I was supposed to hike Gorgonio the week before Mt. Whitney as part of my training plan, but (re)sprained my ankle on Jacinto the week before, so took a rest week before summiting Whitney. It's been a bit over 2 weeks since summiting, so I wanted to hit Gorgonio before winter kicked in.

The only permits available when I looked Friday night for Sat were for South Fork, I figured, what's an extra mile? I left San Diego at 5:30am. Got to South Fork at 7:45. Was hoping it wasn't too late to start, but had my headlamp in case of a late finish. I did Jacinto via Deer Springs in 9hrs recently (the last mile on a sprained ankle), so I figured I'd be close enough.

Side note - I drove up to Baldy Thursday, but the wind was wild, so I pivoted to Cucamonga. Even on Icehouse Canyon the cold and wind was a lot, so I had lunch at the saddle and headed back down. The wind was looking much better for San G on Saturday, so I was pretty confident I'd get to the top.

I brought my puffer (which I used on Icehouse Thurs. along with insulated mittens), but never needed it. An alpha hoodie and Patagonia Houdini with some wool liner gloves & a beanie was plenty. There were a few spots of snow about a mile from the summit, but nothing unavoidable (I walked through some for the fun, lol). No micro spikes necessary. The view from the trail seemed a little daunting, but most of the snow was on the chutes, thankfully.

I made it to the peak a little after noon, and back to the car by 4pm. About 8 hours on trail including a long chat on the way down with a dad hiking with his daughter. The peak was very crowded, so I took my pic, and headed back to Dollar Lake Saddle for lunch. I'll say, I've never done Vivian Creek, but I probably would do South Fork if I did it again on a weekend because of the crowds. I saw maybe a dozen people on the South Fork trail (including two young guys hunting?? who knew?) all day, but the loads of people I ran across near the peak all were heading down VC. A couple small water crossings, but rock hopping was fine. Not sure what the weather this week will bring, but get out there soon if you want a nice fall hike. Even the drive was a great fall treat.

All in all I think Gorgonio was easier than Jacinto via Deer Springs. I'd been phyching my self up over Gorgonio bc people says it's so hard, some say harder than Whitney?? Maybe it's just Vivian Creek that's hard? Or maybe I'm just in decent hiking condition right now after training for Whitney for months? Bonus, I can now display my Gorgonio benchmark magnet that I've had stashed until I completed it. :) The trail was great, def a top 10 hike.

I had initially planned to do c2c2c, and I feel like I had it in me but I made the mistake of stopping at the restaurant on the way down and ate way too much- so I copped out with the tram.
How do people feel like this compares to day hiking Whitney in summer I terms of physical endurance? Even though the mileage is roughly the same and the elevation gain is way more on c2c, Whitney felt much harder. What do yall think?
Also, shoutout to Dan & Nathan wherever you are for letting me join yall in the uber back to my car. Saved me an extra 4 miles of walking on asphalt. Hopefully yall see this.

Hiked Strawberry Peak from Colby Canyon and found ticks on my clothes (and on my pole) on the way up. None on the way down so probably only an early morning thing. I've never seen a tick in SoCal in October. Plenty in late winter- late spring, but usually when it's hot AF they disappear to whatever hell they come from. So just be aware if you're hiking anything brushy, be sure to do a tick check!

Very very windy, decent temperature though!
We wanted to hit Etiwanda, but our group was a bit rusty and I overpacked on water and slowed us down. We ended up just doing Cucamonga for time. My buddy left something at summit as well, so we had to hike another mile, which didn’t help. Overall pretty good! Feels nice that that it’s cooling down again, not a big fan of summer hikes, which is probably why we got so rusty!

My wife and I were planning on taking the Tram next weekend, overnighting one night, and peaking San Jacinto. Now with the wind advisories we are rethinking the plan.

Any good 2 day trails in the area at lower elevations you might recommend?

(Yes, I can “google it” but I’m interesting in off-the-beaten path ideas. 😀)

Im looking to do a winter summit of any prominent peak (such as gorgonio, bernardino or jacinto etc...) in the area thatll be in snow/ice conditions.

Gear or training recommendations?

I havnt done any hikes our routes in the mountains during the winter and im not too sure where to safely start.

Im physically fit and do 20+ milers with no issue.

Our group is planning a day hike up Mt. Whitney on Tuesday, October 20, starting around 1 a.m. One person has summited Whitney before and we are prepared to turn around if conditions aren’t favorable.
I’ve been following the Mountain-Forecast predictions. Tuesday looks relatively clear, but the snow forecast for Tuesday night into Wednesday has me a little concerned.

A few questions for those familiar with Whitney:

Has anyone been up there in the past few days? How are the 99 Switchbacks and the section from Trail Crest to the summit?

How would you interpret Tuesday’s weather window, particularly with the incoming storm?

For those who’ve done Whitney in October, what would you consider a reasonable turnaround time for a 1 a.m. start?

We are experienced in strenuous day hikes , but know that Whitney presents a difference challenge. I am admittedly a little anxious about the hike, altitude and would really appreciate perspectives from people who’ve been there recently. Thanks.

New to the area and new job's been rough. 😔 Would love to do a hike with a nice view, but can't make a huge trip out of it.

Look what I stumbled across while on a trail the other day. Anyone know what species of snakes they are?

Took a trip up to Idyllwild, stopped at the PCT crossing and discovered this map and memorial.

Does anyone have an image of how the monument looked when it was erected? The map is now faded and unreadable.

I saw this mass of Asian beetles(?) on my hike through Ice House Canyon trail on Wednesday. The photo only shows about a third of the entire mass of bugs.

Lots of wildlife out today. Spotted a grey fox on my way back down the trail and a pair of bald eagles flying around throughout the hike.

Looking to do one of these big peaks before winter hits. Never done either, but I have done every other big SoCal peak. I am prepared for winter temperatures and ice if conditions are rough. Would do Gorgonio from Vivian Creek or Jacinto via the Marion Mtn Trail. Gorgonio hike would be longer but a shorter drive. Thoughts?

Roughly 10,000 ft of elevation gain and descent, 2,000 ft of loose scree (the “Little Slope of Horrors” and “The Ghastly Ridge”), no trail, and a little third class spice near the summit.

Walking a road to the summit wasn’t exactly inspiring, so I put White Mountain off for years. Eventually I settled on a plan to bike it from Big Pine, hoping the novelty of biking a 14er would entice me to finally get it done. Unfortunately it snowed 2 days before my trip and I wasn’t sure how feasible biking would be, so I pulled up Google Earth thinking surely there are more interesting ways up this mountain. That’s how I found the west ridge. I found an old DPS Sierra Club trip report and looked at the FKT page to get a sense of what kind of day I was in for. It was perfect.

I did bedtime with the kids Tuesday night, left South Bay at 8 pm, parked at 4800 ft off a dirt road at 2am, slept until 6am, hiked from 6:15 am to 8:05 pm, ate dinner with a friend who lives in Bishop, then drove home. Got back at 2:30, showered, slept a few hours, then took the kids to school in the morning. I’d never experienced altitude issues at 14k before this trip. The final 2k ft were rough, and my headache didn’t go away (and my pace didn’t return to normal) until I’d descended to 10k. My training for this hike was woefully inadequate.

My understanding is that this route is infrequently done, so I didn’t expect to see anyone on route. But I didn’t expect to have the summit all to myself too!

Does anyone know of any women's hiking groups around Los Angeles or anyone in West LA who wants to do early morning hikes on weekends?

Yesterday (Wednesday) was my first time hiking up Ice House Canyon trail. I can now see why it gets such a high rating on AllTrails. It’s a beautiful hike! There are still some sections showing some fall colors. That guy asking about scenic hikes in LA area should try this hike.

Trail is in good shape. No muddy spots from recent rain. No water crossings this time of year. I got to the trailhead around 9:15 am and plenty of parking. Of course it was a Wednesday so it’s probably quite different on the weekend.

I did the loop version of the hike (about 8 1/2 miles) and did it clockwise. I think this is a good way to do it because you experience most of the canyon going downhill and you see the progression from dry creek to water-filled creek as you descend. Full ambient hike video of the descent coming soon.

UPDATE: the gate to Chantry Flats is closed due to the red flag warning, so I will not be going. Thanks everyone for educating me on red flag warnings!

I was planning to hike Mount Wilson tomorrow (monitoring winds of course), but it says there’s a red flag warning through tomorrow night. Are those an indication that I should call off the hike? I’m new to the area and I know high winds are a risk for hiking, but I don’t know if red flag warnings are an immediate deterrent. I moved here from somewhere that does not have much wildfire risk.

I had planned to do San G from Vivian Creek TH this Sunday before the snow fell on 10/11. Anybody been up there who can tell me if it’s mountaineering conditions now? Did the snow stick? I am not equipped for mountaineering. 😞

Hi y'all. I'm trying to get back into hiking now that I have more time. I'd love to find a group to periodically join. Preferably somewhere along The Corona-MoVal-Temecula triangle, but not limited to. Last trip was. Solo hike to Etiwanda Falls, if that helps put some perspective. Thanks.

I know it is not winter but it’s definitely not going to be warm. I have a very warm sleeping bag and proper cold weather clothes and a 20 degree rated sleeping bag too. The other gear I have is regular backpacking gear I take to the Trans Catalina Trail.

Should I avoid sleeping on the summit and opt for something lower? Should I avoid The Devil’s Backbone?

If anyone has been up there either recently or in late October please share your knowledge.

It seems like overnight, I'm seeing many hikers and runners hitting the trails barefoot. Many seem to own shoes and even tie the laces together and drape them around their necks. Most seem like they just got into the trend, but I am convinced it is dumb and I would never do it. I am sure that the footwear tech have come a long way since the caveman era and even in the last 50 years. Running barefoot exposes your tootsies to thorns, bacteria, glass, dog and animal feces, uneven rocks, and more. I can't imagine this being good for your joints, spine, arches, and your feet must be gross afterwards. It seems like the majority of barefooters are new to it, and they all must be reading the crap my friend was telling me about being "grounded with the earth," etc. I don't even like hiking in soft forgiving shoes myself; I have Merrells that seem to carve their own path, and aggressively smash through rocks and obstacles. I am not bashing these people for enjoying nature, but I think they might be misled, and most, if not all, will return to footwear.