How difficult is the Big Bunny?

[GoalHiking]

I'm hoping to do Villager + Rabbit Peak with the Sierra Club (I'm not a member) at the end of March.

(ADDED: I'd do this after doing all or almost all of the Rabbit Ramp Up series and I'd do the route that the SC does, presumably the Borrego Springs/Ocotillo Wells side. My main concern is whether I should focus on endless box step ups and step downs, or if I should focus on shuffling ever upward.)

So far I've been unable to determine just how hard it is actually and what it compares to in the L.A. area; I'm getting pizza vibes (

These are the issues that I know of:
* Gain (a major concern)
* Carrying lots of water (a major concern. I'll practice rucking. For the hike I'll pre- and post-hydrate)
* Sustained steepness (a major concern)
* Undulating route/false summits/gain on return (a concern)
* Distance (a minor concern)
* Spiky plants (I'll wear long pants + knee-high gaiters)
* Navigation (I'll just be following others)
* Heat/Cold/Sun/Wind (I'll bring cold weather clothing, an umbrella, etc)
* Exposure (welcome unless it's too windy)

A possible major concern is the tread. Apparently there's some Class 2 about 1000' below Villager and at the summit. Is that it, or is Class 2 sprinkled throughout? Is it like walking up stairs, or like getting up and down one 2'+ boulder after another? If there are lots of high step ups and step downs, that would be a major concern.

How much ball-bearings-on-hardpack is there?

How much loose, slippery dirt is there?

How much walking on broken rocks (a la the eastern trail up Mt Lowe) is there?

How much walking on solid, hard-packed dirt is there?

Basically, what should I train for, smooth-ish, trekking pole-assisted Class 1 rucking, or lots of slippery ground with lots of big step ups and step downs?

[Edward]

From which side? Borrego Springs or Indio? It makes a difference.

I assume you know about the Hundred Peaks Section 'Rabbit Ramp Up' series of hikes?

https://hundredpeaks.org/outings.htm

I hiked Rabbit from both sides, back in the 1970's, with the SC. As a two-day Villager and Rabbit backpack from the Borrego Springs side, and a day hike from the Indio side. I day-hiked Villager solo from the Borrego Springs side in 2010, after no serious hiking for many years, due to bad knees. I found the trail much more eroded, with bigger step-ups and -downs. And exposure in a few places. You certainly want trekking poles and good lugs on your footwear. Mainly, it is fine, not subject to any generalization, other then a lot of elevation gain and loss, carrying a relatively heavy pack (water, warm clothes, bedding for a two day trip). I wore shorts, and they were fine, for Villager. Perhaps you want convertible pants?

Great hikes. The main thing is to be sure you are up to the elevation gain and loss. And it can be very cold up there at night.

[David R]

It's tough I did it as a day hike with Villager. The gain on the return was really unpleasant and it also is a lot of miles. I think it was just under 12 hours for me. The good news is once you climb Villager, you've got most of the climb done but that rolling ridge afterwards, no bueno on way back. Also last climb up to Bunny is steep.

Do Rattlesnake and you'll be ready for any terrain going up. I don't remember there being anything overly steep except the last climb up to Rabbit. The drop off going up to Villager is cool but I don't remember the steepness getting to me.

[GoalHiking]

If anyone's interested in doing Villager on Feb 14, please let me know. Moderate pace, starting around 7am or so.

[Edward]

Barring a storm, you will probably find a few other people on the trail. The first quarter mile or so can be a little confusing. The HPS directions say 'the route is evident', I did not find it so in 2010. I would take the HPS directions with you, along with a compass and topo. I was amazed to see that the directions are still from Paul Lipsohn in 1973. I was lost following Paul in Baja around then. Notice the warning about coming down. While Villager is not a great navigational challenge, it could help to benchmark a few GPS points for the descent. Including your car, in case you end up coming down in the dark for some reason. The desert can become disorienting. Scenery is more spectacular than on the Rabbit/Indio side. Please post a report for us! Great time of year to do a great hike!

[dima]

If anyone's interested in doing Villager on Feb 14, please let me know. Moderate pace, starting around 7am or so.

Maaaaybe. I think I'm doing something that weekend already. But if not, I'll let you know. Do write a TR in any case!

[dima]

Did you go do it? How was it?

[GoalHiking]

I'm thinking of just going to Villager as a test on Sun Feb 22. That stats look similar to South Kaibab and I did that at night without any issues, but I'm worried about the tread making things harder. In his old post, Bob Burd says you only need tennis shoes for it, but I'm not Bob Burd. If Villager goes OK I'd try the Bunny a week or two later.

[Edward]

Here is a 2015 trip report. Fairly consistent with my memories.

https://stavislost.com/hikes/trail/villager-peak/

[GoalHiking]

I did my test yesterday, turning around 1000' below Villager because I'd reached my turn-around time. When I parked there were two cars in the lot and I soon met both parties in the flattish area so I was all alone. Because of that I was extra cautious and it took ~4.5 hours up, ~3.5 hours down. Some of that was due to caution. I also slowed down when my HR got out of what Polar thinks is my Zone 3 (which probably overlaps with my actual Zone 2). And, I was carrying more weight than usual. I've recently done some rucks with ~25-30lbs, but those are just to Mt Hwd & take 2 hours or less.

I carried 4L of electrolyte water but due to pre-/post-hydration only drank 1L on the hike (even tho it warmed up a bit).

Going in I was expecting some hellacious off-trail desert route, like going up a gully with endless boulders. This isn't like that (at least to where I stopped): it's all Class 1. It's steep in a couple of spots (around 4.1 & 4.7 miles in) but it also has a couple of brief more level areas. I was able to get up to 3MPH on the return for those but for safety I didn't try to go faster.

There's a visible use trail for almost all of it, and there are lots of cairns. I only used those as a sanity check in a couple of places. They might be useful at night however.

There's exposure off to the side but it looked cornice-y so I didn't get too close.

There were a handful of step ups but they aren't like other desert routes. There are endless rocks that aren't fun to walk on, but there was no ball bearings-on-hardpack. There weren't any slippery spots on the way back, but I did take it careful for the step downs and other possibly treacherous places. There are some shale plates you need to watch for in one section near the beginning.

The rocks are a little smaller than the east trail up Mt Lowe and there are fewer of them. I believe it's similar to the Mt Wilson trail as you're leaving Orchard Camp.

To train for this I'd recommend rucking up steep slopes.

Once again: I only went about half the way to Rabbit so there might be dragons in the second half.

If anyone would like to try for Rabbit as a day hike in 2-3 weeks, please let me know. I'd start well before dawn and hope to get out of there before dark. I'm not looking for someone to talk to so much as someone there for safety so as long as we meet at key junctures that's OK with me.