Where Koreans Kongregate: Kelly's Kamp 20-21 June 2009
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:24 am
As part of my series of noob backpacking trips for the OCHBC, this last weekend I took a small group up Icehouse Canyon to Ontario Peak and spent the night at Kelly's Camp. I made a couple of unexpected discoveries over the weekend that I thought I would share.
Because it was a noob hike, I scheduled a 9:00am start, which is a lot later than I like. When we got to the trailhead the parking lot was full, with scores of middle-aged Koreans milling around.
They were waiting for a 9:00 departure themselves, though I saw a least a few couples just drive back down the mountain when they couldn't find a place to park. After I parked my Yukon down the hill a bit on a turnout, I walked back up to the trailhead and got there a little after 9:00 and all the Koreans were gone.
No matter, we spent the entire hike up to Icehouse Saddle mingling with other groups of hikers, mostly Koreans. It was a real zoo.
But the weather was gorgeous while, as we could see, the rest of SoCal was socked in under the marine layer.
The noobs were a little surprised by how steep the trail was, but I found, having spent every weekend for the last month or so backpacking, that I had no problems. My pack was the lightest it had been for a long time.
It took us a long time to get to Icehouse Saddle, because a couple of the noobs were moving slowly, but when we eventually pulled into Kelly's Camp, I made the first crucial discovery of the weekend: Kelly's Camp is where the Icehouse Canyon Koreans go! At least 30 or 40 of them had preceded us into the camp, where they set up a big tarp to sit on and were chatting animatedly over their trail lunches. More Koreans drifted in as we set up camp.
I got a new tent this week and set it up fly and all, which is unusual for me, since the weather forecast had been uncertain.
There is plenty of water right now flowing from the upper pipe.
After we set up camp and rested for a while, four of us began heading up to Ontario Peak.
The climb up to Ontario Peak along the trail is my favorite hike in the San Gabriel Mountains. The forest of snags is eerie and strange, a unique SoCal landscape.
The noobs were as impressed as I was with the scenery. In due time we made the summit, though none of us was brave enough to climb to the top of the pointy rock for photo ops. We were too mindful of the consequences of a fall, so far away from any help.
We headed back down after 4:00pm, which was the latest turnaround I'd ever done. But we were camped only a couple miles away and it was the day before the solstice, so there were no worries. We got back with plenty of time to make dinner and play Hearts until it was dark and it got too cold to stay outside.
While we were fooling around with our evening meals, I made the second discovery of the weekend: Kelly's Camp is really a very nice trail camp. I have never heard much about it, since I think we all dismiss it as nothing more than a stop on the way to Ontario Peak, and maybe a little too close to a busy trailhead. But it is quiet and pretty and sheltered from the wind. As the shadows grew long I decided I quite liked staying there. I especially appreciate the proximity to Ontario Peak.
During the night, however, the airliners seemed to fly overhead almost constantly. I guess the Cucamonga Wilderness is right under the approach path to LAX.
The next morning we broke camp and started back down the trail:
Heading down, I decided to explore the Chapman Trail, which I had never hiked before, and check out Cedar Glen trail camp. The Chapman Trail adds two miles to the hike to Icehouse Canyon trailhead, but it has a gentle slope and is pretty much deserted. Since it remains much higher than the traditional trail, you also have some really nice views of Icehouse Canyon far below.
When we got back to the trailhead a little after 10:00, the parking lot was again full of cars, be we only met four people on the Chapman Trail. So it seems to be a quiet alternative to the crowded Icehouse Canyon Trail.
Cedar Glen is a pretty trail camp surrounded by tall trees. It seems to be appropriate for large groups, which, given its close proximity to the trailhead, suggests a lot of scouts and church groups go there. There was no one there when we passed through:
One downside to the Chapman Trail, for people (like me) with tender feet, is that much of it crosses talus slopes and so for a lot of the trail you are walking on rocks. It's rough going at times.
There is a sort of brush holly growing along the Chapman Trail that was in bloom in the lower elevations:
Can anyone identify this flower?
When we got back to the parking lot, I walked down the road a ways and was gratified to see my Yukon still in its turnout, windows intact, no citation. I went back for the noobs and we had a late breakfast at the Buckhorn Lodge which has the following points in its favor compared to the Baldy Lodge:
1) The Buckhorn Lodge is open at 8:00 (maybe sooner), whereas the Baldy Lodge doesn't open until 10:00 or 11:00. WTF?
2) The Buckhorn Lodge serves absolutely divine home fried potatoes cooked in butter, whereas the Baldy Lodge's hashbrowns are those horrible frozen things cooked indifferently and soft and watery when they are served.
3) The Buckhorn Lodge has outdoor seating.
4) The Buckhorn Lodge has more than three parking spaces.
Simonov recommends the Buckhorn Lodge!
Moar photos (uncaptioned as yet)
Because it was a noob hike, I scheduled a 9:00am start, which is a lot later than I like. When we got to the trailhead the parking lot was full, with scores of middle-aged Koreans milling around.
They were waiting for a 9:00 departure themselves, though I saw a least a few couples just drive back down the mountain when they couldn't find a place to park. After I parked my Yukon down the hill a bit on a turnout, I walked back up to the trailhead and got there a little after 9:00 and all the Koreans were gone.
No matter, we spent the entire hike up to Icehouse Saddle mingling with other groups of hikers, mostly Koreans. It was a real zoo.
But the weather was gorgeous while, as we could see, the rest of SoCal was socked in under the marine layer.
The noobs were a little surprised by how steep the trail was, but I found, having spent every weekend for the last month or so backpacking, that I had no problems. My pack was the lightest it had been for a long time.
It took us a long time to get to Icehouse Saddle, because a couple of the noobs were moving slowly, but when we eventually pulled into Kelly's Camp, I made the first crucial discovery of the weekend: Kelly's Camp is where the Icehouse Canyon Koreans go! At least 30 or 40 of them had preceded us into the camp, where they set up a big tarp to sit on and were chatting animatedly over their trail lunches. More Koreans drifted in as we set up camp.
I got a new tent this week and set it up fly and all, which is unusual for me, since the weather forecast had been uncertain.
There is plenty of water right now flowing from the upper pipe.
After we set up camp and rested for a while, four of us began heading up to Ontario Peak.
The climb up to Ontario Peak along the trail is my favorite hike in the San Gabriel Mountains. The forest of snags is eerie and strange, a unique SoCal landscape.
The noobs were as impressed as I was with the scenery. In due time we made the summit, though none of us was brave enough to climb to the top of the pointy rock for photo ops. We were too mindful of the consequences of a fall, so far away from any help.
We headed back down after 4:00pm, which was the latest turnaround I'd ever done. But we were camped only a couple miles away and it was the day before the solstice, so there were no worries. We got back with plenty of time to make dinner and play Hearts until it was dark and it got too cold to stay outside.
While we were fooling around with our evening meals, I made the second discovery of the weekend: Kelly's Camp is really a very nice trail camp. I have never heard much about it, since I think we all dismiss it as nothing more than a stop on the way to Ontario Peak, and maybe a little too close to a busy trailhead. But it is quiet and pretty and sheltered from the wind. As the shadows grew long I decided I quite liked staying there. I especially appreciate the proximity to Ontario Peak.
During the night, however, the airliners seemed to fly overhead almost constantly. I guess the Cucamonga Wilderness is right under the approach path to LAX.
The next morning we broke camp and started back down the trail:
Heading down, I decided to explore the Chapman Trail, which I had never hiked before, and check out Cedar Glen trail camp. The Chapman Trail adds two miles to the hike to Icehouse Canyon trailhead, but it has a gentle slope and is pretty much deserted. Since it remains much higher than the traditional trail, you also have some really nice views of Icehouse Canyon far below.
When we got back to the trailhead a little after 10:00, the parking lot was again full of cars, be we only met four people on the Chapman Trail. So it seems to be a quiet alternative to the crowded Icehouse Canyon Trail.
Cedar Glen is a pretty trail camp surrounded by tall trees. It seems to be appropriate for large groups, which, given its close proximity to the trailhead, suggests a lot of scouts and church groups go there. There was no one there when we passed through:
One downside to the Chapman Trail, for people (like me) with tender feet, is that much of it crosses talus slopes and so for a lot of the trail you are walking on rocks. It's rough going at times.
There is a sort of brush holly growing along the Chapman Trail that was in bloom in the lower elevations:
Can anyone identify this flower?
When we got back to the parking lot, I walked down the road a ways and was gratified to see my Yukon still in its turnout, windows intact, no citation. I went back for the noobs and we had a late breakfast at the Buckhorn Lodge which has the following points in its favor compared to the Baldy Lodge:
1) The Buckhorn Lodge is open at 8:00 (maybe sooner), whereas the Baldy Lodge doesn't open until 10:00 or 11:00. WTF?
2) The Buckhorn Lodge serves absolutely divine home fried potatoes cooked in butter, whereas the Baldy Lodge's hashbrowns are those horrible frozen things cooked indifferently and soft and watery when they are served.
3) The Buckhorn Lodge has outdoor seating.
4) The Buckhorn Lodge has more than three parking spaces.
Simonov recommends the Buckhorn Lodge!
Moar photos (uncaptioned as yet)
