Saturday morning, I drove up to South Fork Campground to hike over to Crystal Lake. There were roughly six groups of hunters on South Fork Trail as I passed from 0700 on. I was mildly curious as to how one retrieves one's prey from here. There were several cyclists at Islip Saddle and on Highway 39. I didn't see any hikers south of Angeles Crest. Quite a bit of rehabilitation has been done to the road since I last hiked it in April 2008. The Windy Gap Trail, though passible, is in need of repair and cleanup over its entire length. My original plan for the day was to return to South Fork via Baden-Powell then Manzanita. Making it back to the car before sunset, via Little Jimmy, then SF became the preferred route. As I crossed Islip Saddle, I chatted with two hikers; one descending from Williamson, the other heading up for the evening.
Morning view north, down South Fork towards Pinyon Ridge.
Looking south from Islip Saddle, towards Twin Peaks and Monrovia Peak.
Almost too tempting for words...
Someone must be serious about getting '39' open.
Twin Peaks Saddle and the unnamed ridge above Bear Creek.
The Triplets are calling us!
The Kratka Ridge.
Deep cut of Bear Creek.
Hawkins' Ridge and Highway 39 above Crystal Lake.
Very little traffic through here today.
I saw many Odocoileus hemionus, far away from the hunters perched on the South Fork Trail.
Trail sign in Crystal Lake Campground.
Typical of the condition of the Windy Gap Trail.
Looking towards San Gabriel Canyon, over Crystal Lake.
GPS track and elevation profile.
