san gabriels

Or, Reason #431 why I hate backpacking.

Taking the steepest trail up Mt Baldy to three neighboring peaks.

Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes you turn around to avoid being eaten by one.

"No, sir, that Minotaur isn't going to get out of this!"

So said the person who designed the western trail to Mt. Sally, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

I failed to bike Mount McKinley, failed a hike to the Pinnacle, but I did see the Aqueduct Cascades.

"Mt Bliss" has the sound of some Alaskan 17er, or maybe a neighbor of Mt Vinson. Set your expectations a lot lower...

On Feb 1, 2025, parts of the Angeles National Forest reopened after the devastating Eaton Fire.

No, the title isn't a law firm: it's five peaks near Mt Wilson that I biked and hiked.

Pacifico Mountain (7124') is in the back range of the San Gabriels so, generally speaking, it's more of a pristine environment than the front range peaks.

If you want to amuse and amaze your future ex-friends, let them know that it snows each year in the City of Los Angeles. Yes, that's right, it snows here each year!

I was hiking up Mt. Baldy when a wildfire started.

Before the devastating Eaton Fire in early 2025, you could hike from Pasadena up to Mount Lowe near Mt Wilson.

About a year before the devastating Eaton Fire, I hiked this front range peak.

Mt. Baldy - highest point in L.A. County at 10,064' - is currently closed due to the Bridge Fire which, as you'll see in a later post, I saw happen from the summit of Baldy.

I'd hiked Josephine Peak in the Angeles National Forest a few times, but this was the first time I'd biked it. It was very windy at times.