EISPIRATEN

On Wednesday, I went up Vivian Creek to hit Jepson Peak and Dragons Head. I timed leaving my house so I would arrive shortly after the gate at Vivian opened at 6:00 AM. With rain earlier in the week, the trail was damp, but firm. It was a cool 57F at the trailhead and warmed up to 70F. The weather was perfect. My last trip on Vivian Creek was in June, but this may be the best time of year to go. Cooler, no biting flies, strong flow at Vivian and High Creek, decent flow at Halfway.

I hit Jepson first, after climbing a few false summits, making it harder than it had to be. Then I followed Sky High Trail to the point above the saddle with Dragons Head. Descended off trail and up the use trail. Crazy drop offs and awesome views on Dragons Head. Really worth the extra effort.

Full trip report:
http://ironhiker.blogspot.com/2013/09/d ... -peak.html


Dry Lake from Jepson Peak


Dragons Head


The maw

Is that the steepest gully heading down from Dragons Head?

Hey Taco,

I think the gully on the south side, the other side of the "head" is steeper, but I didn't go over the summit to get a good look at it.

Gotcha, thanks. Been looking at climbing the steepest couloir that's kinda facing east for a few years now.

Awesome! That stuff looks crumbly to me, but I'm a novice rock climber. It's definitely at the upper end of the epic scale.

Nice, long solo teke. If I ever finish with the San Gabes, I'll have to make my way east to check this area out. Thanks for the info.

Rico,

We are lucky to have three major ranges within 90 minutes of LA. All with a slightly different flavor. Too many mountains and not enough time.