I started around 6:30 AM and hiked a little more than a mile up Fish Creek Road to the Aspen Grove Trail. I started down Aspen Grove knowing it intersected the Fish Creek Trail. The trail dropped down to a nicely flowing Fish Creek, then started heading gently up the canyon. Every single aspen tree in the area was black, burned by the Lake Fire in June, 2015. The trail was in good shape but parts were overgrown with soft plants, especially near the creek. When I reached the Fish Creek Trail junction, I was about half a mile past where I needed to leave the trail to catch the Hell For Sure ridge. Instead, I turned right and continued up the Fish Creek Trail. The lower part of the trail was more overgrown than Aspen Grove and was hard to follow. I also found quite a bit of stinging nettle. Once I got away from the creek, the trail cleared up and it started to look like the San Gorgonio Wilderness I remembered. The Fish Creek Trail has long switchbacks, mostly up the side of Grinell Mountain. I could see 10K Ridge across the creek, but with switchbacks, I was walking away from it as much as toward it.
Overgrown trail, much worse in some places
Ten Thousand Foot Ridge from the side of Grinell, that gully looks like an intriguing shortcut, but might not be safe
From Fish Creek Saddle, I started straight up open country toward Lake Peak. The Lake Peak summit was a large pile of boulders, class 1+. There was an ammo box but it only had a couple of small scraps of paper. It needed a new register, but I didn't have one on me. There was a great view of Dry Lake which still wasn't dry. It looks the same as when JFR visited last month. The trek from Lake to Ten Thousand Foot Ridge was longer than I thought, more than a mile. Lake has a very long summit with some small boulder bumps and a lot of downed trees from the fire. I went by but didn't stop at Fish Creek Peak along the way. Heading down to the saddle below 10K, I was surprised to find a party of 8 hikers, organized with an official leader. I chatted with them as I walked past and found out they had camped at Dollar Lake and were on their way to 10K. The group was moving slowly, so I said goodbye and continued up. The slope to 10K was the only steep terrain of the day. I picked up a strong aroma of field mint on the ascent. On top, there was a notebook register in a tall ammo box. I had the summit to myself for about 10 minutes before they caught up. That gave me time for photos and to decorate the ammo box with an Eispireten sticker. The first page in the register discussed how the Tribe of Tahquitz adopted this mountain in 1925 and refers to it as TOT mountain, frequently bringing youth up as a rite of passage. On the way down, I lost the trail in the vegetation around Fish Creek and ended up on the wrong side of the creek in waist high grass. Had to find a log to cross over. The rest was uneventful. Because of the road closure, it ended up being 18 miles round trip. It will be much easier when the road is opened to Fish Creek Trailhead.
Party of 8 on the way to 10K
It looks nicer now
Lake Peak on the way back, Grinell on the right
Closer look at the possible shortcut gully
