunately for me, in the deep shaded sections of the roadway I came across some snow. I didn't really see it in the dark so much as notice that the dirt sounded very crunchy and was a little slippery. I then looked out ahead a little and saw several nice patches along out route. This was good news for me as I realized that this year would not break my OC snow streak!
Miranda was showing a few signs of being tired but we showed her that the top was just around the corner. I think we bribed her with good food at the summit that was just minutes away to keep her going. By this time, we were all in need of some meaningful food. We had strung out a little in the final push to the top. Aleshia, Miranda and I pulled out a lead on the group with Kathy close behind. I knew I needed to get there to get my food going as it would take awhile, perhaps the rest with me just wanted the first omelet! We finally arrived at 11:30PM, a little ahead of when I thought we might make it given the darkness. We celebrated Miranda and CP's first summit on this mountain and it was now time to eat!
I had been planning my meal stuff for several weeks. I pulled out my old school MSR XGK white gas stove I got when I was 14 years old and fired it up. My plan was to cook omelets for everyone. Out came the onions, green peppers, mushrooms, cheese, butter, eggs, and carne asada so I could get busy. Miranda's bottle of wine was popped open and Aleshia got out her biscotti and strawberrys/blackberries to share. As others arrived out came more stuff. Pete had some cookies he had baked that afternoon and a few other stoves were fired up for hot tea and coffee. CP had some couscous to share. Brian made his regular backpacking meal, mashed potatoes and passed some around as well while his wife Kathy got out some cinnamon bread. I was rather busy cooking away and making sure I did not burn the omelets which would be rather easy to do on my stove. I think I cooked up 4 of them before everyone had their fill. I never drink booze when on the trail as I am usually pushing myself pretty hard but this was a party so I did enjoy a little wine on this special occasion. We all took in the incredible view of the whole OC skyline at night, something rarely seen. By 12:45AM we were all packed up and headed down.
I had fallen to the back of the group as we left the summit, it was just so hard to leave to view. I was able to send out a few texts to those that could not join us of what they missed. I just followed the string of glow sticks in front of me when Darby sounded off, "This doesnt look right!" We all stopped and I looked at the skyline below us and he was right. I should have been seeing the lights of the Inland Empire but instead the OC lights were below. We had made a wrong turn on the road near the summit. It added about a mile in total the hike and I was very appreciative he spoke up when he did. We got back on course (after going uphill, again) and made a fairly quick descent. I decided I would introduce the group to the Old Upper Holy Jim Trail, a rarely used segment of trail that is no longer maintained. It involved a little bushwhacking and a slippery section that brought us back to the Lower Holy Jim Trail. The route finding at night on this segment was a little tricky but I always like a challenge and we all made it so I consider it a success.
We were still all quite talkative as we finished out the hike, our adrenaline was still flowing. Once back to the cars at 4AM at the trail head I could tell it was wearing off. The drive out of the canyon was a little quieter and some head bobbing was noticed. We debated if the question should be "How late does Starbucks stay open?" or "How early does Starbucks open?" Neither answer would meet our needs, they were closed! We all said our goodbyes at our meeting spot and everyone rounded up their stuff and headed home. I was showered and in bed at 5AM and then up at 8AM to start the day with the family, they probably never even missed me.
I always learn something on my travels. Hiking all night with a fun bunch of people is great and very rewarding. It took a hike I had done many times before and made it new again. Having a feast planned for the summit really kept me excited about getting there and the views we got were something to be remembered forever. For the first time in a long time I ignored how much weight I was going to carry and just got wrapped up in the party we could have up top if I traveled heavy and it was worth every pound! I will definitely plan more full moon adventures as they are quite fun and an excuse to do something out of the ordinary, even by my standards!
