EISPIRATEN

Has anyone done this or similar, starting from the Angeles forest highway? I was admiring this craggy eye-catcher driving up Tujunga on my way to Strawberry on Sunday. The more I research it, the more intrigued I become. Its 2 miles of pretty gnarly-ass looking ridge. The USGS gives no elevation points along it.

Searching the board archives, the only TR I can find is in 2014 AW gives a brief mention of maybe kinda attempting a bump on it, but its a little unclear how far he got? https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... ine#p50243 Sounds like he really enjoyed himself.

And in 2018 HikeUp makes beautifully enigmatic mention of it, the words shrouded in myth and legend from the beginning of time, in response to Dima having made an approach from the south: If anyone has some good photos of it from surrounding positions, I'd love to see them?

My best advice - ignore most of what I have said on this forum!

I tried once in a half-hearted manner. It didn't go.

Member @Travis (or maybe it was member @Augie ) did do it at some point in the past (prior to my "attempt"). You can likely find his (there) report or route info on summitpost (does that still exist?).

This thread is Travis trying to get people to go with him...
https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?t=295

Here is my thread about my lame attempt at west ridge approach (fail)...
https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?t=644

Here is a thread of a hike to the peak via the road...
https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?t=621

I include these links in hopes that it provides some hints/clues/info that will help you out. Each thread has links that may or may not still work to other info. The route is doable...it's just a matter of deciding where to start. If I had made a second attempt I would have tried your proposed starting point. In fact, I specifically stopped on the road in that area to ascertain the feasibility of starting there. I concluded it was do-able but never got around to it. I think there is a google street view link of that area in one of the threads I mention above. Cliffy but I'm sure there is a scramble way up.

Good luck and hope this helps.

I'll post some pics I took of the upper portions of the ridge (from the summit) when I get a bit more time tomorrow.

There is mention of mile marker 22.95 as a starting point. Matt Maxon mentions it on this forum.

A is mm 22.45 where I started in a failed attempt.
B is mm 22.95.
C is where I think you are proposing to start from.

This is a standard off-trail, HPS Sierra Club Josephine route. They have write-ups on their site with specific directions, how to do this one.

David R wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2024 7:46 am This is a standard off-trail, HPS Sierra Club Josephine route. They have write-ups on their site with specific directions, how to do this one.

Thanks... All I can find is this TR, dating from 1998.
https://hundredpeaks.org/archives/hps01360.htm
They did it starting from 22.45 (A) which is where HikeUp did as well. They say from 22.45 is "tree-shaded drainage" that is the best route, but that was of course from long before the Station Fire so I suspect its a far worse brush-fest now. HikeUp says it was "impenetrable brush" in 2008 even. My experience has been north-facing slopes in the from range are preferable if no station fire, worse if there has been station fire...

I'm not well-versed on the HPS website. Are there more TRs for the west ridge on there? Maybe its not all that 'standard' if there exists only one TR dating from 1998?

HikeUp wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 11:30 pm A is mm 22.45 where I started in a failed attempt.
B is mm 22.95.
C is where I think you are proposing to start from.

Thank you so much for all the historical digging, HikeUp!

A 22.45 is the recommended route on the HPS TR I found dating from 1998, but it sounds like you had a brushy experience in 2008, and I suspect post station fire it must be worse? Station fire north-facing slopes I've had bad experiences with...

B 22.95 looks steep as hell...I mean, they are all steep as hell. But B looks like the worst.

I have here a 10-ft interval topo map. A is maybe best for slope, but I fear the brush. Still leaning towards picking my way up C. I think I can curve west a little from the drainage, weaving an attainable route.

I got some illustrative aerials

Starting "C" on the south-facing slope. Steep and crumbly as hell but less brush: Here is the north facing slope. Still steep as hell. Less crumbling. More brush: Which ever direction you approach, once you attain the ridge it looks very cool!

facing south: facing west: Once you are on the ridge, *maybe* not all that brushy????

Here's google street view at point C.

Thinking back on my approach from 22.45, it was a loose scree and steep climb that was only getting brushier and brushier as it went up. I hadn't done any prep other than "park at 22.45", so I said screw it. Although thinking back on it, the more brush the more hand holds! lol

I started up south of C. There was a communications platform near the bottom....along with the fixed ropes. But the hunters used a different path like A.
The ridge was not brushy in 2014...except for one part, and that part is basically guaranteed to brushy today.
Simply because people just deal with it, and im kind of unusual in my royal entrance with using loopers.

I went down Skyhook/Clear Creek School canyon..

The HPS site doesn't have an official route description for the west ridge. The only description is in the TR that you have seen.

It describes bypassing the ephemeral waterfall on the right and ascend the subsidiary ridge up to the main ridge. I stayed in the drainage and ended up on the wrong subsidiary ridge...which is why I am a dumbass.

I dug up my old KMZ track. The purple route was mine, the pink is what I think the HPS TR describes, and I think the yellows would go too. Pink is your best option IMHO.
I'm out.