Black Mountain

location: Black Mountain in the San Bernardino National Forest
distance: approx 11 miles
elevation gain: 4,400 feet to 7,772 feet (3,372)

details: another suggestion from Andy's co-worker and another great (if challenging) hike. setting out early on Sunday, we weren't entirely sure of the round-trip length - could have been 3.6, could have been 9 - we had conflicting information. however, unlike Pinnacles, we found the trailhead on the road to Idllywild without a problem and dutifully marked off our Adventure Pass ... only to discover that (as with Pinnacles) the parking area was now free. oh well - the National Parks Service is something I'm willing to spend $5 on.

even if we didn't know the precise length of the hike, we did know about the elevation gain from the outset and the rapid ascent kicked off right out of the parking lot. in spite of the challenge, though, the climb wasn't terrible; the chaparral and pines made for good shade and the cloud helped out in the open areas. it didn't take long for us to get to the great views in all directions - most notably of Mount San Gorgonio across the Banning Pass (and the 10).

as great as the views were, I needed a good long rest once we got to the (near) summit. we knew the fire lookout tower was at the top somewhere, but my calves wanted precise distances before taking another step beyond where we parked for a breather and views to the west. I will concede that I was ready to call it, to just head back down the mountain without reaching the tower - we'd pushed hard up the mountain, had finite water resources, and still needed to get along way back down to the car. Andy, though, didn't want to give up without a little exploring and headed down an access road and found a campsite and forest ranger in short order. it meant a bit more climbing (1/4 mile, according to the ranger) but we couldn't give up so close to the destination.

we found two retired guys volunteering in the lookout tower, who pointed out various landmarks  for us (including other lookout towers) and explained their tool for triangulating the location of smoke in their field of observation. they recommended additional hikes in the area and let us use their binoculars to look around before we left. I must say the views we had while climbing up were a bit better - more clear as clouds rolled into obscure the Pass and San Gorgonio by the time we reached the summit. still pretty great sights to the south and west, though. we were the first visitors of the day, but passed several family groups heading up the fire access road on our way back down.


the hike down was good, if a bit challenging in length. we both tapped out our water packs (and felt grateful for having brought both of them, rather than just the 3L and some loose bottles) and ate all the snacks we'd packed. despite the aches and fatigue, though, we both felt glad of the challenge - pushing ourselves will only make us all the more ready for hiking the Great Walks in the fall!