End Pavement

I’m glad our proposed hike isn’t until the weekend. :) Should be Mostly Sunny, in the 60s and 70s.

Special Weather Statement - San Bernardino, Riverside Cou (California): “COLD FRONT TO IMPACT SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND SHOWERS…

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA ON THURSDAY NIGHT ACCOMPANIED BY GUSTY WINDS AND SHOWERS. PRECIPITATION IS NOT EXPECTED TO BE PROLONGED OR HEAVY…BUT THE WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS MAY BE STRONG WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE THURSDAY NIGHT….

Via California - (San Bernardino County Valley, The Inland Empire/CAZ048) - Current Watches, Warnings and Advisories for California Issued by the National Weather Service.

In 2006, I didn’t get on the bike until April 18th, and took my last ride on September 20th, only managing a little over 340 miles for the year. On the plus side, I started working my way up to an eventual goal of doing a century, setting a personal best 40-mile trip over the summer, before life pretty much fell apart.

All that aside, I got on the bike today for the first ride of 2007 and the first in months and put 5.7 miles on the odometer, most of it uphill. The body feels just fine afterwards, and there’s a pleasantly familiar “raw”-ish feeling in the lungs from cooler air (and lots of it). Definitely a lot easier to get up a hill when it’s 70°F than when it’s over 100°F. :)

Here’s to much more oxygen and many more miles in 2007!

“Cucamonga Peak via Icehouse Canyon” - Modern Hiker, a fellow Southern Californian, writes up a day hike he took in the San Gabriels in early December. Some very nice pictures, as well as funny stories that go to show that solo hikes often don’t wind up “solo.”

Columbine Spring is the primary source of the picturesque stream that runs down Icehouse Canyon, and the spring itself lies almost directly beneath the trail to Icehouse Saddle. Last time I wanted to snap a picture, it was surrounded by a group of loud teenagers. This time, it looked like I had the place to myself, so I kneeled down to peek in.

Almost immediately, I heard a loud, “Oh! What’s down there?” as two middle-aged men stepped down to join me.

I’ve done virtually no hiking on that side of the Cajon Pass, so this is definitely one for the to-do list.

Alex and I have been talking about hiking up San Gorgonio at some point this year. This seems like a spiffy goal. Wikipedia says:

San Gorgonio Mountain (or Mount San Gorgonio, or Old Greyback) is the highest peak in Southern California. It is located in the San Bernardino Mountains, 27 mi (42 km) east of the city of San Bernardino and 12 mi (19 km) north-northeast of San Gorgonio Pass. It lies in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, part of the San Bernardino National Forest. Spanish missionaries in the area during the early 1800s named the peak after Saint Gorgonius.

The mountain is 11,499′ (or 11,502′ depending on the vintage of the measuring) and is one of several prominent peaks in the range. Check out this from the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association FAQ:

Q. I noticed a patch offered through the SGWA’s store proclaiming “I Climbed the Nine Peaks”. What are the names of the nine peaks that would satisfy this claim?

A. From west to east, they are San Bernardino Peak, San Bernardino Peak East, Anderson Peak, Shields Peak, Alto Diablo (a curious “pile of rocks” not recognized by the U.S. Geological Survey, but recognized by the Boy Scouts of America and many “locals”), Charlton Peak, Little Charlton Peak, Jepson Peak, and Mt. San Gorgonio. These peaks are generally linked up by Boy Scouts groups and others on a three-day outing beginning at the Vivian Creek Trail and culminating at the San Bernardino Peak trailhead. There are other peaks in the San Gorgonio Wilderness, but those listed above are all located along the several mile long ridge from San Gorgonio to San Bernardino Peak.

Here are some preliminary links:

• San Gorgonio Mountain at Wikipedia
• San Gorgonio Wilderness Association
• “Up Mt San Gorgonio” by Russell Bell
• San Gorgonio Wilderness: Hiking on GORP.
• San Bernardino National Forest