Started on the trailhead at about 7:30 AM with about 1L of water. An earlier start would have been better but someone who shall remain unnamed overslept and held up the entire group.
Filled up at Columbine Spring with 2.5L water. Topped off at the springs (there are two pipes that I found) at Kellys Camp and proceeded to summit with about 2L of water. Kellys Camp is a nice little spot for a base camp if someone were to want to do peak bagging, exploring, or just plain hanging out. Very restful. I hadn't been to Kellys (went up the ridge via Bighorn last time) in a while and was glad I stopped by.Trail to Icehouse saddle about as clear as the Santa Monica Freeway. It was a Monday so we only saw two other groups of hikers, but the trail to Icehouse is well trodden. The traffic drops off after the 5 way split* at Icehouse Saddle.
*The five trails from Icehouse Saddle:
1. Trail back down Icehouse Saddle.
2. Trail north to the 3 T's.
3. Trail east to Comanche and the Middle Fork of Lytle Creek
4. Trail SE to Cucamona Pk
5. Trail WSW to Ontario Pk.
The least travelled of the five trails was the trail down to Comanche Camp on the Middle Fork of Lytle Creek. I've been to Comanche recently from the east, but haven't done the stretch from the saddle to Comanche in years. Looks like interesting, seldom visited country. Of course it's a 1500' or so drop down to Comanche from Icehouse Saddle, so I'm sure that dissuades many.
Interestingly there are two "trails" or what appear to be well established trails leaving Icehouse saddle that aren't one of the five mentioned above. One goes up the S ridge of Timber which is a logical direct route to bag Timber, but another goes around to the steep east side of Timber. What the heck? Anyone know what this is? Maybe it's just people who thought the trail down the Middle Fork left precisely from the saddle (it actually leaves from a point about 50 yards south of the true saddle).
The trail to Ontario from the saddle is signed (as are all the trails). It's a bit obscured at the saddle due to people kind of going every which way to get onto the the trail but quickly becomes a clear, unified trail. Nicely forested up to Kellys Camp but thereafter goes through the burn area which is pretty shadeless. On one note, some small conifers were finally popping up in the burn area which is great news. The fire that burned the area over was in the 80's and the trees have never come back. These little conifers I saw may have been brought to life by the good rain years around 2005, but some are now looking a little distressed probably from the subsequent drought. Hope some of 'em make it. It'd be really nice to see the area regain its forest cover.
From the spot where the trail intersects the ridge above Kellys Camp (marked by a very weather beaten wooden sign leaning on a rock that indicates Big Horn Peak to the left and Ontario Peak to the right), you have to bypass three false summits. The trail consistently bypasses the false summits on the north side. One clue to the true Ontario Peak is that the true summit has some living trees on it within 20 or so feet of the top whereas the false summits are barren of living trees. The trail is pretty clear albeit not quite the freeway that the trail up Icehouse Canyon is, so you may not even need a tip, but there you have it just in case. You have to push through a bit of brush and climb over a couple of downed logs, but nothing major. The burned over area while hot does provide a continuous series of great views.
Ontario's summit has great views of the valley below and much of the San Gabriels from Cucamonga and the 3 T's to the east, to Baldy and Baden-Powell to the north to Waterman and the Twins to the NW all the way out to Mt. Wilson and even Mt. Lukens to the west. Hadn't really thought of Lawlor as much compared to Strawberry, but Lawlor really stands out from the summit of Ontario. Ontario has an interesting summit with several sizeable blocks of rock. A very large (now dead) pine tree is on the summit which is also odd (usually lightning takes out such trees before they get so large).
I drank water untreated from both of the springs mentioned. If you see no further posts from me, don't do the same.
