Wandern in Germany!

Well, it's official. My son and I will be spending a week and a half in Germany later this month! We will be visiting family but also trying to squeeze in a few hikes (Wandern in German) to walk off the beer, schweineshaxe, pretzels, etc.

I am really hoping to walk around Berchtesgaden or try to get up Watzmann, Germany's second highest peak:

The Watzmann rising over Berchtesgaden

We also hope to squeeze in some time in Oberbayern, perhaps hiking to the famous Kloster Andechs for some of their famous beer.

I'll keep a log of our Wandern adventures and update the blog when I can.

Thoughts on the lost San Gorgonio hikers

If you haven't heard, three hikers from Oceanside were lost up on Mt. San Gorgonio from Saturday until yesterday. Hiking only in T shirts and shorts, they apparently lost the trail in the snow near the summit (at 11,500 feet the tallest in Southern California). A fourth hiker who headed back after a couple of hours of hiking got worried Saturday night when the three didn't return and so he contacted Rangers who got rescue efforts started.

Now I fully admit I'm pretty much a noob at this hiking in the mountains thing, so I tried really hard to understand their circumstances. And maybe we don't yet know the full story. But here are some of my thoughts on this situation.

First, let me say how glad I am that they were found - safe and relatively healthy. That's great news.

But honestly, who looks up at the summit, sees the snow they know they are going to have to cross, and takes off anyway, wearing only shorts? And having apparently overslept at their campgrounds, forcing a late start to the climb - still head up on a 10-12 mile (one way) hike?

I guess what got me riled up was how the media started referring to these three as "experienced hikers."

No, experienced hikers have maps or GPS. They don't get summit fever and postpone an attempt if conditions (like late starts and snow) call for it or change.

And they know enough about local conditions to dress appropriately. They might even look at overnight forecasts or forecasts based on altitude to see what they really need to take along.

So, maybe my beef is with the media. Maybe the hikers didn't label themselves as experienced.

Seeing the video, they sure looked relieved to have been rescued.

And while this was going on, another group of hikers went and got themselves lost coming down from San Jacinto's summit.

They were found after they had somehow gotten off the main trail and walked over to the Ranger Station near the tram station, where they spent the night.

So the positives from these incidents? Well, southern California has an excellent search and rescue process in place. And, sadly, they get called out too frequently.

Many of these teams are comprised of volunteers. So when you see a Ranger, or you see the SAR teams out on practice - say thanks to them. They're the first responders for us hikers and I for one and glad they are there and so good at their jobs.

Now, it's back to training for my own attempt at San Gorgonio. You can bet I won't be wearing shorts!

H2P (Humber Park to San Jacinto Peak)

Wow, hard to believe that less than a year ago I dragged my out of shape (but improving) butt up from the tram to the peak and now I get to write about a 16 mile (r/t) hike with some serious elevation gain. What a difference a year makes!

Three of us decided to take on this hike. We got to Humber Park and stepped off just before 8 AM last Saturday. The weather forecasts called for a clear day and pretty warm, with highs in Idyllwild around 70 or so.

We ran into almost no one at the beginning of the hike, and until we got to the peak trail where the hikers from the tram meet up, we really saw very few hikers. The hike up Devil's Slide was uneventful and no more snow is left on that trail.

 

Leaving Saddle Junction on a clear sunny day

The trip up from Saddle Junction was clear and sunny with excellent views down to Tahquitz and Hemet.

Does the orange fleece make me look fat?

We finally hit some patchy snow around the 9,000 foot level, where we branched off from the Pacific Crest Trail and headed out to Wellman's Divide.

Most of the snow was patchy and pretty easy to get around. But even when we had to go up and over, we never really dug down in (post holing in hiking terms).

The trip over to Wellman's Divide was another beautiful section for weather. The snow was gone and had beaten down the shoulder high brush that we encountered last September. At the Wellman's Cienega run off, water was flowing freely and we encountered three mule deer drinking from the stream off the trail.

Our next break stop was Wellman's Divide at 9,700 feet. We had hiked over 4 miles and gained about 3,000 feet of altitude so we were ready for the stop.

Best trail mix in the world, at least at 9,700 feet!

From Wellman's we had just under 2.5 miles to go to get the the summit at 10,850 feet. After a much shorter break than I expected we were off. One of our group was really feeling the altitude by now, even though he had powered up Mt. Baldy last fall and is in great shape. The going was slow with many short breaks for him to catch his breath and let his heart rate fall. We kept close watch and he never had any severe symptoms, so on we pressed.

After those two long (and I do mean long) switchbacks, we finally saw the last trail sign before the summit.

Yes, we had already climbed 7.3 miles!

Yes, the sign was in the snow and we hit a few patches of it, but it was all very manageable. The dry winter up there doesn't bode well for our water levels this summer. Be prepared to stop washing your cars soon.

I have to say that compared to last year, I was doing pretty well with the altitude. The walk up to the rescue hut seemed to go pretty well this year. Last year I was using the technique of counting steps and picking out trees and other landmarks and telling myself, I can make it another 10 steps, or I can make it to that tree. I Guess I am in better shape this year. That feels pretty good.

Finally the rescue hut appeared. Built in 1936 (I think) by the CCA to provide storm shelter, it is the last landmark before the scramble up to the summit.

A quick break to load my hiking poles (not easy to scramble up boulders with them), and we were ready for the scramble. Two volunteer rangers coming down remarked on how they liked my bright orange fleece. So far, every ranger I've encountered while wearing it has said the same thing. If I need rescue I want to be seen! Which always amazes me when REI and others only sell light green, grey, and khaki colored clothing - but that's a topic for another post.

The final scramble really isn't rock climbing and if you pick the right spots, you don't even have to "scramble" in the real sense of the word. The route I picked was a combination, especially since my knees don't bend like they used to.

Seeing the summit sign so close is a great motivator!

Once at the top, the weather was great, the wind was calm and the views were fantastic!

10,850 feet! And still able to stand and breathe.

Of course, some hipsters and tourists had decided to camp out at the summit sign and geo plaque, so we couldn't get our obligatory tourist pictures, but of course, I took my obligatory selfie:

 

Rocking the edelweiss buff!

The trip down was pretty quick and uneventful. I stripped off the fleece at the rescue hut since it was only going to get warmer as we descended. Once we did turn southward again, we could see a rescue helicopter circling Tahquitz Rock (also know as Lily Rock). It turns out a rock climber had fallen and required a full rescue response.

I have to tell you that Devil's Slide going down seems absolutely endless. That final 2.5 miles is all downhill, but just seems to keep on going. Seeing the parking lot was a final happy moment!

Tired but happy!

So, 16 miles of hiking, 4400 feet of elevation gain - was it worth it? Absolutely! it was a great start to the season, and this year I am determined to captured all three saints before the snows blow in again. We might also do this trip again, or go up Deer Springs to the summit.

Two of the three hikers are planning on a cactus to cloud trip in the fall. Nope, I'm not one of them. See you on the trails!

Getting ready for San Jacinto means walking, lots of walking

So this coming Saturday, weather permitting, we'll do the Humber Park route up to Mt San Jacinto's summit. To help prepare, I thought we should get some mileage in last weekend. My first thought was the Big Laguna trail up near Julian which is a 10.25 mile loop and includes some PCT.

But since our San Jacinto attempt is around 16 miles, we thought we could add some distance by heading up to Garnet Peak before hitting the PCT. That would stretch us out to about 14 or so miles.

Not a bad Saturday outing. And, being this close to Julian meant we could indulge in some apple pie at the end.

What I forgot about in the midst of my fantasies about Julian apple pie was that hiking with a former Marine officer meant hiking fast. And since my nickname is "Old and Slow" this was going to be interesting.

It was a beautiful Saturday morning when we arrived at the Penny Pines parking area, and by the dearth of parking spots, we weren't going to be the only people enjoying the trails.

But for the 2.5 miles up to Garnet, we were indeed pretty much alone. The peak is a short scramble after some pretty moderate elevation gain and a winding, well maintained section of the PCT. Great views from the granite boulders, and the wind was very light. It was already warm enough for me to get down to just a hiking shirt and pack away the undershirt. After a quick rest and signing of the peak register, we were off.

We had already decided to do this route clockwise, which meant going against traffic on the PCT and as soon as we were past the scramble, we started meeting through hikers for this season's PCT attempt. Starting this early, they must be pretty confident that the Sierras will be clear when they get to them in a month or so - a sign of our very dry winter months. Good for early hiking, not good for Southern California's water resources.

Once we got around the bend we had a clear view of our path ahead, looking over to Foster's Peak, Mt. Laguna, and the desert below.

Yes, it looks like a long way away, and it was! The walk was great, the PCT was not overly crowded and we had enough shady spots to cool off. I took the lead for much of this leg, and surprised myself at the pace we were all keeping. This was our "uphill leg" and so maintaining a 3 mph pace was really good for me.

Once we got over to Foster's Peak, we had a glorious view back at Garnet.

The rest of the hike (about 9 miles) was the usual Big Laguna trail - warm, dusty, mountain bikes, and other hikers. The lake was fuller than I expected but otherwise we just powered through that section.

All told, about 14.5 miles, around a 3 mph average speed, and a couple of sore legs. I think we're ready!

Return to San J

Well, if the weather holds and the trails clear a bit, it looks like we're going to try to summit San J at the end of this month. Rather than using the Tram like we did last year, we'll be starting at Humber Park for a 16 mile round trip trek. Let the training begin!

Check your gear!

OK, so I jinxed myself apparently when I wrote about my ritual of getting ready before hikes. As I mentioned in my last trail report, my not securing a lanyard to my GPS case meant that my GPS is now up on the side of Tahquitz Peak, or in someone else's pocket (enjoy it if you have it). The legend of Tahquitz's curse of that mountain lives on.

I almost always forget something. Usually it is my Adventure Pass for parking or something else pretty insignificant, but sometimes even the small stuff can take on new significance at 8000 feet and above. And I haven't even started backpacking or overnight trips. Woe to me if I forgot my Via packets on a trip like that.

I've also learned to check gear pretty soon after a hike or outing. Nothing like a moldy water reservoir to get that point across!

I guess I need to get into checklists.

How do you prepare? Let me know in the comments.

Tahquitz Valley via Devil's Slide

It was a beautiful day last Saturday, and my hiking partner and I decided to try a loop from Devil's Slide over to Tahquitz Peak and then down the South Ridge trail into Idyllwild. We also considered Devil's Slide over to Wellman's/Strawberry Junction (up to about 9000 feet).

My hiking partner is recovering from a broken leg, pretty much the same injury we saw during March madness the other night, and we've been hiking together as he gains his strength. He's usually pretty hard core, so this is a rare chance for me to be able to keep up with him.

The rangers and volunteers we met at the Ranger Station and on the Devil's Slide trail warned us of the snow we'd encounter on both routes, so we headed off to Tahquitz, via the PCT and decided we'd take conditions as we found them and return if it got too hairy.

It got too hairy!

But I get ahead of myself.

The walk up the Slide was a quick one. Just over an hour to get up 2.5 miles. Once at Saddle Junction and having encountered minimal snow, we headed out on the PCT towards Tahquitz. It was already a warm, cloudless day and we were really enjoying the scenery.

We finally hit snow around 8300 feet, but it was pretty spotty and we still didn't need our Micro Spikes.

At the Tahquitz junction we could see tracks heading out on the usual trail as well as some that look like they went straight up into the snow. We also ran into a lone hiker who asked to tag along. So off we went, inching our way along the side of Tahquitz. About a tenth of a mile in, we hit a shady spot and ice, so we decided it was time for the spikes. After another tenth of a mile and lots of postholing, we decided that was enough.

Lunch break.

The shot above are our tracks, which we followed back to the junction, as seen below.

Things were pretty routine from there until I discovered my GPS was missing. Damn if I had neglected to string up a safety lanyard to it before setting off. So I hiked back up to the junction (I guess I needed the extra mileage) to see if I left it out during our break there.

No luck and there was no way I was heading back out into the snow by myself, so I chalked it up to Tahquitz curse.

On the way back I was rewarded with a beautiful run off/melt water waterfall we had missed on our way up. It was beautiful and calming and reminded my why I hike. I also remembered my GPS was a used basic model from Craig's List, so the rest of the way down was calm and uneventful.

I did stop by the ranger station to file a lost gear report. We'll see if someone finds it out there when the snow really melts away.

It was a beautiful walk on a warm, sunny day. And time in the mountains of southern California is never wasted!