We parked at Three Points and took the PCT to the Twin Peaks Saddle Trail. Quite a bit of blooming poodle dog bush kept us alert and sidestepping portions of the overgrown path. We followed the trail under a hot sun until it stopped following the ridge and veered off to begin contouring around the great southern flanks of Waterman Mountain. Here we hopped onto the ridgetop and promptly sat down in the shade of a pine tree for a break. A few minutes later we were on the use trail for Waterman's west ridge.
The path was pretty nice in stretches and had some cairns to guide us here and there around a few obstacles like outcroppings and dense brush. But mostly it was a really easy ridge to negotiate.
After leaving the Saddle Trail, there was a steady climb for about 400 feet of gain, then we reached the first giant rocks.
Beyond this more rocks dotted the ridgeline, but for the most part the trail skirted them along the left.
While avoiding the giant boulders, we enjoyed a relatively level stretch of trail. Then a final push of 560' gain had us huffing and puffing again. But it was all worth it when we reached the cool, tranquil setting of Delight Peak.
It was a nice, flat area to relax on some rocks under trees. And the summit rock required only basic climbing skills.
We didn't find a register, but someone had deposited a glass bottle into the gap between two slices of rock on the summit. Being unreachable, it'll probably sit in there for quite awhile.
Next up was Double Delight Peak, which is merely a set of rocky bumps on the east side of Delight. There are three separate highpoints, two of which are easy to mount, with a third currently surmountable (class 3/4) because of a dead tree that fell onto the boulder and offers a way to the top. We checked all three spots and could not find any sign of a register.
(Strategically placed deadfall.)
(On the highest bump at Double Delight Peak.)
We spent some time picking foxtails out of our shoes, then we headed back to Delight Peak. The north ridge of Delight offered a loop opportunity--and another pretty decent use path much of the way down to the highway.
Down at the ACH, we were pretty close to the PCT, so we followed that back to Three Points.
