You start to ascend on a narrow path but are surrounded by beauty. It's hard to imagine there was a fire back in 2015. As you ascend the trail you pass through the Piedra Blanca.
There are very few flat areas where you can take a break and admire the views. Here is one I took advantage of.
There are two campsites that you pass along the way towards Pine Mountain Rd. However, the climb is never ending and gives you a real work out!
This is the ridge we were heading towards. It seemed very far away but the reality was that it was only 7.1 miles one way.
The more we climbed towards the road the steeper the trail was but the switchbacks helped along the way to keep our minds off of our tired legs.
Finally after giving my legs and lungs a real workout we arrived at the road where we hiked towards the Reyes Peak trailhead.
After a 1.8 mile walk on the road, we finally arrived at the Reyes Peak trailhead but had about another steep climb of 600 ft. before reaching the summit. We were officially in the Sespe Wilderness Area.
There was a register and two BMs.
Summit pose.
Views from the summit.
Overall it was a great day hanging out with my hiking buddies. Ojai is such a beautiful area. I must admit this was one of the steeper trails that I have hiked and my legs felt like Jell-O. It was worth all the huffing and puffing. We went at a moderate pace. We were not in a rush so it gave us lots of time to admire the surrounding views that Chorro Grande and Piedra Blanca had to offer.
Stats: 14.2 miles 3900' gain.
