Top 5 of 2015: Most Memorable Hikes

HikingGeek.com · Post by **HikingGeek.com** » Mon Dec 21, 2015 10:42 am

The last year has been amazing. I spent more days on the trail than I ever have, took my first extended backpacking trip (High Sierra Trail) and I became an ambassador for 3 great companies. Out of my 50+ days on the trail, there are 5 that really stand out:

5. North Fork of Big Pine Creek
4. Banner Peak, Day 2
3. Alto Diablo Peak via ‘Duct Tape Ridge’
2. High Sierra Trail, Day 6 – Guitar Lake to Whitney Portal
1. High Sierra Trail, Day 2 – Bearpaw Meadow to Precipice Lake

Clicking the link or the photo below will bring you to webpage with photos and explanations why these days on the trail were memorable. What hikes from the last year stick out in your mind?

Top 5 of 2015: Most Memorable Hikes

Thanks to the members of this forum for answering my questions! The planning process for all of these trips would've been more difficult without your help!

RichardK · Post by **RichardK** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 2:55 am

Of your list, I have done only the North Fork of Big Pine Creek. Isn't it spectacular? I was stunned by the beauty of Sam Mack Meadow the first time I saw it. It is a must to cross the creek and ascend the trail a bit to see the view down into the valley from above. Too bad your group didn't have time for the boulder scramble to the Palisade Glacier.

fortified · Post by **fortified** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 9:06 pm

Since almost all my hikes are basically trail runs, my expiriences are usually filled with running, the 1992 Sony Walkman, and the natural endorphins flowing, I don't have the beautiful exotic scenery stories.
RUNNER UP (for Steve Harvey, that means second place)
Just a couple days ago. The first annual Echo Mtn festival of lights. I didn't go with them.
I went the other way by taking the fire ridge (not a real trail) straight up from the top of Lake Ave. in Altadena, to the 3 minute connection at the 3,000 foot level on the left to Mt. Lowe rode, up .7 miles to the Mt Lowe railway trail, then, .7 miles mildly down to Echo.
The fun part was 450 people coming up, (the opposite way) at night. All of them with headlights, Christmas lights, and all the lights they could carry for the photo. Running down was not an option. Just had to go with (against) the flow. Then, someone fell of the side, and was hanging on by dog leashes tide together.
So, from the 450 people lit up, combine the amount of emergency vehicles ( about 15), that made it look like 9-11 Altadena....and the helicopter. She is fine.
NUMBER ONE HIKE:
I will call it the "after hike". I lost my car key running after hours in the Griffith Park mountains. I ran a couple miles to the zoo, and called a taxi at
11:30 P.M
Taxi driver demanded up front money because its a long ride. "Everything is in the car, or at home" was not an answer the cabbie wanted, and got real irritated. The result? Walk 14 miles home until 4:00 A..M.
The unusual things are always the most memorable.

fortified · Post by **fortified** » Tue Dec 22, 2015 9:17 pm

fortified wrote: ↑Since almost all my hikes are basically trail runs, my expiriences are usually filled with running, the 1992 Sony Walkman, and the natural endorphins flowing, I don't have the beautiful exotic scenery stories.
RUNNER UP (for Steve Harvey, that means second place)
Just a couple days ago. The first annual Echo Mtn festival of lights. I didn't go with them.
I went the other way by taking the fire ridge (not a real trail) straight up from the top of Lake Ave. in Altadena, to the 3 minute connection at the 3,000 foot level on the left to Mt. Lowe rode, up .7 miles to the Mt Lowe railway trail, then, .7 miles mildly down to Echo.
The fun part was 450 people coming up, (the opposite way) at night. All of them with headlights, Christmas lights, and all the lights they could carry for the photo. Running down was not an option. Just had to go with (against) the flow. Then, someone fell of the side, and was hanging on by dog leashes tide together.
So, from the 450 people lit up, combine the amount of emergency vehicles ( about 15), that made it look like 9-11 Altadena....and the helicopter. She is fine.
NUMBER ONE HIKE:
I will call it the "after hike". I lost my car key running after hours in the Griffith Park mountains. I ran a couple miles to the zoo, and called a taxi at
11:30 P.M
Taxi driver demanded up front money because its a long ride. "Everything is in the car, or at home" was not an answer the cabbie wanted, and got real irritated. The result? Walk 14 miles home until 4:00 A..M. The funnest part was running as fast as I could for about .3 miles on the 134 freeway. it is the only way to get to the East side of the L.A. river without going one and a half miles out of the way.
The unusual things are always the most memorable.

Post by **Sean** » Thu Dec 24, 2015 5:05 pm

It's hard to beat the Sierras. But I'll limit my selections to local hikes for this forum.

1. Four One Fifteen: an April Fool's Day hike to a special benchmark in the Sierra Pelonas

2. Turtle's Beak: definitely one of the prettiest high country peaks I visited in the past year.

3. Stanley-Miller Mine: a very cool mine in the East Fork.

4. Kimchi Ridge: a fun day of climbing in one of the more spectacular areas of rock in the Gabes.

5. Skull Canyon: if you like waterfalls, this is a good place to spend some quality scrambling time.

Post by **JeffH** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 7:34 am

I'll agree with the Sierras. I didn't do as much hiking as I would like, work kept getting in the way. Now that I'm not working I'll have more time for the fun stuff.
I did the Rae Lakes Loop this year from Onion Valley, my longest backpack trip so far. Completely alone for two full days out there was memorable.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 6:54 pm

I guess my top 5 for 2015 were:

1. Gene Marshall Trail
2. Cottonwood Lakes #4 with my daughter before she ran off to college

3. Wonderland of Rocks in J Tree
4. Solo snow hike on my birthday in May to the Baldy Ski Hut
5. Loop through upper Eaton Canyon on the Idlehour Trail

3 of 5 of these were with my daughter which is what makes them memorable for me.

sesshin · Post by **sesshin** » Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:48 pm

fortified wrote: ↑1992 Sony Walkman

I like your style.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Sat Jan 09, 2016 7:40 am

I know that both teke and Sean "Dirty White Boy" Cucamonga put together slide shows of their 2015 exploits. That inspired me to do the same here:
http://wildsouthland.blogspot.com/2016/ ... iew_9.html

Anybody else do that kind of thing? If so, let's have a look, yeah?

AW~ · Post by **AW~** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 4:23 pm

How about worst 5?

1) peak 4177 West Twin - how about a hike up into heavy moisture content and fog, where the views would be cool except there are no views now. Did you just hear a mountain lion? Weather forecast was the storm would be gone or go away but no such luck. Top it off by hiking back down the wrong ridge and then into dense bushwacking to return to the 7 or 8 mile return hike.

2) The Grotto - SM Mtns - havent gone on a popular hike in a long time? This is very good medicine. Just how popular is this? For example, try one group at 135 people and add that to a very popular hike.
http://www.meetup.com/hiking-196/events/227765683/
Admire the grotto is full of trash such as takeable maps and the smell of urine/feces. The local artists have probably painted since the last reset. Sage advice from these cats: "If you drink too much, you will not feel good the next day hahaha

". They even help on navigation, if you cant see more than 1 boulder in front of you and their mark is the only place reasonable to go to. Perhaps you could visit in the spring when the ticks swarm this place looking for dogs they will find.

3) Devils Punchbowl/Holcomb ridge - if you hear someone say this area is only for kids, send them onto this ridge from SouthFork....with a plan to return via Holcomb creek. Like decomposed rock with significant exposure? That finally sent me into the main creek on the other side, which lucky for me ended up being one of my better trips since I got to see a strange waterfall and flowers....which is either ultra rare for that area or the only one. Dont be surprised if there is no way down to Holcomb creek from that ridge without ropes.

4) Stanley-Miller via Midway ridge - you know the only reason people havent come across the trail on the old topos between Allison &SM is because they havent looked hard enough right? Make it more exciting by not being familiar with the way down.

5) Alder Gulch - everyone knows the truth about this one. People say its this hideous bushwack and you have to be 101% determined to want to see a cabin further upstream.....but the truth is they are keeping this amazing place to themselves...even going so far as editing footage? Or is it made tough at the beginning but easy going later to keep people out?