Pinnacles Trail

location: Pinnacles Trail near Lake Arrowhead
distance: 5.2 miles
elevation: 5,737 ft

details: Andy asked one of his co-workers (who grew up in the area) for some hiking recommendations within a reasonable driving distance of us. today we headed into the San Bernardino Forest beyond Lake Arrowhead to hike the Pinnacles.

the area is know for excellent rock climbing, as well as trails for off-highway vehicles (ATVs, dirt bikes, etc.). we set out early this morning so as to beat the forecast heat of midday and found the trailhead, located near the entrance of a rifle range, with a bit of effort. (we got a chance to test out the new car's suspension by taking a rutted track to the OHV staging area, only to realize we weren't anywhere close to the trailhead and had no interest in encountering motorized vehicles while hiking.) the sounds of target practice kept us company along the first part of the trail through rocky creek beds, steadily working our way uphill.

we gained a fair bit of elevation during the course of the hike, though I can't find the exact figure. on numerous occasions we climbed over boulders and squeezed through narrow openings between rocks. the mountains are part of the Transverse Ranges and the rocks stem from an older epoch than the mountains themselves. I not any good with geology, but we identified some granite and possibly some quartz (probably dating from the Cretaceous period, according to this map). as Andy observed, each of our recent hikes has been remarkably different from the others - Mt. Baldy, Mt. Rainier, Pinnacles - hiking up scree, sliding down snow, bouldering... what will next time bring?

the views from the top of the peak were expansive - the mountains to the east, west, and south; Victorville and the Mojave to the north (west and east, respectively). the online hike description we found indicated there was a register for people to sign - we didn't see it nor look for it. we couldn't miss the American flag braced among the top rocks! another hiker who arrived at the summit the same time indicated the flag blew over not infrequently and moved around the summit; a filled-in post hole on top of the highest rock supported that observation.

after resting for some water and snacks, we headed back downhill - a much easier prospect as always, though the gravel made for occasionally unsure footing and left the heels of my palms slightly worse for the wear. overall, we prepped and coped better with this hike than Mt. Baldy; we've now got one of the hiking packs stocked up with (most of) the 10 hiking essentials, which should make getting out of the house to beat the heat just a little bit easier next time!

Mt. Rainier - Burroughs Peaks

View from First Burroughs, with snow-covered trail
in the distance and Rainer shrouded by clouds

location: Mt. Rainier
distance: approx 5.5 miles
elevation gain: 1000 feet

details: on all my previous trips to Seattle, I hoped for the opportunity to get out to Mt. Rainier for some hiking. this trip, not only did we have plenty of time to make the trip but also a driver eager to join us. after some discussion (and random searching to help narrow down the plethora of ideas presented by the Washington Trails Association) we settled on the route from Sunrise that covered both Burroughs peaks on the northeastern slope of Rainier.

our initial directions too us to a campground on the White River, some 600ft lower than our desired starting point. we got back on the road and followed it to its terminus - and the second-most visited starting point for Rainier hikers. after grabbing sandwiches from the lodge for lunch, we set off on the Sourdough Ridge trail at the direction of one of the rangers and got an early glimpse of what scrambling over snowpack might be like. (one tween nearly took me out with sliding down the snow, heedless to the presence of people on the trail behind her.)

the Sourdough trail took us past Frozen Lake, where we followed the path up to the First Burroughs peak. I was a little surprised at how quickly we reached that summit - maybe 2 miles and 600ft of elevation gain. we all agreed that we ought to continue in spite of the snow covering most of the trail to the Second Burroughs and made the remain distance in good time.

a fair few people had settled down for lunch in view of Mt. Rainier; one recommended we take a look at the meadow to the west of the Second Burroughs to see some mountain goats - something we'd been hoping to espy along our hike. we enjoyed our sandwiches and sitting for a bit, then headed back the way we'd come - slightly more treacherous going downhill with minimal traction or purchase for shoes on the snow. none of us went careening off the mountainside, however, and we even indulged in a bit of shoe-sledding going down the last bit of snow on the Wonderland trail.

after some painful misadventures with the last set of hiking boots, Andy bought picked out some new ones last week an tested them out for the first time at Rainier. overall verdict - pretty good. a couple of hotspots on his heels, but after tightening up the laces the rubbing that produced those spots dissipated sufficiently to make them worthy of at least another shot. here's hoping they'll make it through the qualifying all the way to Fiordland!