Etiwanda On My Mind

@serafinahikes

I was starting early today at 5 am, not just because I love hiking when it is nice and cool out. This hike would be a haul, taking at least 9 hours to complete. I was unsure how long I would actually be out there. I just wanted to make it there and back before dark. Upon arrival, the parking area was not full at all. There was nobody there, getting ready or leaving, just silence, at 4:50 am. I took about 15 minutes in my car, checking and double checking I had everything, before exiting my car. I had morning brain, and went back again for my trekking pole. I thought I was missing my headlamp, but soon found it. So now I had two. Oh well, two is better than one I thought, knowing two times back to the car was enough. It has been unbearably hot and humid this past month in Southern California. The heat this whole past month of August has felt inescapable, except for early morning, and at dusk. I was feeling good about this early start, and hoped to make good time, to beat the heat. Even with the forecast set at 72 degrees, it can still feel much warmer in places like this.

Trail Peak and Cottonwood Pass – 15 miles in the wilderness

@serafinahikes

I hiked 15 miles to Trail Peak and along the Cottonwood Pass Loop from the Cottonwood Pack Station (Horseshoe Meadows).  I had been wanting to explore more of this wilderness for sometime. All year long I think about summer in the sierra, and visiting places like this. The Golden Trout Wilderness is located in the southern sierra, and is a pristine wilderness, filled with rocky granite peaks, such as Mount Langley, Cirque Peak, and my destination for the day, Trail Peak. The way to Trail Peak, included a climb up Trail Pass, and hiking on the PCT. I passed several PCT hikers, and JMT hikers here. The marked trail to this peak on Alltrails maps is not a trail at all. After leaving the PCT, making the approach to trail peak, the choice is yours since it is entirely off trail to the peak.  This hike was very steep and  included class 2 scrambling, along with lots of boulder hopping, where you get to choose your own adventure.

Mount Wilson from Chantry Flat in May

@serafinahikes

It is mid-May, and there has not been much rain, so the terrain is fairly dry. There is a waterfall nearby, but I am unsure if today will be the day, I return to it. I have hiked from Chantry Flat, once before. It is a beautiful area for hiking, in Santa Anita Canyon. It is a popular hiking destination, accessed by a winding road, with a 15 mph speed limit, from Sierra Madre, below. The area has been affected by wildfires, and recently re-opened after the Eaton Fire tore through, the same day Pacific Palisades burned. I began my hike from Chantry Flat to Mount Wilson along Upper Winter Creek Trail around 8:30 am. It would be a 9.5 hour day of hiking, with a 30 minute break, for a total of 10 hours. I hiked 15.7 miles through all types of terrain, to complete what many consider one of the most iconic hikes in the Angeles Forest.

Mount Baldy Summit #7 on Mother’s Day Weekend

@serafinahikes

I was here for summit #7 of Mount Baldy. What a crowd on a Saturday on a holiday weekend. It was jam packed with cars at Manker Flats, so much I had to park a 1/4 mile down the road. I began hiking at 7:30 am, headed past beautiful San Antonio Falls, which was flowing at full blast, making a right on Baldy Road, and then a left soon after, up Baldy Bowl Trail. This would be my 2nd time to Mount Baldy aka Mount San Antonio (Elevation 10,064 ft) this year, and my 2nd May summit. I was here today with an awesome group of hikers, in honor of moms for a Mother's Day weekend hike, during one of the most crowded weekends to hike of the year. I was back at my car by 2:15 pm, and had made good time on this one, along with being grateful to make it back safely. My hike was 10 miles with 4200 foot of gain. Until next time Mount Baldy! Mount San Antonio is named for St. Anthony of Padua, whose birthday is August 15th. The Tongva tribe referred to the peak as Joat, which means snow. The mountain receives a lot of press, due to the extreme environment it becomes in winter, which now results in closures, after multiple fatalities of hikers in winter.

4 Peaks in One Day: Cowles Mountain, Kwaypaay Peak, North and South Fortuna Mountain

@serafinahikes

A Mission Trails 4 Peak Challenge : Cowles Mountain, Kwaypaay, South Fortuna and North Fortuna I would be hiking through Mission Trail Regional Park, to four peaks in one day. This expansive park is actually one of the largest in the entire country. It is over 8000 acres and the area has history going back over 10,000 years. This park is the site of an old dam, and granite was mined here. What is left of the old dam still stands today. There are 60 miles of trails, a lake, a campground, and a nature center here. I awoke at 3:30 am, which is much earlier than I usually ever get up to hike. It was just way too early for me, and most people. But I was not hiking with "most people," today, and that is ok. Despite all this, I knew it was on. I was barely awake, having only slept a few hours. I have climbed Cowles Mountain twice before, once from this trailhead and once from Big Rock Park, the longer way. I have climbed North and South Fortuna once before. I was on the trail by 5:15 am in the pitch black darkness, before first light. My hike would be 12.5 miles with 3400 foot of gain to the 4 peaks.