EISPIRATEN

Most of this text is transcribed right off my Flickr account.

Preparing for a winter ascent of Mt Whitney this year, Ingrid and I decided to take a crack at 11,500 foot Mt San Gorgonio in a winter overnight.

My first winter backpacking trip since I was a Boy Scout was a hike up the South Fork Trail to about 300 feet above Dry Lake. Cold feet drove me into our tent once the sun set behind 11,205 foot Jepson Peak, but otherwise it was a warm and pleasant night on the snow.

Pics:

Above Horse Meadow



Mt San Gorgonio



11,500 foot Mt San Gorgonio from Poopout Hill. Our camp that night was at the lower end of that big long couloir to the left, only about 2,120 feet from the summit.

Starting up the draw below Dry Lake



One of the advantages - or disadvantages - of climbing in winter is the emergence of "winter trace trails," bootracks through the snow that usually offer a more direct route than the maintained trails. From South Fork Meadows, you go left to follow the draw that empties Dry Lake (heading straight up from the meadows takes you over Christmas Tree Hill, normally inaccessible during the rest of the year). This route is much steeper than the summer trail, which switchbacks leisurely up the left side of the draw. It was a real workout getting up to Dry Lake.

Dry Lake at last!



Boy were we glad to finally see these signs.

Dry Lake



Looking north back from where we emerged from the draw below the lake.

Though I have seen Dry Lake full of water, it is normally a spongy marsh or even dry, so we weren't worried about breaking through an icy crust into cold water. In any case, I don't think it is ever more than a few feet deep, even during those rare years when it is full of water.

Commercial developers who battled to turn San Gorgonio into a ski resort during the 1950s and 1960s had planned to make a parking lot of Dry Lake.

Jepson Peak from Dry Lake



11,205 foot Jepson Peak on the left and 10,680 Little Charlton Peak on the right. Dry Lake is roughly 9,100 feet high.

We had intended to spend the night at Dry Lake, but because we got there a little after noon, with lots of time to spare, Ingrid urged us higher. So after a lunch break we hoisted the stones again and trudged back across the lakebed to rejoin the trail to the top.

As with the trail below Dry Lake, the winter trace trail through the ancient moraines above Dry Lake was steeper and more direct than the summer trail. It took us an hour to climb about half a mile and 300 feet of elevation gain, when, fairly exhausted, we decided to set up camp well before Trail Flat.

That's another difference with winter backpacking: while in the summer it is a legal requirement to camp only in designated sites in the Wilderness Area, in the winter you can stop and camp pretty much wherever you like. I don't know if that is strictly according to the rules, but you aren't going to leave any permanent trace behind you, and in any case there's no one from the Forest Service patrolling in the winter.

Melting snow



As were were panting up the draw between moraines, we looked around for a relatively level area in the trees (I don't think there was much risk of avalanche this weekend, but I wasn't taking any chances). We trudged up through the snow and dropped our packs at about 9,380 feet on the northern flank of Mt San Gorgonio.

The first thing I did after the tent was set up was dig a pit in the snow so we could sit upright, a real luxury when primitive camping. Then I got started melting snow. The purple bandanna was used to filter dirt and organic matter from the snowmelt (it worked very well!).

I had no appetite at all at the end of the day. Ingrid forced a couple mouthfuls of chicken and potatoes into me, but I wasn't interested. Also, my feet got cold as soon as the sun slipped behind Jepson Peak, so we retired into the tent by about 5:00pm. It was a long night.

Other than my cold feet and lack of appetite, I felt fine, just great.

Winter camp at 9,380 feet



This really was a superb location for a campsite. For much of the night we heard the wind roaring down beyond the moraine in the distance, but all we experienced was a slight breeze and few mild gusts. We left the tent fly door open. The views to the west and south were magnificent, especially after the sun went down. We were warm and comfortable all night.

Beyond the trees at center right, just on the other side of the moraine, a party of three set up camp, the only other people we saw all day once we left the parking lot..

We are so blessed, living in Southern California. Life is good.

The next morning



Our camp well before sunup on Sunday. The water I left in the pan on the stove was frozen solid, but the water in the Nalgene bottles we kept in the tent wasn't frozen, nor was Ingrid's pack bladder that was left in the tent vestibule.

You can see the trekking pole used as an anchor for the rear of the tent fly.

Continuing up the couloir



After breakfast, having decided not to attempt the summit, we packed a small pack and headed up the couloir a bit to see what we could see. We didn't bring crampons and Ingrid only had a pole, no ice axe. After a short climb the way became steep and slick and I dropped to the snow to demonstrate how fast I could slide down in the event of a fall (arresting easily with my ice axe). So we thought it would be best to turn back.

A little later, the three campers from the other side of the moraine started up this draw, and after that a pair of skiers, one of whom we knew from the OCHC, came up. Those were just about the only people we saw all day until we got to Horse Meadow on the way down.

Our camp is down there in the trees somewhere.

Poopout Hill



We decided a summit climb would add too much time to our descent, and so after a brief reconnoiter above our camp, we packed up and headed down. It took us five hours to maneuver our heavy packs over melting snow back to the parking lot.

The rest of the pics.

Nice tr, thanks.

Great report and pictures. Thank you for sharing them. I've gotta make time to do this one of these seasons.

Really nice pix. I'm surprised that the snow is in such good shape. I've seen a lot of crappy snow pix lately 'cause of all the hot wx we've been having lately.

It looked like the snow was pretty consolidated and that you didn't need snowshoes, yes? Any post holing?

And, being who I am, I have to ask, how did it go with your Wind Pro? It looks like it wasn't particularly cold, but I'm wondering if you tried the "turn the canister upside down" trick and how that went.

HJ

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑Really nice pix. I'm surprised that the snow is in such good shape. I've seen a lot of crappy snow pix lately 'cause of all the hot wx we've been having lately.

Yeah, we were a little surprised, considering how crappy Baldy has been looking lately, and also what the snowlines look like from lower elevations. But the north side of the San Gorgonio Wilderness has lots of snow above 7,000 feet and is pretty much covered with snow above 8,500 feet.

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑It looked like the snow was pretty consolidated and that you didn't need snowshoes, yes? Any post holing?

Some postholing. There are still a lot of sections above South Fork Meadows where you can sink in up to your knees or more if you aren't careful. I think part of it was our heavy packs: we would try to step in a footprint where someone else already compressed the snow, and we would often sink in anyway. A trick that worked for me was trying to follow the paths of snowshoes, where the snow seemed to have been better compressed. That doesn't make any sense, but it worked.

On Saturday we passed a Korean coming down from Mineshaft Saddle. He was wearing Yaktracks instead of crampons and I don't recall seeing an ice axe, only poles. He said he was turned around up above when he started sinking in up to his crotch. But given his gear, I suspect he attempted to follow the Sky High Trail above the Saddle and got bogged down in the drifted snow. The winter route straight up the eastern couloir seems to be far better consolidated, though there were still a few places where our boots broke through.

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑And, being who I am, I have to ask, how did it go with your Wind Pro? It looks like it wasn't particularly cold, but I'm wondering if you tried the "turn the canister upside down" trick and how that went.

WindPro worked fine. As you said, it wasn't very cold. I didn't have to try any tricks, especially as I kept a cartridge in my sleeping bag with me all night.

One funny thing that happened in the morning as I started the stove: at first no fuel was getting to the burner! I was worried because I knew the cartridge wasn't cold. I fiddled around with it for a minute and soon everything was working fine. I suspect there was a tiny amount of water in the fuel line that froze during the night, but was soon pushed out by the fuel pressure.

Lessons learned:

1. My feet get cold. The rest of my body is fine (I never even broke out my heavy down jacket - it remains unused 1½ years after purchase), I just get cold feet. We discussed maybe putting on dry socks as soon as getting into camp, etc, but finally I decided to just go nuclear: last night I bought a pair of Scarpa Invernos. That settles that.

2. Since I carry a Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite pad wherever I go anyway, for sitting on, I don't need a special winter sleeping pad. Combining the Z-Lite with a traditional summer Therm-a-Rest mattress produces a warm and comfortable bed, and saves weight compared to bringing a cold weather pad.

3. Come up with some do-hickeys that can be used as lightweight snow stakes or deadmen, for staking down the tent fly. I carried a pair of two-foot aluminum snow stakes and we used a trekking pole for the third line; there should be a better way.

4. Don't forget to bring a camp bladder. Just because you're melting snow instead of getting water from a spring doesn't mean you don't need a place to put the water.

5. Bring a bandanna to filter the dirt and pine needles and gunk out of your snowmelt! An ordinary cotton bandanna works perfectly. Holding it in an embroiderer's hoop would be handy.

6. Use compression sacks to save space in the backpack.

7. Walking downhill in slushy uneven snow with a heavy winter pack is slow going and hard work. It took us five hours to down-hike the approx seven miles back to the car. So don't ever be in a hurry.

8. Winter camping is fun.

Thanks for the great TR, the snow is looking quite nice out there. We're supposed to get some more later this week - hopefully that will provide nice avalanche conditions in that Galena Gauntlet thing I'm eyeballing.

I'm going to take a filter for the snow-chunks next time, such a great idea. I've been thinking about that compression sack on the down bag thing for a while, and I'm wondering how much that would kill your loft and kill the warmth...like a ride in the dryer with a couple tennis balls on cool air will enhance the loft and warmth.

On the stakes, I found the little parachute snow/sand anchors from REI are awesome, but it's tough to get them out in the morning without chopping holes in them with your ice axe. They weigh nothing and hold like beasts.

I like the pic of your pack (Aether 85), it's interesting to see how others rig their shit, to put it eloquently. I've got an Aether 75 from the old school, and I find that thing to be way too big for alpine stuff (1-3 nights). My 52 liter (below) seems to handle everything I need, and that includes shovel, crampons, tent, etc.



I'm wondering if there is some extra gear you bring that could be left at home - I'm always trying to cut back without too much suffering so I can climb/float a little better. My giant head already weighs too much. Maybe extra dishes/clothing layers/etc that aren't really necessary could go? Just a thought, I know some prefer to have more comforts along with on a cold trip.

simonov wrote: ↑One funny thing that happened in the morning as I started the stove: at first no fuel was getting to the burner! I was worried because I knew the cartridge wasn't cold. I fiddled around with it for a minute and soon everything was working fine. I suspect there was a tiny amount of water in the fuel line that froze during the night, but was soon pushed out by the fuel pressure.

Interesting. I've not heard of that before. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to keep the stove inside the tent at night. I never have, but then I usually use white gas in cold weather. I've used the dang stuff so long I'm pretty used to it.

simonov wrote: ↑ Lessons learned:

1. My feet get cold. The rest of my body is fine (I never even broke out my heavy down jacket - it remains unused 1½ years after purchase), I just get cold feet. We discussed maybe putting on dry socks as soon as getting into camp, etc, but finally I decided to just go nuclear: last night I bought a pair of Scarpa Invernos. That settles that.

The Invernos look awesome! Are your feet just cold in camp or in the sack? The ol' boiling water in a Nalgene in a sock trick works pretty well for cold feet in the sack.

simonov wrote: ↑ 2. Since I carry a Therm-a-Rest Z-Lite pad wherever I go anyway, for sitting on, I don't need a special winter sleeping pad. Combining the Z-Lite with a traditional summer Therm-a-Rest mattress produces a warm and comfortable bed, and saves weight compared to bringing a cold weather pad.

Yep. I've never gone and gotten a specialized pad. I just put a Ridgerest under my normal pad, and I'm good.

simonov wrote: ↑ 3. Come up with some do-hickeys that can be used as lightweight snow stakes or deadmen, for staking down the tent fly. I carried a pair of two-foot aluminum snow stakes and we used a trekking pole for the third line; there should be a better way.

Just plain nylon stuff sacks work although they're a pain to get out in the morning. I like snow/sand stakes. If the snow is hard, use 'em like regular stakes. If the snow is soft, tie 'em mid stake and bury them sideways. Works pretty good.

simonov wrote: ↑ 8. Winter camping is fun.

Heck, yeah!

HJ

Nice TR, Mitch! Glad you and Ingrid had a great time. Conditions look good!

A good investment for cold weather camping are down tent booties, though the liners of your new Iverno double plastics do the trick if they stay dry.

I love my toughskin for width and insulation, but it sure is heavy and bulky alright.
The Z-lite seating pad is definitely one of the best additions. Thanks again for that!

Those stupid plastic grocery bags come in great as totes and also when used as snow anchors.
Fill them up with snow and tie your tent lines to them. Then bury the them.
Bomber anchors, just don't forget to pack out what you carry in - folks!
I've seen too many plastic bags of turd left on the trail for somebody else to pack out. Bastids!

Snow-melt floaties build character and flavor!
Add fresh pine needles, tree-bark and juniper berries to make a survivorman tea!

Great trip report and pics! Thanks for sharing.

in any case there's no one from the Forest Service patrolling in the winter.

Michael G is always out and about during the winter. Surprised you didn't see him. I got busted with out a permit in January once, luckily they issued me one on the trail.

I usually bring 4 of the SMC Sno-stakes. They are light and work great, especially after the snow firms up once you make your tent pad. I use those on the 4 corners of the tent, then use trekking poles, ice axe, snow shoes, crampons, stuff sacks, etc. to attach the guy lines.

Nice TR Simonov. I always enjoy your pix. Looks like we'll be getting more snow this weekend

I was just reading a couple of your old TR's on Gorgonio today at work, your pics and knowledge of this area make me want to get out there real soon. I havent been since 81. Thanks for posting!

Burchey wrote: ↑I like the pic of your pack (Aether 85), it's interesting to see how others rig their shit, to put it eloquently. I've got an Aether 75 from the old school, and I find that thing to be way too big for alpine stuff (1-3 nights). My 52 liter (below) seems to handle everything I need, and that includes shovel, crampons, tent, etc.

I'm wondering if there is some extra gear you bring that could be left at home - I'm always trying to cut back without too much suffering so I can climb/float a little better. My giant head already weighs too much. Maybe extra dishes/clothing layers/etc that aren't really necessary could go?

I've carried pretty much the same complement of gear for thirty years. For winter I carry more cold weather stuff, but in fact less clothing this time since I decided I wouldn't bother changing my clothes, except my socks.

There's lots of stuff I carry that I don't use, like extra fuel, a first aid kit, etc, but I don't dare leave it behind.

I just bought one of those Osprey Variantes, for winter day hiking and climbing. It's pretty big. It's hard to imagine using it for an overnight, but maybe I should do some experimental packing in the garage.

Hikin_Jim wrote: ↑Are your feet just cold in camp or in the sack? The ol' boiling water in a Nalgene in a sock trick works pretty well for cold feet in the sack.

They are cold outside. Once I got into the sack, with warm socks and down booties, my feet were fine. I'm just trying to figure out how to stay up later without having to get into bed as soon as the sun goes down.

My boots are leather and no matter how you waterproof them they will get wet. And so once the sun goes away, those wet boots will get cold. I tried taking them off and putting on the down booties, but it didn't help.

The Scarpa Invernos come with some kind of space-age Everest-grade inner boot liner. The liner and the outer boots ought to keep snow away from my feet. I think what I will do next time, with the Scarpas, is remove my boots when I get into camp, trade the damp (from sweat, I'm guessing) socks for dry ones, then put the liners back on. I'm hoping they keep my feet warm enough to be able to stay outside for an hour or two after sundown.

hvydrt wrote: ↑Michael G is always out and about during the winter. Surprised you didn't see him. I got busted with out a permit in January once, luckily they issued me one on the trail.

I have never seen anyone patrolling up there outside of the main summer season. When I was a Wilderness volunteer, 20 years ago, we patrolled in the summer and also one last patrol during the deer season opening weekend.

I always have a permit, though. This old Wilderness Volunteer won't go up there without one. I also get a permit for Icehouse Canyon, not that anyone in that district gives a damn.

Technically, according to the rules, you must camp in designated areas. I wonder what the district supervisor thinks of people camping wherever they want in the winter? Obviously it's within the spirit of the law, since there is no permanent impact.

Anyway, the freedom of being able to select any site you want for a camp is one of the attractions, for me, of winter camping. We really had a lovely site on Saturday.

yobtaf wrote: ↑I was just reading a couple of your old TR's on Gorgonio today at work, your pics and knowledge of this area make me want to get out there real soon. I haven't been since 81. Thanks for posting!

Thanks. It has been my favorite place since the 1980s. I am amazed by how relatively unknown it is, yet it is so wild and so beautiful and so close to 20 million people. Over on Summitpost there are all these guys who insist on driving five hours up to the Sierra to experience what they can find just above San Bernardino (one way they do that is by convincing themselves it only takes three hours to drive from LA to Lone Pine, I'm not kidding! I bet they are late for a lot of appointments, too).

Ingrid was born and raised in Los Angeles and has been backpacking for over 30 years and her first time in the San Gorgonio Wilderness was Memorial Day Weekend 2009. Since then she has summited San Gorgonio from every possible approach, traversed the San Bernardino Divide, spent three nights on the summit and now winter camped high on Mt San Gorgonio's northern flank. It has rapidly become her favorite place, too.

Very beautiful trip,great read!Wonderfully written!

I too feel it's a privilege to have the SGW practically in our back yard. It's a great spot and it sure beats driving 5 hours each way to the Sierra.

The dry socks thing sounds like a winner. For winter trips, I usually take an entire change of base layers (socks, top, bottom) for evening. Wet = cold = bad.

HJ

simonov wrote: ↑
I've carried pretty much the same complement of gear for thirty years....
There's lots of stuff I carry that I don't use, like extra fuel, a first aid kit, etc, but I don't dare leave it behind.... I just bought one of those Osprey Variantes, for winter day hiking and climbing. It's pretty big. It's hard to imagine using it for an overnight, but maybe I should do some experimental packing in the garage.


They are cold outside. Once I got into the sack, with warm socks and down booties, my feet were fine. I'm just trying to figure out how to stay up later without having to get into bed as soon as the sun goes down.
My boots are leather and no matter how you waterproof them they will get wet. And so once the sun goes away, those wet boots will get cold. I tried taking them off and putting on the down booties, but it didn't help.

If you've got the Variant 52, you'd be surprised what you can carry. I use a small compression sack for extra clothes, but not for my long 0 degree down bag. I've got my 2-man tent and poles, 3 liter bladder, etc etc. I will say, I keep my food compact with a lot of freeze dried/add boiling water stuff, so that helps with space. I definitely recommend experimental packing, as I think a lot of us find - if you've got the extra room, you fill it.

On the feet - I've got the leather boot woes as well to an extent. They are fairly new, and whatever treatment the leather has works pretty well at repelling agua over most of the boot. It seems like you've solved your cold issue with the double boots (hopefully) - for those of us in leathertown...I'm going to give these a shot, I think

http://integraldesigns.com/product_deta ... N=92076824

You can find them a little cheaper than the $45 list, so they're cheaper than a lot of the down booties out there. I'll probably toss these on as soon as I stop climbing, take old socks off, maybe dry liner sock and these instead. Great inside the tent/sleeping bag, and my guess is I could stick my feet back in my loosened boots to walk around outside the tent for whatever reason (bear fighting, restroom, etc).