Views and Wildflower from Vincent Gap to Islip Saddle

 

  Inspiration Point

Pleasant View Ridge

Blazing Star

 

 

 mountain creek snow runoff

Red Columbine

 

Shooting Stars

 

Salvia

 

Monkey Pods 

  

Prickly Poppy

Mount Burnham (8983 feet)

Apparently insane was the name of the game this week. Linda had been feeling puny all week due to the remains of her Bronchitis, and I thought we'd just make a lazy Sunday of it at Big Rock Creek. Instead, after seeing the doctor on Thursday, and receiving a personal Nebulizer, about three hours later she emailed wanting to climb Mt. Burnham on Friday night. A bit surprised, but always game, I packed my pack for a moonlight ascent, an overnight at 9000 feet and cold camp (no campfire).

We reached the base of our ascent (shortly after Vincent Gap) at about 8:30 pm, just as the sun was disappearing and darkness was falling. Due to a fire in the Santa Barbara Mountains (many miles and at least one mountain range away), the smoke was drifting through and creating quite a fiery sky. So we strapped on our packs and proceeded up a goat path along the ridge. The moon hadn't risen so we had rely on the light of the stars and our headlamps to light our way. Due to the fires there was a constant sprinkling of ash. After about 2 hours, of often guessing and sometimes just plain getting off the trail (they call it lost), we made it to the top. What a view, we could see the lights from every side.

And then the moon started to rise... At first all we saw was this little red dot in the distance... and it got bigger and bigger, so we thought it must have been a fire. Finally it turned into this river of lava looking thing... of course none of us thought of taking a picture. That is until:

Moon rising through the smoke

 

Then we watched the Presides. Linda and Darin got see a fireball… I missed it… but got to see an number of smaller ones instead. So, after making some hot chocolate with the Jet Boil (awesome little tool), we eventually fell asleep next to the Manzanita bushes on the top of Mount Burnham.

Sunrise was absolutely spectacular

Sunrise over the eastern San Gabriel's

One lonely Star

 

Sun reflecting off the smoke trapped in the mountains

 

Smoke trapped in the Inversion Layer

 

Linda in the brambles, actual summit

We slept a few more hours after sunrise, and then made camp and began our trek back down the mountain. I wasn’t at the time, but now I’m pretty sure that it was a good thing that we ascended at night, that way I couldn’t see the steepness of the ridge.

We started down the same way we’d come, sort of anyway; When we came upon a trail. We had seen it last night when we came up, but hadn’t taken it, since the shortest way to the summit was UP. So we followed the trail, a nice super-highway of trails, which turned out to be the Pacific Crest Trail… but it wasn’t going to get us back to our vehicle, so we had to double back and then continue down our original “goat path.”

Linda & Darin on the PCT

Our “Goat Path” or maybe “Deer Trail”

I know… what trail? Trust me it’s there. And we made it up this thing in the dark?????

Don’t Step off the Edge of the World…

WEEEEEEEE

And so we continued to scramble our way down, looking for the red ribbons tied to tree which marked our decent. Every so often we’d lose the ribbons and have to asses our surroundings. Oh no… we had to look at the view (dripping sarcasm). It was just awful. Poor Us.

Look… El Mirage dry lake

 

There were even some Pinstemmen left blooming at the bottom, which by the way I was very happy to see, as we completely lost the trail for the last part of our decent and were forced to scrabble down the ridge.

Pinstemmen

We were very glad and super tired by the time we made it to our van. However, we were also very satisfied with our accomplishment. Who else would be insane enough to climb a 9000ft mountain in the dark just to sleep in the bushes and see the sunrise.

If you want to read more, check out Linda’s blog: hikingforhope.blogspot.com

Devil's Punchbowl

"The great San Andreas Rift Zone cuts a bee-line swath along the desert side of the San Gabriels. Many interesting geological features lie along the monumental earthquake fault system, but none so strange as the fantastic jumble of whitish rocks known as Devil's Punchbowl. Within this mile-wide depression rise row upon row of weathered sandstone blocks, many of them tilted so as to resemble plates standing on edge, others folded and broken like huge slices of fancy pudding.

"In 1963 this unique geological formation became a Los Angeles County Park. A paved road was built to its western rim, and wide, well-graded loop trail hacked out down into the bowl."Although only a short down-and-up walk, this other-worldly loop trip into the Devil's Punchbowl is one of the most interesting trips in the range. The trail passes beside weird sandstone outcroppings, and at the bottom of the bowl, a playful stream cascades over, around and through the slanted formations. Hardy pinyons and manizinita thickets cling to precipitous footholds between the rocks."
— John W. Robinson (Trails of the Angeles, Hike 68)

Devil's Punchbowl, or as I like to refer to it "Our Mini Grand Canyon" in the backyard of our San Gabriel Mountains, is an upheaval of rocks due to seismic activity. Basically, the fault shook, the glacier moved through, and all the rocks got jumbled. Cool!!!

This is isn't the first time we'd been up to the Punchbowl, but it was the first time we'd gone off trail. We signed in the log, just in case, we got lost... and then started down the trail as usual. We enjoyed the view to the north as we rounded a corner of the trail. According to the park ranger and the visitor center there are many other cool formations, especially rock arches within there. Though it would have to wait for another day. Darin, Joe and I were going to explore the huge rock wall to the south of the canyon. So we continued down the trail toword the now in summer dry creek bed. The ranger had said that we must cross the creek and then find the trail behind the rocks which leads upto the top. He should have mentioned it was a goat path...

So we continued down to the bottom, near "Space-ship rock." I guess they call it that because the rock is so flat and leaning there seemingly held up there by nothing. Crossing the dry creek bed took little effort and the pretty red paintbrush flowers were incentive enough for me to go scrambling in the bushes, though there was distinct lack of trail...

But that was okay, trail no trail, it didn't matter we we're having a blast scambling over the rocks, dead ending in nowhere, and having to bushwack our way back to the "goat path" we did find. Poor Darin had to stop and wonder where I had gone several times as I fell behind to take pictures... enjoy.

Where's the Path?

Is that it? No that's just the ridge...
Ah well, we'll follow it for a bit

That's where we wanted to be

After much tromping over little ridges and bushwacking our way through, we came back to the creek, now dry. So we followed it upstream. Darin went exploring a couple of extra places, but decided that the small rock walls weren't was he was idealy looking for when rappelling. So we continued up the dry creek. Taking a small breather now and again.

In the end we followed the creekbed

Finally we found a way through the ridge where the water had carved it's way through, very much like the Grand Canyon... almost otherworldly.

Until we found a crack in the Rock wall,
where the creek had carved a path through

View through the crevace into the Punchbowl

Further back where the flow of water has carved
some really spectacular formations

View between ridges, from creek bed

Once we had found our way through, it was much easier climbing the ridge, there was even a path of sorts. Though the climb up was still not for the faint of heart and a bit of a scramble. But I had two stong fellas with me, who made sure I could get up where I needed help. And it was certainly well worth the view.

Joe as King of the ridge after after climbing up behind from the creek bed

View of the backside of the Spine

We made it to the top, and the view was awesome, and my pictures do it NO justice whatsoever. It was a completely different Punchbowl from the other side. After resting for a bit, I had no idea how wimpy I was until I went out with the boys... get a bit old I guess, we made out way along the SW of the ridge, where we jumped back to the trail at the second to last boy-scout monument. Be careful going the other way, it is a mighty drop to the bottom.

Rock formation to the SW of the Spine

Looking back, after following the ridge
and jumping back on the trail

Little tiny purple flowers growing on the Burkhart trail end of the Loop

Back at the ranger station we spoke with Ranger John and Rosie for a while, when this little fella wandered out... apparently he was curious.

A favored friend at the ranger station

Big Rock Creek

I'd been living in this valley for close to 15 years, and had no what was around me.

Let me explain... My husband (David) and I moved to Southern California from Connecticut about 15 years ago, we had been together about 5 years before that. David is a big RPG fan and I pretty much devoted my spare time to his game for the past 20 years, when I decided that gaming just wasn't full filling enough to want to keep doing it (nuff said). Don't get me wrong I enjoyed gaming... but there's nothing like having you're own adventure. So I quit, and I haven't looked back since. But I had nothing to do... so I asked a friend of mine (Linda), who is into outdoor adventures to show me something new. AND SHE DID!!!

Big Rock Creek Wash

The first place she showed me was Big Rock Creek. Appropriately named for its huge bolders. Linda needed rocks for her garden, and it's a great place to find unique rocks. It was early March, when we first went. We had a really heavy snow fall this year, one day alone brought us 8-12 inches depending on your location, and the snow melt was making the creek rush. I had never seen so much water so close to the desert ever. And although the trees had not formed any leaves yet, it was still beautiful. I had no I ideal what was lurking in my back yard. This was awesome. The Shide in me got to go exploring for real.

Since then we have been back several times, either to gather rocks for our yards, or just to enjoy the nature. The water is clear cold and refreshing, even when it's 100+ degrees at home.

This weekend we were not the only ones who thought this was a good idea as every swimming hole was being used. One gentleman was even energetic enough to deepen his swimming hole by building up the dam around him.

Small Dams create Swimming Holes

Our friend Joe

Our friend Joe, who came along, immediately got himself cooled down. And cooled down is an understatement. For the middle of July, it was still very cold... like I said lots of snow this year, and it's keeping the creek running. So we enjoyed the early morning and afternoon splashing in the creek. I can't say when the last time I did that was, it must have been when I was 12 and visiting my grandma in Germany. It was nice to feel like a kid again.

If you want to see more, check out Linda's blog hikingforhope.blogspot.com