EISPIRATEN

With the ANF and much of the Santa Monicas closed due to extreme fire conditions, I had to look elsewhere yesterday for some outdoor entertainment. Fortunately, there is a local range that is apparently impervious to burning and is not entirely closed down...yet. Being in such close proximity to the ...

I know David's New Years resolution for 2025.

Ha, ha!

Did you go up Rattlesnake AW?

Cool outing boys. What was your mileage/gain for the day?

Yuuuuge!

Christopher Lord did a variation on this route back in May of 2020, although he didn't do it in one day and didn't actually summit Cobblestone.

At Ant Camp (which Chris restored), instead of grinding up the ridge you ascended, he followed the old abandoned trail (19W10) up the Agua Blanca ...

Noice.

I assume that is Snowbasin in the rear-ground of some of your pics?

Good beta. Thx. OG of the SG.

When I go with others, I'm admittedly less prepared, especially if it's their route and they know what they're doing. But that's really me leaning into them when I shouldn't. Your experience Sean is a good reminder to not be so complacent about it. You never think shit is going to happen, but shit ...

Was Stepladder still a visible landmark? I suppose worst-case scenario you could have back-tracked to Stepladder to re-orient and then descend the same way you came up?

Sean assured me this would be a uniquely stupid outing. Happy to report that it was actually quite a fun day with several of the forum goofballs.

You can make a really nice 15 mile +/- loop by going up Pratt, down Gridley (or visa versa) and across Shelf Road.

The Mrs. wants to try for Whitney next summer when she hits the big 6-0, so we went up Pratt to Nordhoff yesterday to gauge fitness and begin a series of training hikes. Nice day to be out. Warm enough but a bit overcast to make the skies interesting.

Trail is in acceptable shape. There are a ...

More pointless HPS peaks, well, Cole Point (HPS #222) is actually a "point" so by definition not pointless.

Ha, ha! Well played.

On second look, your proposed route doesn't get us that far up Beckley to worry about the challenges Brennen talks about.

Any idea if there is a firebreak along that ridge out of the canyon? Those south-facing slopes are pretty dang brushy.

Hmmm. I don't know about Hall Beckley.

http://brennen.caltech.edu/advents/halbec.htm

I know this will sound a little like a trip report, but i don't really intend it that way.

I made the pilgrimage to Owen Brown's grave Sunday afternoon. Instead of parking at the end of El Prieto Road and walking up the road, I started in the Arroyo Seco, went up El Prieto Canyon, and then ...

Weekdays generally don't work for me and I'm out of town 11/24. That leaves me with 12/14.

I know nothing of Beckley Canyon, but willing to give it a go. I think we ascend Beckley and descend Earl. Better to know what's ahead and how long it will take on the way out then on the way in IMO.

As a friend of mine would say, "Gnar!"

I'd like to get to these peaks if my schedule allows. When were you thinking of going again?

Well, we could go up Earl, tag Pickens, then follow the Lukens Fire Road southeast past Hawks (and grab that along the way) to the Teepee, and then down whatever that trail is called (the TeePee Trail) to the end of Harter Lane. Or we could reverse that and go the other direction. Leave a car at ...

I haven't been to Pickens yet. You still interested in that? Anyone else?

Also, anyone know whether the Earl Canyon Fire Road is a viable route to Pickens? Parking/access issues?

Yesterday on a whim, I went back to the Angeles for some unfinished business. I wanted to get to Hawks Peak but didn't want to tread the same ground I did recently, so decided to approach from the Angeles Crest Station instead of the end of Harter Lane. The potential downside to that approach is a ...

I don't know about "Nearer Water," but there was in fact plenty of water still running in the creek. A nice late-season surprise, particularly in this arid environment.

Sorry I missed this Jeff. Looks like y'all had a swell time.

About 45 minutes north of St. George, Utah sits the Pine Valley Mountains. They rise to over 10,000 feet providing a stark contrast to the red sandstone that is the hallmark of the lower elevations. The mountains hold snow deep into the spring which provides a beautiful backdrop to the local ...

The MapBuilder base layer in CalTopo identifies Pt. 4602 as "Centennial Peak." For whatever that is worth.

https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=34.2192 ... z=16&b=mbh

Cool dima. I always like the unconventional routes you find. That drainage down low looks poison oak-y.

I've been trying to keep this on the down low, but now you know the real reason I've been out of pocket for awhile.

AW~ wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:24 pm I thought they said the place was contaminated by the corona virus.

It is!