Modern Hiker

A post-storm trip on the Pacific Crest Trail to one of the ‘lower high’ peaks on the north range of the San Gabriels. A little bit of snow-hiking, some bouldering, and just a touch of backcountry navigation to round off the trip. A great trek to a lightly-traveled peak. The summit of Mount Pacifico has a beautiful campground, and is also accessible by fire road.

Last Friday, we got a bit of rain on and off for the whole day. Because it happens so rarely here, getting to look outside and see rain falling is always a nice treat. But this was even nicer because a). we’re now up to 20% of our usual rainfall for the season and b). the day after it rains in L.A. is always beautiful because the smoggy bits usually get knocked out of the sky. So I canceled my Sunday hiking plans and bumped ‘em up to Saturday instead.

After spending the last two weeks on shorter trails, I wanted to test out my knee on something closer to what I was hiking before I got all gimpy. And so, I set out for the north range of the San Gabriels, which is still mostly unexplored for me. By mid-morning, I was at the very empty Mill Creek picnic area, lacing up and stretching out, with the snow-dusted mountains beckoning in the distance.

The Pacific Crest Trail runs straight through the picnic area crossing the Angeles Forest Highway, and this was my first time hiking on any portion of it. Last year, I hiked a tiny section of the Appalachian Trail in Connecticut and was lucky enough to meet a thru-hiker on his way north. No such luck on the PCT this time, but I did get to see a note someone had scrawled on a trail sign back in 2003 - about a life that doesn’t seem like it’s going too well.

The trail itself was in great shape and very easy to follow. I guess when you’re a famous and popular trail, you get a bit more attention when maintenance time rolls around. The trail starts out in the pines typical of the higher San Gabriel elevations, which provided some nice shade and even nicer scents.

Almost entirely on the north face, the trail was a bit on the cooler side, and as the elevation got higher, the amount of snow on the trail increased. As it’d been sitting in the SoCal sun for a few hours, it had already started to turn into that lovely substance those of us with seasons refer to as ’slush.’ It made for a few choice sections of very slippery hiking, but there wasn’t enough to cause any serious worry.

Hiking east on the Pacific Crest Trail was pleasant but uneventful. The grade on the trail was hardly noticeable, but as the snow got a bit deeper on the ground, I had to watch the branches above me more often. What started out as light drops of water and snow dustings falling from the melting snow was starting to get a bit more substantial. At one point, a snowball-sized chunk dropped inches in front of my nose. Let me tell you, that is a great way to perk yourself up on the trail. No caffeine needed.

After about four miles of slow winding upward, I came to a small, flat clearing perched on the edge of the mountain. It has no protection from the wind, so it’s probably not a good camp site, but it does have some great views of the deserts to the north and the east-west chain of San Gabriels. Looking east, the Pleasant View Ridge looked like it got a nice helping of snow…

While right behind me, the closer Pacifico Mountain face had its own fair share, too.

On the way up, I was following a single set of boots and dog tracks, but it looks like they only came as far as these flats. The snow was deeper now - around 4 to 6 inches - and I was the first person to step in it. I love that.

My map showed the PCT coming very close to a dirt road, which then ascended to the summit of Pacifico. Unfortunately, I saw some old jeep tracks covered in snow and figured that was the road. The snow and slush were thinner here, but much more slippery. My trekking poles gave me good enough support to keep from slipping on anything, and when I got to a very nasty incline, they helped pull me up without sliding all the way back down.

By now, I’d realized I’d turned off the PCT too early, but I’d committed myself to crawling up the summit and working my way over the ridge. I figured there’d be less snow than on the north face, too … Or at least, that’s the rationalization I gave myself as I huffed and puffed my way up what was by far the sharpest incline on the entire trail.

When I got to the top, I was rewarded with a bizarro landscape of jagged boulders peaking out of the snowfall. And as it was off the beaten path, I had it all to myself.

After wandering my way through several old jeep trails along the ridge, I finally met back up with the actual junction of the Pacific Crest Trail and the dirt road to Pacifico. It’s very, very clearly marked. Even if the signs aren’t necessarily in the best shape.

While you can also reach Pacifico’s summit via a spur trail further down the PCT, I’d already done my fair share of slippery climbing. So I took the road.

While it looked level and flat for most of the way, the road is not advised for passenger cars. I only saw one set of dirt bike tracks in the mud. This road is pretty out-of-the-way, so I can’t imagine it’s used all that often, although as I got closer to the summit, I noticed the occasional signs of the car-accessible National Forest areas - broken glass, bottle caps, beer cans, etc.

While potentially not as interesting as the trail ascent, when the road made it to the east slope of Pacifico, I got some views of Pleasant View, and the Burnham-Throop-Hawkins line bathed in clouds and snow that literally made me stop in my tracks, slack-jawed.

The entrance to the campground was no less dramatic, as the same angled boulders that littered the summit of its neighbor flanked the entire summit and campsite, broken up with the occasional hardy pine.

The summit - or at least, the tallest boulder I could find - is just south of the campground, facing the San Gabriels. It’s not that much higher than the ground, and is an pretty easy climb up. I’d imagine it’d be even easier if your boots weren’t soaked from stomping through the snow.

After eating a small lunch on top of the summit boulder, I walked around the campground for a bit, just to check it out. For being all the way ‘out there,’ it was actually in very good shape. Lots of picnic tables and metal fire containers, plenty of trees and rocks for windbreaks, sealed trash bins and only one Miller Lite bottle cap. And as an added bonus, every camp site has an amazing view. I guess that’s what you get when your campsite’s on a mountain’s summit.

As my knee was starting to act up again (after 7 miles and a decent elevation gain - a marked improvement), I put on my brace and decided to follow the dirt road back to the trailhead instead of retracing my steps. My map showed the road going in more-or-less a direct route along the south face of Pacifico, so I thought I might even cut a bit of distance off the return trip.

The map that screwed me on the way up also screwed me on the way down. The road that seemed a straight line was actually a tangled mess of switchbacks that probably would have added several miles on to my trip. I spotted a few boot tracks in the road, though, so I knew there must be a use trail shortcut somewhere along the way.

And lucky for me, it turns out that several other frustrated hikers cut themselves a very direct descent from a water tank near the mountain’s ridge. It’s easy to spot from the top, and almost always crosses the dirt road in a straight line. As you get down further down the slope, the path is less distinct, but all you have to do is keep moving north. I only had to shimmy through one thornbush, and it wasn’t that bad.

A little bit of post-hike stretching and I was back on the road to L.A., oddly craving a tuna fish sandwich on toast. Is it possible to get food cravings only hiking a few miles on the PCT?

 

The Basics:

- Distance: As hiked, 12.6 miles. The distance to the summit - either by PCT or along the mountain’s ridge - is about 7 miles. Using the use-trail / dirt road combo will get you there in about 5 and a half miles, but is much more steep.
- Elevation Gain: 2180 feet.
- Time: 6 hours, with rests.
- Trail Condition: The Pacific Crest Trail is in excellent condition, with only a few downed trees blocking the path. The unofficial jeep roads were under snow when I was up there, which made navigation difficult at times. The jeep tracks often branch in many directions, and weren’t very detailed on my map. When in doubt, ascend! The use-trail that cuts through the fire road is not an official trail and is not maintained. It can be difficult to follow in the lower elevations, but once you find it you’ll be fine. It pretty much shoots a straight north-south line, and almost always directly crosses the dirt road when it comes to it. Be warned that it is very steep, and has lots of loose dirt.

- Map It

The Notables:

- Great section of the Pacific Crest Trail with many sweeping desert views.
- Lots of opportunities for bouldering if you hike the mountain’s ridge.
-
Fairly secluded campground at the mountain’s summit. It is accessible by 4WD road, though, so I can’t vouch for how secluded it actually is.

Extending Your Stay:

- With a backpack and some time, you could easily extend this hike and bag several peaks. Both Granite Peak and Roundtop Mountain are reachable from an intersection on the south face’s dirt road, adding 3 miles one way. And, of course, you’re on the PCT, so you can stretch as far in either direction as you want.

More Pictures:

- On the Flickr.