Backpacking the Bridge To Nowhere

The Bridge To Nowhere

With the record year of rain and snowfall, the local mountains have been full of water in the creeks and rivers late into the summer. The East Fork of the San Gabriel River is a popular spot for many hikers, gold panners and day adventurers as they are drawn to the cool and refreshing waters of this river that are so easily accessed in the mountains above Azusa, CA. The most popular hiking destination in this area these days is the Bridge to Nowhere, a bridge built in 1936 deep back in the canyon of the East Fork. The history on this bridge is quite interesting but in summary it was built to complete a road that got washed out and was later abandoned in 1938 leaving a bridge, in the middle of nowhere, that dead ends into the side of a mountain. A very strange sight to come across in the middle of the wilderness indeed!

A group of eight of us headed back to overnight somewhere near the bridge. It has changed a lot since I did this when I was around 19 and mountain biked/hiked my way back there with a few friends. Back then we wore backpacks and rode our bikes mostly on trail but a little on portions of the old road. Back then we slept on the bridge itself. Today there are only vague traces of the fact there was a road there at all as most has been washed away. Amazing what 20 years of erosion has done this area since I was last there. The bridge is also now overrun by bungee jumpers and us hikers are allowed to cross but not loiter on the bridge. Back when I went there on a mountain bike the three of us on the trip were the only people that made it to the bridge that day, now nearly 100 people are gathered on it on the weekend.

Jason's piece of driftwood points the way.

The trip back to the bridge is not necessarily difficult but does require a little determination. The trail in areas can be hard to follow and multiple use trails and river crossings make this task more difficult. It can get rather warm during the summer but the cool water is very refreshing, in fact we looked forward to the water crossings as an opportunity to cool off.

Upriver exploration

Jason and I practice our rock climbing technique and anchors

Mike enjoys our swimming hole adjacent to camp

The great news about this rather popular and heavily traveled area is that once you pass the bridge and continue hiking up the river into the narrows, the crowds nearly disappear! Our plan was to pass the bridge and find a suitable camping location to make camp at and then do whatever each of us felt like doing. Between a half mile to a mile past the bridge we came across numerous camp sites, some occupied, others available but to small, and finally one that met our requirements. It was big enough for all the tents, and nice rocks to sit on and a great swimming hole and cascade in the river next to camp. We quickly set up camp and immediately afterward proceeded to go swimming. After a few hour swim and sunning session we broke up and went different ways. Several headed up river to explore, Mike stayed around camp to test his luck gold panning, while Jason and I practiced our rope and anchor systems for an upcoming trip to the Sierras where we will likely need to place anchors and use a rope for protection on some class 4 routes up a few fourteeners. The afternoon was hot and the rock we were climbing was scalding our hands at times but we all accomplished what we wanted and rolled back into camp around 6:30.

Clark's chicken quesadillas, always a great appetizer

Our evening was just a giant food fest! Clark kicked it off with making some chicken quesadillas complete with fresh avocado. Others had some store bought freeze dried meals, tried and true freezer bag meals and Jason cooked up some peppers, onions and sausage. I had worked up a new freezer bag meal to test for making burritos and tacos on the trail as we had commented on a recent trip how much we would like something like that. The taco meat portion of the meal was perfect but I had brought some fresh grated cheddar that did not hold up to well in the heat of the day. Thankfully Clark had some extra store bought grated cheese that has proven to hold up on our Catalina trip so I used that to finish of the soft tacos along with a little left over avocado and our group favorite, jalapeno salsa from Chick-Filet. I had plenty of taco fixings to share and everyone who tried it agreed that this is a must do meal on our future trips. What is the recipe you ask? See the end of this entry for the details.

We all ate so much at dinner that the only dessert that was shared was some astronaut ice cream. The fresh popped pop corn and cheesecake would have to wait for another trip. We opted instead to drink more fluids to replenish ourselves, hot tea, electrolytes, San Peligrino and lime, and even a little wine. Just before going to bed a few even decided to go for a swim by headlamp. Apparently the headlamps really are waterproof! Under a full moon, we all headed to bed around 11PM.

Heading out through the Narrows in the morning.

The following morning was a simple get up, packup, eat a quick breakfast and head out. It seemed much hotter than the day before. We rolled out of camp around 10AM. I wanted to look for the tunnel that was being blasted into the rock that was to meet up with the bridge. I went into the tunnel 20 years ago but just a little. I figured this time we had way better headlamps and more of them. Unfortunately erosion and time have had there way and I could locate where the tunnel entrance once was but it is now covered in dirt and rock and is buried.

A bungee jumper takes a leap of faith!

Our group photo on the bridge.

Plenty of people were once again at the bridge for bungee jumping. The guys running this operation have figured out how to make more money out of this canyon than the miners ever did! There were plenty of people lined up to jump and during our hike back we came across a line of nearly 50 of them hiking up to the bridge. As was expected, there were plenty of people once again as we returned back to our cars.

All in all it was great, relaxing trip with lots of fun. I liked it better in the old days with far fewer people but at least they are getting to enjoys it as well. This is definitely a great hike for intermediate hikers looking to have fun in the water and enjoy playing in their surroundings.

Trail Tacos:
Serves 3

1/2 cup freeze dried ground beef
1/2 cup taco TVP
1/4 cup freeze dried corn
1/4 cup instant black beans
1 T taco seasoning
1 T dried onion
2 C boiling water

Flour tortillas (about 7) or hard taco shells or Fritos (you figure out how you want it!)
Store bought grated mexican cheese blend , 8 oz. (holds up well on the trail)
Favorite salsa or hot sauce packets (Chick-Fil-A Jalapeno Salsa is our favorite)
Avocado and or fresh tomato if desired

Place all above dry ingredients in a 1 quart Ziplock freezer bag. Add the hot water, seal the bag and place in an insulated cozy for 20 minutes. Remove and stir and spoon into tortillas, place over Fritos, or for low carb just eat it out of the bag. Use cheese, salsa, avocado and tomato if desired. I get the meat, TVP, corn and beans from Shelf Reliance.

Trans Catalina Trail, Hiking the Island

Well summer has arrived and what better way to celebrate than spending 4 days in the Channel Islands off the coast of California. Our destination was Catalina island to hike the fairly new Trans Catalina Trail (TCT) that was officially opened back in 2008. My friends wife Michelle has been wanting to do this ever since she had heard about it so this was her trip to coordinate. What she discovered is that since this trail has really only existed for a few years, there is not much information floating around out there about it. Our goal was to not only do the hike but also document it well enough that this blog posting will serve as a great reference document for future hikers of the TCT. Our backpacking group consisted of Michelle, co-workers Mike D., Clark and I as well as a good friend of Clark and Michelle, Mike Y.

Officially the TCT is just over 37 miles and stretches from just south of Avalon to the northwestern point of Starlight Beach. Since you cannot easily get dropped off or picked up at either end of the trail, a little extra hiking and backtracking is involved which made our hike a total of 52 miles with about 9,000 ft. of elevation gain and we planned on covering it in 4 days. Three of those days would be used to complete the TCT and the last day was to get ourselves back to a port we could catch a ferry home from. More on that later. How can a hike on an island with a high point of 2,010 ft. have 9,000 ft. of elevation gain you ask? Simple, there is NO flat trail on this island!

The island of Catalina sits about 26 miles off the coast of California. It is mostly managed by the Catalina Island Conservancy. The Conservancy was responsible for completing the trail and appear to be the promoters of this route. What we found when researching the trip is that apparently few people have actually hiked the whole thing and even fewer have it done it in a contiguous manner. Most who had done it before complained of difficult navigation and it being a very strenuous route.

The planning stage was rather difficult for the above mentioned issues. We decided we could get away fror 4 days to complete the route. We were able to view some of the camping locations and to do the route in 4 days we planned on day 1 from Avalon to Blackjack, 15 1/2 miles, day two Blackjack to Two Harbors, 13 miles, day three Two Harbors to Starlight Beach and back to Parsons Landing, 16 miles, and day 4 Parsons Landing back to Two Harbors via the coastal road, 7 miles. Michelle booked campsites online for Blackjack, Two Harbors and Parsons Landing with the Catalina Conservancy.

Michelle informed me that I was in charge of maps and navigation. Well I have not gotten any of us lost yet so I accepted the job. Finding maps proved difficult. Since the TCT was only officially completed in 2008 you will need a fairly recent map. I checked for maps at the usual places and had no luck. Some have said that you can get a map of the trail at the Catalina Island Conservancy located in Avalon but I really wanted this information long before I got there. I finally found what I was looking for after poking around the Catalina Island Conservancy website where they have a great collection of maps as pdf files available for free download. With the maps in hand and some additional information on the trail segments from the Conservancy I was ready to do my research and get a feel for the route. One of the best maps they provided had the full trail shown along with the elevation profile. I realized quickly that this was not going to be a flat hike! They even have a smartphone app to help but since I NEVER rely on electronic devices on the trail I ruled that out.

I had been to Two Harbors to camp in the past and Clark, Michelle and Mike Y. had been to Parsons Landing to camp. We all knew what to expect at those locations. Two Harbors has everything, food, water, bathrooms, showers, store, the works. Parsons is primitive. They have pit toilets and your campsite includes a bundle of wood and 2 1/2 gallon jug of water in a locker. You can purchase additional water/wood if needed ahead of time and get a key for additional lockers. Blackjack was to have water and pit toilets and again a locker with a bundle of wood came with the site.

Michelle had made our ferry reservations. We utilized Catalina Express out of San Pedro as they had the earliest arrival times in Avalon and also serviced Two Harbors. We boarded the early boat which got us to Avalon a little after 9AM. Once we arrived we had to find the location to check-in and get our hiking permit and locker key. This location is known to change so it is best to get that info directly from the Conservancy when you place your reservation.

The street to begin our hike in Avalon.

We were finally ready to begin the hike.I had to look over some instructions provided by the Conservancy about the actual start point as the TCT does not begin in town. It officially begins about a mile and half south of Avalon at the intersection of Wrigley Rd. and Renton Mine Rd. which you can easily view on Google to figure out how to get there. The road to get there starts off with a good climb out of Avalon. I was happy to have lightweight gear on this trip. My pack was only 26 1/2 lbs with 4 days of food, fuel and 3 liters of water. Less food and water it would have been 15 lbs!



Official start point of the TCT.

 The views as you climb up along Wrigley Rd. are great. You can really get some nice photos of Avalon as you make your way to the official starting point of the TCT. As Wrigley Rd. begins to descend you will quickly reach the start point on your right clearly marked with a sign showing the Trans Catalina Trail and pointing up Renton Mine Rd. From here you are heading up a dirt road that is only accessed by hikers and bicycles. They did do a good job at keeping the TCT free of vehicles. While a little over half of the entire route is road, you will not see cars as they are not allowed on these sections.



The TCT leaves the road and transitions to trail.

Our first day was long and rather warm. We were relieved to discover that shortly after the TCT left the road and transitioned to trail that you reached Haypress Reservoir where you can fill up with water from the tap as they have a small picnic area there. The trail continues next to the playground and I missed it. Fortunately the others in the group spotted the TCT trail sign and we were back on the trail. The trail gets fairly faint intermittently for the next couple miles or so and you really need to keep an eye out for the little brown markers that say TCT next to the trail. We had no problem following the trail but then again we had five sets of eyes to spot the markers in the difficult sections. It is also nice that every mile on the TCT they have a short wooden marker showing your mileage.

Some of the buffalo herd brought to the island by the Wrigley's

The first nights destination was Blackjack campground and after looking at the map we realized it was adjacent to the highest point on Catalina which is 2,010 ft. with the campground maybe 200 ft. below that. The transmitter on the summit had been our marker all day as it had been in sight off and on throughout our hike. It was finally getting closer but not without yet another descent then climb back up to our final destination. We reached Blackjack around 6:30PM and all were exhausted. We are used to climbing mountains but the constant up and down is not what we typically do. We gained about 4,000 ft. of elevation on the first day and had clocked 15 1/2 miles. We were happy to see that there were outdoor cold showers at Blackjack. We had a nice campfire, ate dinner and retreated to our tents early as it had been a long day as we had been up since around 5AM to get to the port that morning.

See the little people on the ridge?

The happy crew at the airport.

Waterfront camping at Two Harbors.

Our second day was to be easy. Only about 2,000 ft. of elevation gain and a short 12 1/2 miles. We finally headed out of camp around 8:30AM after tending to blisters on Michelle and Mike Y. Our first destination was the airport. We arrived there in about an hour and enjoyed the shade, store, flush toilets, warm water and hospitality. There is a cafe there but we were too early. Snacks and beverages were available. We then headed down and easy road that descended all the way to the coast at Little Harbor. This was a campground as well and had a very nice beach. Some people were surfing in the the adjacent Shark Harbor and it made a great picture spot. We had lunch at a picnic table right on the beach and made use of the bathrooms and fresh water that was also available here. If we planned the hike again we all thought this would be a great place to add an extra day and finish day 2 here. That was not in our master plan so after lunch we were off to Two Harbors. Remember the 2,000 ft. of gain I mentioned? Well here it comes and most of it in the first two miles. The climb up out of Little Harbor was tough but the views off the ridgeline we were on were stunning. The trail finally dropped down into Two Harbors 5 miles later where we had all the amenities of a small town. Everyone frowned when they learned that camp was just over a small hill 1/4 mile away. Once at camp we set up our tents and cleaned up. A few spent the big bucks and walked back to town for a hot shower, 90 seconds of water for 50 cents, while the rest of us took semi-cold showers at the campground. We all met up back in town for buffalo burgers and a few fermented beverages were consumed.

Michelle's foot patched up for day 3.

Michelle and I near Silver Peak with clouds rolling in.

The view from Fenceline Rd. down to Parson's

Day three involved some tough decisions. It was to be our hardest day yet, 16 miles and 4,500 ft. of elevation gain. Two in our party had decided they were not up to uphill/downhill and opted for the shoreline road out to Parson's Landing. Three of us, including Michelle with her blistered and swollen feet were off to tackle the big hill between us and Parson's where hopefully we would all meet up for lunch and then figure out who was going on to Starlight Beach. This is a section of trail that is easy to follow on the map but not very well signed. You have to head back to the trail you came into Two Harbors on and continue to the right. I never saw a sign pointing you left toward the north side Catalina Harbor. We turned where I knew we needed to based on the map and followed the dirt road along the north side of Cat Harbor where we finally came across the mile 27 marker indicating we were headed the right way. Miles 28 and 29 will leave you cursing! They are steep and hot. Soon after you reach Fenceline Rd. which descends STEEPLY down towards Parson's Landing. This is the official TCT. In our opinion, it would have been better to route the trail onward to Silver Peak and down to Starlight Beach which would save several miles overall and in looking at the topo maps would save you from some very steep sections. Since we planned on doing the full TCT start to finish we followed the trail along Fenceline Rd. which was noted by others as being very steep. At first I wondered what all the fuss was about, it was steep but not that bad. After a awhile the trail really showed it's ugly self and I would rate it a 10 out of 10 on the black toenail scale. If you don't know what I am talking about, you really don't hike long, steep downhills do you?

The final trail to Parson's Landing just ahead.

Clark at the terminus of the TCT, Starlight Beach.

The view of Parson's below me as we return from Starlight.

As we neared Parson's Landing we met up with the others in the group. We all arrived at Parson's for lunch which was yet another stunning beach to enjoy. We ate and Michelle was thinking hard if she would continue. Her feet were in bad shape and we knew we had 9 miles and 2,500 ft. of gain left in the day. The Catalina Conservancy information is very deceiving at times and it lists the elevation change at 666 ft. for this section. They only list the total difference from the highest to lowest point, one way and leave out the fact that you will gain it several times....each way! Three of us left Parson's together but Michelle turned around about a 1/2 mile out of camp. She wanted to make the end so bad but realized she also had to get back, not just to camp, but back to Two Harbors the following day. It was a very difficult decision to make and in hindsight it was the best one. Clark and I continued on to the end at Starlight Beach and the so called trail had some exceptionally steep ups and downs that would have torn her feet up even worse. Clark and I finally made it to Starlight and took our pictures and put our feet in the ocean for the first time on the trip. We both wanted to swim as we were rather hot from the strenuous hike out here but didn't have a towel and feared the hike in wet clothes would be rather destructive on our already worn out bodies. It was great to make it to the end of the TCT but sad we could not all finish it together. We left Starlight and kept a brisk pace and returned to Parson's with our one way time at and hour and a half. It was now 5:30PM and the breeze was blowing and I was cold once I stopped hiking. Clark still went in the ocean, I needed to but did not want to freeze so I put on some dry clothes I had washed the evening prior. I nearly fell asleep in my tent as laying down felt so good after the exhausting day that included the completion of the TCT.

Great sunset at Parson's Landing.

Mike Y. serenades us with his didgeridoo.

Clark & Michelle's tent and the Big Dipper.

That night we used up most of the food we had left, had a raging campfire and Mike Y. who had carried his didgeridoo on the whole trip played a little for us fireside. The sunset view at Parson's is unbelievable and we all took a few photos of the event. I headed to bed a little ahead of everyone else who played a marathon game of UNO that lasted over an hour for a single hand. I did wake up as they were going to bed and grabbed some nice shots of the stars before I was done for the night.

In the morning we all wished we had an extra day. Michelle felt she could have gone to Starlight that morning after having a good rest. We had a boat to catch back in Two Harbors at 4:15PM and only 7 miles of flat trail/road separating us from our destination. We lazily packed up camp and headed out. The final hike back to Two Harbors was very scenic, following the coastline the whole way. We walked past a couple of the Boy Scout camps on the island, Emerald Bay and Cherry Valley as well as several other camps. The sight of Two Harbors brought joy to all of us. Our feet were tired and we were hungry. We did not plan a lunch for the last day as we would enjoy what the town had to offer. More buffalo burgers and fermented beverages were consumed. We limped around town with all the other folks there. We even met some guys with a ukelele that were playing some lovely island music who took interest in the didgeridoo. I said they need to work up a duet for the two instruments, jokingly I thought. These guys used the WiFi access and looked up one and had a little jam session there at the bar. A strange combo of instruments indeed but plenty fun none the less.

Cherry Valley BSA camp.

The boat ride home was calming and drew to an end yet another incredible adventure. We discussed what we would do differently if we did it again. Adding two days would be great. One extra day to stay at Little Harbor and another at Parson's Landing would be ideal. It would let you alternate hard days with easy days and provide more time at the end of every day (except the first) to play in the ocean while it is still warm and the afternoon winds and clouds have not developed. We also would have preferred to not taken Fenceline Rd. and instead head from Two Harbors directly out to Starlight Beach and then back to Parson's. We still are not sure why this is not the official route of the TCT. We also all agreed that the published information from the Catalina Conservancy is a little misleading. While they post elevation gain for each segment of the trip, they do it by only comparing your starting elevation to finish elevation for that segment. This leaves out all of the ups and downs along the way of which there are many. The most grossly understated elevation change is the final trek from Parson's to Starlight as I had mentioned earlier. This was a strenuous hike and this is coming from us who have hiked numerous peaks and logged hundreds of miles climbing the highest points in California. For an island with a high point of 2,010 ft., the TCT's elevation gain will kick your butt!

Our final view of Two Harbors as we approach it for the last time.

This adventure was a major change from my recent snowbound journeys in the Sierra's. I will admit, I prefer the mountains over the beaches but that is my personal preference. Perhaps growing up and working in Huntington Beach for all of my 41 years has filled my enthusiasm for beaches. With that said, if there ever was a beach journey to take, the TCT should be at the top of your list.

The full collection of pictures can be viewed by clicking here.

Exploring the San Mateo Wilderness and Doing it Ultralight!

Clark and I enter the San Mateo Wilderness.

It is now the end of April. I was supposed to be headed to Mt. Whitney for a multi-day climb of the Mountaineers Route this weekend. After my Split Mountain adventure I headed up to Mammoth and again was faced with heavy winds, blasting snow and cold days. Upon my return from that trip I laid a good coat of summer wax on the skis and informed my winter friends I was done for the season. My mind had moved on to warm weather excursions, ATV riding and summer backpacking at Catalina.

As a prep for our upcoming Trans-Catalina Trail (TCT) we needed to get out in some warm weather at low elevation with short but steep inclines. While we are always doing local day hikes we figured an overnighter is what we needed to shake down some new gear and try some new concepts on the trail. We decided upon a 2 day backpack trip within the San Mateo Wilderness in the Cleveland National Forest straddling the Orange/Riverside County line just south of the Ortega Hwy. Our route would start at the infamous Candy Store (Bear Canyon Trailhead) and take us south to Tenaja Falls and Fishermans Camp where we would overnight and return via a different trail following a ridge the next day. The total loop was to be 22 miles and evenly split between the two days.

I have been doing a really good job at lightening my pack on my recent winter trips. I have removed a lot of stuff that I have not touched all season and have done a much better job at not bringing too much food. So many trips ended with a bag full of uneaten food amounting to several extra pounds. With this trip heading out on a weekend with daytime temps in the 80's and nights at 50 it seemed like going light, or ultralight, seemed like a good idea.

Clark's pack on the left, mine on the right at 14.8 lbs!

My major items would be a sleeping bag (Mountain Hardware Phantom 45, 1lb), sleeping pad (Thermorest NeoAir, 1lb),  alcohol stove system with fuel (10 oz.), my new ultralight tent (AppyTrails Mark III, just under 2lbs with Tyvek groundcloth and stakes), 3L Camelback bladder and my REI 18L Flashback to stuff it all in. Yes I had my first aid kit and ten essentials as well but it was a lightweight version. My personal clothing consisted of an extra pair of underwear, socks, long sleeve shirt and a backpacking towel. No jacket on this trip, I would just double up my shirts. I did splurge on a 2.3 oz. backpacking pillow as I had no jacket to wad up for that purpose. I also left the camera at home as hauling a 2.2 lb. digital SLR camera kind of goes against ultralight packing. I would rely on Michelle to take pictures on this trip. Without food or water I was at 8 1/2 lbs.! With food loaded up and 2 liters of water I had 14.8 lbs total to put on my back. This was a new record for me! I even wore a lightweight pair of trail shoes rather than the leather boots I have always worn in the past.  My friends traveling with me had differing tactics. Michelle went lightweight while Clark made up for all of us and traveled heavy. He claims it was the lightest his pack had ever weighed at 40 lbs. which was true, at least this time he did not carry a TABLE strapped to the back of his pack! Even their dog Ranger was required to carry his own load.

Strolling through the woods on our way to the falls.

The trip from the trailhead down to Tenaja Falls was very scenic as the whole area was very green from the abundant rain we had this year. While we did not have grand views of mountains and lakes we did have very nice scenery and enjoyed walking through fields of wildflowers and oak covered trails with small creeks still flowing everywhere. We reached the falls, 8 1/2 miles into the hike, around noon. They were crowded as they can be reached via a much shorter route (less than a mile). We enjoyed lunch at the falls and put our feet in the water. Clark decided he would submerge himself in the rather cold water which wasn't a bad idea as it was warm day.

Michelle, Ranger and I at the top of the falls.

More hanging out at the falls.

We left the falls and headed towards our evening destination, Fishermans Camp. When we arrived there we discovered a Boy Scout Troop of about 20 people had descended upon it before us. Not only were all the descent camp spots taken, we were there to enjoy nature and get away from it all, not camp on top of somebody else. We decided to head down the trail another mile to our next scheduled trail junction and look for a better spot along the way. This proved to be a great choice because once we reached the junction of the San Mateo Creek Trail and North Tenaja Trail we discovered a beautiful camp location complete with a sandy beach along the creek, a babbling brook, shade trees and numerous flat tent areas. We were happy to have found such a secluded location with all the amenities. This location was far superior to Fishermans Camp so the crowd really did us a favor.

My new ultralight tent, big enough for 2 adults.

Now it was time to test out my new tent. Up to now, my ultralight travel had gone very well. The small pack performed perfectly although I did need to lash the tent to the outside of the pack. I had practiced the setup of the tent a few times at home in the backyard to make sure I had it down and had already rigged it with the appropriate cord. I used my trekking poles as the tent poles and had the tent set up rather quickly.  Because it must be staked out I did have to hunt for a less sandy location so that my tent stakes could really hold. With the tent set up I moved in my stuff and was very impressed with how much room this lightweight tent had in it. To save weight, the tent does not have a floor. I had ordered and cut a sheet of Tyvek to make a footprint for the tent and used that. The tent was good enough to keep flying bugs out but not good enough to stop the crawling type. No big deal to me if it means shedding 3 or more pounds out of my pack!

The new tent was very roomy given the low weight.

Clark broke out the radio and the camp chairs, water filter, the cooking pot and heavy liquid fuel stove. I grabbed my iodine tablets and meager alcohol stove and we commenced on dinner. I noticed that a strange thing occurs when multiple people are travelling with different concepts or ideas. Even though Clark had a water filter, I wanted to prove I did not need it and purified my own water. Clark refused to leave his heavy stove behind and just bring a few ounces of alcohol for mine. He wanted to check his new large pack with a heavy load. Michelle's new pack was really cutting into her shoulder even with her light load. I offered to swap packs with her but she decided she got herself into this and was going to get herself out of it. I am not sure if this is a common phenomena or if we are all just the most stubborn people on earth!

Clark, Michelle and Ranger at our lovely camp.

After dinner we sat around and enjoyed the radio along with a few games of Uno, our favorite trailside pasttime. Clark whipped up a batch of popcorn that I was more than happy to eat even though there is no way I would carry a pot or enough fuel to cook it! We finished up our game of Uno and headed to our tents. The frogs were really going off that night. These were not your typical croaking frogs, these were frogs that made very long groaning sounds. With about 3 of them near my tent I was serenaded ALL night long!

Having travelled ultralight I had skimped on a jacket. In the middle of the night that was looking like a bad idea. I was cold and shivering. I pulled my thin backpacking towel out of my pack and wrapped my head with it. It may not sound like much but that was all I needed to be comfortable for the rest of the night.

I was pleased to find that when morning rolled around that I had no moisture buildup in the tent. It was a dry weather pattern we were in but with a single wall tent that was zipped up all night you never know what will happen. We made our breakfast and packed up and rolled out of camp later than we would have liked at 9:30.

Our final picture overlooking San Mateo Creek.

Our first 1 1/2 miles were tough as we climbed 1,300 ft. to gain the top of the ridge behind our camp. The remainder of our hike was very beutiful as we were hiking along the ridgeline for most of the way back. We had views of San Jacinto, San Gorgonio, Baldy as well as the ocean. With temps in the upper 80's and only 2 liters of water in my pack I was hoping to finish before I went dry. We did as we finished a little after noon. We bypassed our optional Sitton Peak side excursion as it was just too hot and we were all ready for a good lunch.

Over a great lunch back in San Juan Capistrano we discussed our experiences. Michelle will return her new pack and go back to a smaller one she has used many times before. Clark the pack mule really liked his new even bigger pack even though he carried the lightest load ever, about 35-40 lbs. I was very pleased with my results on going ultralight with a new pack and tent. The pack was very small and I really had to plan ahead to keep the things I would need at lunch either at the very top of the pack or in my pockets. I just cannot fit anything else in the little pack and will have to use something bigger for Catalina as I will need to carry a little more food, fuel and clothing. If I can keep the Catalina weight to around the low 20 lb. range I will be extremely happy. I think I gave ultralight backpacking a really good try and did well. I am intrigued to see what other tricks are out there to not necesarily reduce weight but rather bulk so that I can get everything in my little 18L pack and even have a jacket next time! The learning never ends.

Backcountry Ski Trip to Split Mountain

Split Mountain, 14,053 ft.

Having done some reading on the California Fourteeners, I thought a winter trip to Split Mountain on skis sounded like a good idea. I want to reach all of the fourteeners in the state and having recently acquired backcountry ski gear I am always looking for an opportunity to get out and use the stuff! My friend Jason was on board before I even finished telling him the plan. Like me, he is always up for a winter trip where skiing or splitboarding is a possibility. We tried to get some others to join us but had no luck. Once again, it was just the two of us for another backcountry adventure.

Split Mountain is located along the spine of the Eastern Sierras between Independence and Big Pine. The typical driving route to the trailhead is supposed to take 1 to 1 1/2 hours on some rather evil dirt roads as you leave Hwy 395. After doing a little research we found an alternate route that may cross private land, but may not and SHOULD not have any locked gates. It is rather tricky to navigate unless you are very good with a map, and fortunately we both are. We made it from the Hwy 395 to the trailhead in a half hour and wondered what everybody was making such a big deal about. No other cars were parked there as this is a rarely used trail even in the summer, let alone the winter!

Jason points the way up the canyon.

Is it rather odd to start a backcountry ski trip when you are standing in the high desert. Dry brush surrounded us and it was warm. We would be heading up the South facing side of the canyon where there was no snow until we got up another thousand feet. Surprisingly the other side of the canyon had a thin layer of snow nearly down to where we were parked but it looked too thin to travel on so we hiked. Having learned how uncomfortable long approaches are in my backcountry boots, I brought a light pair of tennis shoes to start the hike in. I figured I would just leave them alongside the trail when I transitioned to my boots and recover them on my return.

We didn't transition to skis until we were about a mile or more in. The trail to this point is just as others had described it.....crappy! This trail has probably not seen maintenance since the Great Depression and it showed. The lower sections are rocky and often lead you into a thicket of bushes near the creek. When we finally had reached snow it was so soft that were postholing yet it was not continuous enough to ski tour. When we finally reached the point to transition to skis we were both relieved. We did notice that on the other side of the canyon (north facing) the snow ran much further below us. Because of this we decided we would descend on that side which meant we would not be coming back the same way. This forced me to carry my lightweight hiking shoes on up the mountain.

Jason lays down a fresh skin track on virgin snow.

The ski tour was very nice for the next mile or so. Gently climbing and following easy terrain was a joy. Unfortunately one look up told us the story of what was still before us. There was a large climb to the top of the canyon and from our maps it looked like we needed to go to the highest point. We began the long climb up, kickturning our way up the steep slope. As we neared the top it was getting late in the afternoon and the sun had dropped behind Split Mountain. This meant that the snow was now cooling fast and quickly went from a soft, easy to traverse slope to an ice crusted face. I needed to lead as it is easier for me to edge with skis than it is with Jason's splitboard. He followed my track on up.

We finally made it to the top and saw that we needed to do a long traverse along a very icy surface with a slope around 35 degrees. As I had been edging for over the last hour I was getting tired of this. I pulled out my ski crampons from my bag of tricks. Like crampons for boots, these are designed to provide metal spikes along the side of your skis when traveling in icy conditions. I had never used them before and was very glad I had them now! I headed out and was silly how easy these made this. I wished I had been using them for the last hour! The only downside was that they sound like a cowbell as they make contact with the ice. All I could think about was the Saturday Night Live skit with Christopher Walken calling for "more cowbell!" We needed a little humor to keep going this late in the day and that provided it.

We arrive at camp and view our goal, late!

We finally rounded the ridge on our traverse and saw what we had been waiting for, the headwall of Split Mountain. This meant we had arrived at the area we planned on camping, Red Lake. It was totally snow covered so we set up camp where we had some trees for a little wind protection and most importantly, a flat spot for the tent. Jason was not very perky and was ready to get camp set up. We got the tent set up quickly as it was already 5PM and darkness would be upon us within two hours tops. We got that done and anchored the tent very well with my homemade snow anchors, a tip I picked up from Jason. Jason then asked me what my thoughts were on having a fire? We were within the area we could have one, just barely, and it sure would make the cold more tolerable. I said I thought it would be great and he instantly got to work building a nice fire pit on an snowless patch just 15 feet from the tent. Before long we were getting water going on my stove and enjoying the warmth of a fire. There was plenty of wood around which was surprising with all the snow but we came up with enough for the evening without much trouble.

A campfire to lift our spirits.

It was finally time to take it all in. We were surrounded by immense beauty. Split mountain jetting up from Red Lake right before us and we were the only people up there to enjoy it. With a fire to warm us, we stayed up until a little after 9PM, fairly late considering we had up since 2:30AM to make the drive up. We did not want to start the climb from camp up Split Mountain too early in the morning as we needed the sun to work it's magic and soften the icy surface on the snow to make travel easier; and safer.

The night brought some fairly gusty winds but our well anchored tent did perfectly. The forecasted temps for this elevation were to be 10 degrees at night and 29 during the day. That night might have been that cold outside the tent but with both of us in the tent it was running in the high 20's which was not so bad. We both slept fairly well and awoke to a sunshine filled morning and light wind. We got ready to head out and were heading for the summit by 8:30AM. We wanted to let the snow soften yet still allow us ample time to reach the summit and return under good snow conditions.

Me at the top of the false saddle with the true saddle and summit behind me.

The initial travel was a long gradual traverse heading toward the false saddle above Red Lake. The conditions were very icy as the sun had not yet hit this area. Jason was still using his crampons with his board on his back while I was making good progress with my ski crampons. As we started to climb the final leg toward the top of the saddle the weather had turned for the worse. High winds were blowing down the icy slope, clouds covered the sky and the peak and the surface was wind scoured and very icy. Jason was doing OK in full crampons and my ski apparatus was at it's limit. I made my way over to the side of the slope where I could safely transition to full boot crampons and put my skis on my pack. I made it up to the top of the slope to join Jason. From the top of the false saddle we could see the path to the true saddle on the ridgeline before us. It looked even worse than what we had just done. Ice was now blowing with the wind gusts and pelting any exposed flesh. The clouds continued to build and no sun was anywhere in sight. I looked at Jason and said, "I'm done.....".

Jason was a good sport and said, "I can turn around at any time..... I just didn't want to say it first." Fortunately we both recognized the danger in continuing onward. It was already around 11AM and there was still plenty more to go. Getting caught on the summit in what would surely be extreme winds and very icy conditions is not what we had in mind. The descent back to camp was not going to be that great as the sun never softened the snow and it would be another long, icy adventure. We took some pictures and wind readings. The wind was gusting to 40 MPH and the windchill was hitting -8 F. With the wind transporting large amounts of ice crystals I felt like I was inside a snowcone machine! Jason walked up to the 12,000 level next to the mountain for a picture before we packed up and headed down.

Back at camp looking toward the summit.

The downhill portion was a little scary as the slope was extremely icy. I locked the front bindings on my skis as I figured if one came off it would travel 1,500 ft. below to the frozen lake as ski brakes don't work well on ice. While making a turn on the icy slope I had a wipeout. I slid for at least 50 to 75 ft. before coming to a stop. My knee was in great pain. Here I was, in the middle of a steep, icy and windblown slope with my knee in extreme pain and not knowing if I was going to stay put or begin to slide again. I laid there for several minutes. Jason was below me and stopped. I could barely hear him ask if I was alright over the wind. I moved a little to let him know I was not totally incapacitated. I managed to get my skis situated and continued on over to meet him.

My knee hurt but in the binding it was not too bad as it limited the amount of movement. We made it back to camp just before noon. The sky looked even worse up high on the mountain as it was now covered in clouds clinging to the summit. I took off my ski boots and put on my down slippers to limit the weight swinging on my knee. I took some pain meds and settled in for what looked to be a pleasant afternoon by the fire. We collected wood, made meals and melted snow and drank plenty of fluids for the rest of the day. I was upset we did not summit but relieved to be back at camp really enjoying ourselves.

Clear night on Split Mountain.

The campfire once again provided hours of warmth and entertainment. Heating liquids and drying gear was also made much easier with our blaze. As night fell the winds picked up again. We ducked inside the tent again around 9 or so. Many fears ran through my head that night. Would my knee swell up or be in such pain that I could not make it out in the morning? Would the sun come out tomorrow and soften the slope or would it be another hair raising experience as we either downclimb or ice skate our way out with the wind gusting and blowing us around with full packs. In addition, the winds that night were very strong and woke us up multiple times. There were occasions where the wind was actually blowing under the tent. We stuck the anemometer out one of the vents and recorded winds at almost 40 MPH but we had also had worse ones. We stopped as the ice being blown along with the snow was coming in the tent and that was not good. Jason made a very profound statement, "Our lives are in the hands of a couple paper thin layers of nylon and Chinese stitching." We both got a laugh out of it but it was true. Without a tent we would be screwed! We both were exceptionally pleased at how well the REI Arete ASL 3 tent held up to a full side-on wind. We did not even run all the guylines out, just the basics and it still held.

Clothing break on the way down.

Morning came and with the sun came the change in the wind pattern we were hoping for. The gusts were less frequent and much milder. We got up and were pleased to see lots of sun! We were not in a hurry as we needed to let the snow soften so we casually packed up and got our gear ready. We tore down our fire pit and put the black sides of the rocks down. We headed out around 9:30AM. The snow conditions were great and my knee was a little better, certainly no worse than the night before.

We enjoyed 4,000 vertical feet and nearly 4 miles of skiing back toward the truck on untracked snow. This is what backcountry skiing is supposed to be! I did have a few wipeouts as I am not accustomed to skiing with a full pack and I was a little timid on the upper, steeper slopes due to my knee but I finally got into a good rhythm. We skied all the way back to within a 1/4 mile of the truck  taking our gear off and hiking the remainder. I started the descent with 4 layers on top including a down jacket. We stopped a little over halfway down and stripped down to t-shirts as we were roasting! What a difference a few thousand feet and some sun make. I was so happy to see the truck after all the bad thoughts I had the night before. I was also rather tired from the long ski back down and did not bother taking off my pack for my first rest. I just opened the tailgate and laid face down on it and it felt so good!

The end of a great adventure.

I'm tired, I will rest right here!

Every trip is a new learning experience. Most of my backpacking has been where fires were prohibited but I must say that I will seek out more locations where this is allowed as it makes the time around camp much more enjoyable. In the future I will also stake out my tent better even if the wind is not blowing at that time as things change, quickly! Jason and I also discussed that perhaps our trips should be day tours to higher elevations and ski back down to the lower areas for the night. This will mean less wind, warmer nights and perhaps even some steaks on the bbq for dinner! All good lessons learned. I am eager to get out for more. I have a guided backcountry ski trip coming up in 2 weeks and I am sure I will learn plenty on that. At least on that trip we will be staying in a condo so no more frigid nights!

Click here for the complete set of photos for this adventure.

Skiing the Baldy Bowl

With the less than harsh January weather of Southern California, my friend Edd figured it was time for a Brunch on Baldy hike in the 70 degree weather. It is not often we get to climb up Mt. Baldy in the snow with such pleasant temps in January so we figured we would head out and get it done before the weather changed.

As I now have backcountry skis this would be my first ascent on Baldy carrying my skis up and then carving turns down the bowl rather than glissading as I have done in the past. The dilemma I was faced with was what to wear? Sounds like my feminine side coming out I know but as a skier and a hiker I am sometimes put at odds. The main issue I was wrestling with was the boots. Backcountry ski boots are designed to be walked in but typically that is for on snow and not all that far. While they have settings to make them flex and you can buckle them loose to make them more comfortable for walking they are still no comparison to a good pair of regular boots for comfort. I thought about just bringing some lightweight hiking shoes for the approach and then switching to the boots for the climb up past the ski hut. This sounded great but that meant I would have to pack my heavy ski boots in my backpack. Problem is they will not fit in my new ski mountaineering pack and I would have to bring a bigger pack not designed for skis. To simplify things I just went with the ski boots for the whole trip.

As this was a brunch hike I planned on having a really nice meal at the top. I had planned a menu with my friend Jason to include carne asada omelets with jalapeno-muenster cheese, fresh onion and green peppers and topped with fresh tomatoes and avocado. I had also recently rigged up a device for toasting English muffins over my stove and we would have those as well. We were both to bring stoves as I would heat water for tea and then toast the muffins while Jason cooked up our omelets on his stove and pan. I am getting hungry just writing this!

We were to be on the trail by 6:30AM which meant a very early wake-up to get ready and meet my friends before driving up to the trail head at Manker Flats. I had a voice mail on my phone and unfortunately Jason could not make it as he had been out hiking the desert over the last two days and just home at 1AM the night prior. Bad news for me as he was to have the fry pan and stove for the omelets! Fortunately I made a quick phone call and arranged a new carpool and borrowed some time on my friend Edd’s stove with fry pan as my new stove will not fit anything other than a pot.

We got to the trail head in the dark and met up with the others in our group. We set out at about 6:45AM, with me in my ski boots. The hike up to the ski hut was not too bad but my pack was heavy with food for two (except only I would be eating it) and all my ski and avalanche gear. The avalanche danger was exceptionally low but there was evidence of some recent slides so it was better to be cautious.

Making our way up the bowl.

We reached the ski hut in a few hours and the snow below it had slowed us down as we kept stepping through it. We put on our crampons and helmets and grabbed our ice axes and were ready to head up the bowl to the summit. Due to the soft snow the trip up the bowl was very difficult. We sunk quite deeply with every step and had to kick step all the way up. While I had the largest feet and sturdiest boots by far, I also weighed more than anyone else, especially with all my ski gear. This made the climb up rather difficult, but those behind me really appreciated the gigantic platform steps I left for them. We all took turns leading to share the burden of kicking in the first steps.

We finally reached the summit at 12:30PM. I can’t say I was starving (that takes about 3 weeks with no food) but I was extremely hungry! My English muffin and a granola bar I had 7 hours prior was not much to go on for such a climb. It was windy on the summit so we dropped off the top and found some shelter in a tree well nearby. It was finally time to get down to the brunch portion of the brunch hike!

My backcountry English muffin toaster.

I got out my avalanche shovel and made a nice seat to start. I then passed the shovel off to my friends. It is amazing how such a simple tools is so valuable in the snow. I then proceeded to melt some snow and make hot water for tea. With my new MSR Reactor stove, this was done with lightning speed! If you read my blog on my Mammoth ski trip you will understand my frustration with waiting for hot water from snow melt. I then prepared my apparatus for toasting English muffins. It was nothing more than some stainless steel wire I fabricated into a circle with a tail that I could attach to the handle of my pot. A little positioning of the stove to obtain the ideal distance of 8 inches between burner and muffin (determined the day prior in the comfort of my kitchen) and I was toasting. I shared the toasted and buttered muffins with the group as we all share on these adventures. Edd finished with his stove and I proceeded to cook up my feast. With the fresh tomato and avocado topping off my breakfast scramble I easily won the best looking breakfast award! I did share some but my stomach kept me from sharing too much.

Geared up on the summit for a quick descent.

With brunch complete it was time to head down. I mounted my skis while others prepared for the glissade. The snow was soft as it was so warm out. This is nice for glissading the steep slope but not so good for skiing. As we descended I enjoyed the upper sections greatly. Wide open snow fields were great for making big sweeping turns. It felt great even though the snow had the consistency of mashed potatoes! As we neared the ski hut I had a hard time navigating through the rock and bushes on the line I had chosen. Fortunately the others did not see my wipeout as my path narrowed and one ski went over top of a bush mostly covered by snow. Not only did I fall but I broke through the snow and landed in the bush on my back. I felt like a poor turtle turned over and had to jettison my skis and get myself out of the hole I was in which was made more difficult by my pack. I walked the remainder of the way to the ski hut, a few hundred yards.

Back at the ski hut we put away all our ice gear and prepared for the walk back down. Some were complaining of cold feet. I on the other hand had the reverse problem. My boots worked great at keeping my feet warm in Mammoth in near zero degree weather but at that moment in the 70 degree heat my feet were soaked from sweat! I guess it is hard to make a breathable ski boot that works well at zero as well as 70 degrees.

The hike back down from the hut to the trail head always seems twice as long as it was on the way up. I was tired and my feet were now beginning to hurt. I could feel I had a few spots rubbing and they were completely wet. Back at the car it felt so good to remove my boots and let my feet breath. Putting on my tennis shoes was so rewarding as I felt like I was walking on air!

I always learn something on these trips. Long walks in backcountry ski boots suck! My new stove was awesome and could melt snow better than anything else I have ever used. My toaster apparatus worked great and I really enjoyed the hot English muffins on the trail. As always I learned more about the wildly different experiences you can have on snow based upon the current conditions. In the summer this is typically not an issue. It is going to be dirt and rock, just like the last time. In the winter you can have powder snow, warm soft snow, slush, ice, corn snow and you can even have all of these on the same trip! Now throw in the variable snow depths and quickly changing weather patterns and you can see why this is a challenging environment even for the most experienced winter adventurers. I will keep at it and build my skills in a slow and safe manor so I can continue doing this for a long time to come.