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!