Another month almost snuck by without me getting up to something. It's been a busy time of getting my graduate students finished, service commitments, and doing various other things for other people, so I felt justified in taking a day for myself. I had yet to summit San Gorgonio Mountain, southern California's highest peak at 11499ft, so that seemed like a suitable solo outing. I opted for the Vivian Creek Trail option from Forest Falls (17.3mi round trip, 5500ft elevation gain) as it meant less driving. I strategically packed a sub-3lb backpack (planning to filter water at creek crossings along the way rather than carrying it) and broke my standard practice by wearing lightweight shorts rather than hiking pants. I set off from the trailhead at about 6am, the crisp dawn air helping motivate progress. I cruised the short distance along the old forest road and then cut across the rocky expanse of Mill Creek, currently a river of boulders not water. I then followed switchbacks 800ft vertical up the steep side of the valley to the peculiar hanging valley of Vivian Creek. Below this point Vivian Creek plunges through a series of waterfalls back down to Mill Creek, another past solo venture of mine. From this point on it would be terra nueva for me.
The trail gradually ascended along Vivian Creek, at intervals crossing through some lush meadows and past some sizable cedar trees reminiscent of sequoias. I passed a few backpackers at Halfway Camp unnoticed at about 1.5 hours. Unfortunately this was far from halfway to the summit. Switchbacks climbed out of Vivian Creek through a more sparse forest surrounded by scrub. As the trail exited Vivian's drainage and traversed over to High Creek, I got my first shot of sunlight, which would persist throughout the rest of the day. This face provided spectacular views across to Galena Peak opposite Mill Creek Canyon.
I found High Creek busy with a flurry of backpacker camps, some packing up to hike down, others readying to dayhike to the summit. The low scrub coating the west wall of the valley seemed particularly interesting to me, an ecosystem I haven't seen too frequently in southern California. I stopped to filter my first water at the High Creek crossing and chewed some electrolytes. At 9200ft elevation, I still had some climbing to do!
More switchbacks. Here I passed a few ascending hikers and a trail runner heading down. I got a great view of Raywood Flat, the geomorphic oddity slowly being erased by Mill Creek Jumpoff and Middle Fork Jumpoff, like a candle burning at both ends. The forest here was irreparably devastated by the 2020 Apple Fire for as far as I could see. Beyond was the standalone massif of San Jacinto Peak, site of my last peakbag.
The upright trees gave way to boulder fields and stunted conifers, wind-swept to snake along the ground. Finally reaching the main ridgeline, I was single-minded in beelining for the summit but in hindsight I should have taken more off-trail detours to peer down the north side glacial cirques. At the summit I overlapped briefly with one other friendly hiker. The smog considerably diminished the clear potential of the view but nevertheless I enjoyed picking up many distant landmarks through the haze. To the north I could see Dry Lake (wet!), San Gorgonio moraines, Barton Flat, Sugarloaf Mountain's landslide face, Big Bear Lake, the Cushenbury Quarry area near the Blackhawk Landslide, and a sliver of hazy Mojave Desert beyond. To the west I could make out Mt Baldy, the Box Springs Mountains in Riverside, and hazy Santa Ana Mountains past. To the south was Mt San Jacinto, the San Timateo Badlands, Coachella Valley, and Toro Peak in the Santa Rosas. If it was clearer I should have been able to see the Salton Sea. To the east was the high desert of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms. With a short detour from the summit I could also look down into the North Fork of the Whitewater River with its glacial moraines I was quite interested in. I sat on the summit long enough to absorb the sight, down a snack, chug some water, apply some sunscreen, and even lay out on the only flattish rock for five minutes or so. The temperature was very pleasant and although looking across I was still clearly within the southern California smog layer, the air tasted noticeably cleaner than my hike up. As I could see a group approaching on the final stretch I reluctantly got ready to head back down.
My trekking poles came out as I tried to make good time retracing my steps. I generally dislike out-and-back hikes compared to loops, and with the day's heat beginning to set in, I was just looking to get back. I passed many people on the way to the summit as I headed back down. I bypassed the main switchbacks altogether on the slope back down to High Creek, apparently knocking about a mile of trail from my hike. At the High Creek crossing I stopped for some more water and again later at the Vivian Creek crossing. The return hike was without incident though I relied heavily on my poles to catch my left ankle from rolling five times and also began to feel the wear of the descent on my knees. I made it back to the trailhead around 3:15pm. I ended up logging 16.2mi, 5300ft ascent, and a 8hr15min time. All in all it was great to get out. The Mt Baldy summit trails have apparently just been reopened following the Bridge Fire so I guess I'll have to hike the last of SoCal's "big three" at some point.
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