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Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:24 pm
by tekewin
September is my favorite month to visit the San Bernardino Mountains. The bugs of early summer are usually gone and the heat raging in the desert and other local ranges is moderated by the cool air of the high country. I was the only car in the parking lot at 6 AM. There were nice restrooms and the trail starts by crossing highway 38 heading south. I took off in twilight.
The first thing I noticed was the severity of the burned trees. Most of the forest on this side had burned up to about 9000'. The trail crossed a dirt road above Horse Meadows and another half mile got me to Poopout Hill. There was a camping spot there, but the low summit boulders had no markers or register. Poopout Hill was only a 5 minute diversion. From this point to Dollar Lake Saddle at 10000', the trail makes long, swooping switchbacks. The grade is gentle up to the Dry Lake cut off, then gets steeper, but never uncomfortably so. However, the combination of distance and increasing elevation make it a grind. The last mile before Dollar Lake Saddle offered phenomenal views of San Gorgonio and Charlton.

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Poopout Hill summit

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Gorgonio from the trail

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Charlton from the trail

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The crux of the hike was the east ridge of Charlton. It's 800' of steep class 1 with occasional light class 2 on nice granite. A trace of a use trail appeared and faded. The pines are sparse enough that they don't really get in the way, but I was moving slowly on the ridge above 10k. The summit area was long and broad and the trees blocked views 180 degrees to the east. There was a broken ammo box bolted to a rock with a pair of red cans inside. The register was brand new, only placed a couple of weeks earlier. After signing in, I enjoyed the sharp view of the north side of San Gorgonio and Jepson. Gorgonio was only 800' higher than Charlton, but it looked much higher due to bulk. After some photos, I started down toward Little Charlton, barely visible over the trees. When I got near the saddle between the two, it opened up and I got a good look up the rocky ridge. It was only 100' gain to the top of Little Charlton. Any of three small bumps could have been the high point. The second bump had a broken ammo box, but no register. I continued over Little Charlton to the SB Divide Trail and took that back to Dollar Lake Saddle. My final rest stop was at Horse Meadows to check out the cabins. One was locked and one looked like it was built for stable gear. This hike was right in my sweet spot at 14.9 miles and 4197' gain.

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Climbing the east ridge of Charlton

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Charlton summit

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Approaching Little Charlton

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Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 7:06 pm
by jfr
Nice TR! The Charltons don't have the greatest views but the hike is still fun. The one I like best is talus-topped Shields Peak, which is unlike all the other nine peaks in the range.

BTW - those registers have been damaged since 2012 (or earlier) as I discovered when I backpacked all nine peaks and brought bags of Eispiraten Stickers to leave inside each one.

stickers-stickers-stickers-t2826-s100.html#p41457

Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2018 8:15 pm
by dima
I have more stickers! Want some?

Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:19 am
by tekewin
dima wrote: I have more stickers! Want some?
Sure, I'll take some.

Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:21 am
by tekewin
jfr wrote: Nice TR! The Charltons don't have the greatest views but the hike is still fun. The one I like best is talus-topped Shields Peak, which is unlike all the other nine peaks in the range.

BTW - those registers have been damaged since 2012 (or earlier) as I discovered when I backpacked all nine peaks and brought bags of Eispiraten Stickers to leave inside each one.

stickers-stickers-stickers-t2826-s100.html#p41457
Right about the views. Great toward Gorgonio, but blocked the other way. I saw an Eispiraten sticker on the side of the Charlton ammo box, which was just a cover for the red cans.

Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 8:24 am
by Sean
Let's start putting Charleston Chews in the ammo box and confuse people who are unsure about the name of the peak.

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Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 10:58 am
by dima
tekewin wrote:
dima wrote: I have more stickers! Want some?
Sure, I'll take some.
Come out to the yet-unscheduled group hike :)

Re: Charlton, Little Charlton, Poopout Hill

Posted: Mon Oct 01, 2018 12:55 pm
by tekewin
dima wrote:
tekewin wrote:
dima wrote: I have more stickers! Want some?
Sure, I'll take some.
Come out to the yet-unscheduled group hike :)
I'll definitely try.