On a recent trip I noticed some flagging tape about 1.4 miles from Dillon Divide. I figured it went to the saddle below The Pinnacle likely a firefighter escape route for hand crews cutting fire line for the Station Fire.
I hiked up the road clicking off the 10th mile increments and 200 foot elevation contours. I figure that's why I missed the flagging tape and hiked past it. Doh!
Some back tracking got me to the right spot, not sure how they got up there But the road cut is too unstable for me. Back down the road and up through the brush was for me.
The route is well flagged and I made good time going up until about 3230 ft. There are 2 pieces of flagging tape and apparently the route ends. Huh?
I donna know but it's no escape route, out came the loppers after several probes i picked a way and started cutting. Fortunately there where some open spots as well as tons of poison oak! But i got into Buckwheat Brush and clear sailing to the saddle.
There is no sign of the old Mt Gleason Trail but like a total bonehead I thought I'd loaded the trace (OTG) for it from the 1939 USGS Topo map , but NO I HAD NOT frigging dummy!
Ah well the freshly cut dozer track from Highline Saddle ends 100-200 vertical feet or so up toward The Pinnacle but low moderate buckwheat brush isn't a problem.
It doesn't look like many make the trip out here that includes the local fauna but there is a geocache here which I signed
I returned via the ridge down toward Dillon Divide, it isn't terribly steep or brushy. I did print out a map with the route of the OTG so I figured I'd be able to pickup the route somewhere below.
On the ridge where the trail should be, there is no sign of it there is another of those T-bar posts with "H-" welded on it this was "H-5"
Looking at my track in relation to the OTG I wasn't really on it grrrrrr! "Missed it by that much!"
I traversed to a very steep but brush free ridge and descended to Dillon Divide, I took it slow as these rocks in very steep seldom visited areas have a nasty habit of letting loose with little if any warning but I made it to my truck without incident