HSB, his first time hiking with us, brought treats for everyone. How did he know that I like donuts?
Both Jeff and HSB live a ways away from the front range and weren't too familiar with the area, so I'm glad they made the trip and could experience something new. Cecelia had also never been to Occidental Peak, which was the primary goal for the day.
Originally I planned to lead the group on the standard route from the KCBS antenna complex. Dima and I did that route before and made it to the summit on a clear use path. But then I came up with the bright idea of starting from Eaton Saddle, where we were all already parked. I had done part of this route before, but turned around due to time constraints. I knew that the Sierra Club rated it an "easy class 1," so I figured it was a safe bet.
At first the use path is easy to follow, though steep. It soon becomes less distinct and infrequently cairned. Sometimes the deer paths mingle with the human paths, and it gets a bit confusing. Basically the route runs along the north side of the ridge, except for a few places where the path of least resistance shifts to the ridgetop.
If you're not familiar with the topography, it would be easy to lose track of your place on the ridge. There are a few bumps and many trees that generally block the views.
After some scrambling we reached Peak 5560' and looked for a way down to the saddle before the final climb to Occidental. But the final stretch appeared to be very cliffy and much harder than expected. Unable to track down the "easy class 1" route, we retreated to 5560 for a break.
I happened to have some register jars in my pack, so we left one at 5560 and called it "Not Occidental Mtn." Not the most brilliant idea, I know, but it made me smile for about five seconds, and amusing moments like that are all I live for these days. Well, that and pizza. Oh, and donuts too!
We hurried back to the Saddle and shuttled up to the standard route on the east side of the ridge. There were people and a crane at the KCBS complex. It looked like they were working on one of the towers.
Along the north side of the perimeter fence, several large tree stumps impressed us. I took a picture so that I could count the rings later. I estimate that the tree was about 235 years old when it died. I also noticed an unusually thick growth ring, which might coincide with the Great Flood of 1862.
Beyond the tower complex is the helipad with the view of Occidental Peak.
And beyond the helipad we followed the clear trail along the ridge to the summit.
Occidental lacks some of the things that make a great summit, such as a view or a clearing on the highpoint. But we made do with the available amenities and took a victory photo on some adjacent rocks. HSB prefers the off-camera lifestyle, so he offered to handle the picture-taking.
On the way back to the car we packed out a few bottles and balloons. And I acquired a new bolt and nut set, no doubt thanks to careless tower workers. Jeff noticed a balloon just inside the fence, which triggered his problem-solving reflex--as well as flashbacks of his struggle against the tree balloons of Eaton Canyon. Thankfully the fence balloon proved to be no match for his strategems.
Back at the car, we decided to call it a day and quit while we were ahead. But who could have guessed that grabbing lunch at the Cosmic Cafe would be more troublesome than bagging Occidental? While Jeff and Cecelia sat at a table and drank some of the beer I brought, HSB and I stood in what appeared to be a line for ordering food. But after five or ten minutes we started questioning reality. Aren't lines supposed to move? We started joking about how this must be the line to get into Hell. It doesn't move because nobody wants to enter Hell. They need to start herding us forward with cattle prods.
I could tell that we were amusing the dude in front of us who just wanted some coffee.
The state of ridiculousness reached an unbearable level, and we were still several sinners away from entering the mysterious and terrifying realm of actually ordering food. Plus, we had exhausted our supply of slow-line jokes. Jeff and Cecelia actually wanted pizza from Blaze in La Canada, and HSB was eager to meet up with some friends later...so I relented and surrendered my dream of eating at Cosmic Cafe.
Overall stats: ha ha ha!
Difficulty: Bite me, Sierra Club!
