Tahquitz Peak
It was a dark and stormy day...Jeremy and I climbed Tahquitz Peak. For me, it was my 2nd ascent up the peak and my first in over 10 years. As for the usual protocol, I got off to a very slow start. Jeremy was patient with me, and it prevented me from getting shin splints on the hike.
The weather was interesting, with gusts of wind blowing clouds over the peak and from the south. I was wearing a shirt with no sleeves, so the gusts were quite cold. There were intermittent rains. We found a tree to huddle under to let them pass.
The trail was measured at 3.6 miles with a '2400 elevation gain. It did not feel like a steep trail though and that either means the mileage is mismeasured on the trail or I am starting to be more confident going up the trail. I won't give myself any credit, it is probably the former.
The trail roughly followed the South Ridge that leads up to the peak. Approximately 2 miles into the hike, it moved across the West face of Tahquitz with steep switchbacks leading all the way to the top.
One pleasant surprise was to find the Fire Lookout manned. They are all volunteers now, but they were very gracious and friendly to hikers. One gentleman showed us his map and where other fire lookouts had spotted lightning fires in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
The weather drawback was that the spectacular views promised by a Tahquitz ascent were nowhere to be found. Someday, we will come back and bask in the view.
Overall, this was a slow day but I felt progress being made in my quest to do Whitney. If you wanted to know...I would say I am a 5 on the confidence scale today.
I plan to do Cowles Mountain on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week, with a date with Mt. San Jacinto on Sunday.
The weather was interesting, with gusts of wind blowing clouds over the peak and from the south. I was wearing a shirt with no sleeves, so the gusts were quite cold. There were intermittent rains. We found a tree to huddle under to let them pass.
The trail was measured at 3.6 miles with a '2400 elevation gain. It did not feel like a steep trail though and that either means the mileage is mismeasured on the trail or I am starting to be more confident going up the trail. I won't give myself any credit, it is probably the former.
The trail roughly followed the South Ridge that leads up to the peak. Approximately 2 miles into the hike, it moved across the West face of Tahquitz with steep switchbacks leading all the way to the top.
One pleasant surprise was to find the Fire Lookout manned. They are all volunteers now, but they were very gracious and friendly to hikers. One gentleman showed us his map and where other fire lookouts had spotted lightning fires in the San Gorgonio Wilderness.
The weather drawback was that the spectacular views promised by a Tahquitz ascent were nowhere to be found. Someday, we will come back and bask in the view.
Overall, this was a slow day but I felt progress being made in my quest to do Whitney. If you wanted to know...I would say I am a 5 on the confidence scale today.
I plan to do Cowles Mountain on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week, with a date with Mt. San Jacinto on Sunday.
Labels: san gorgonio, san jacinto, tahquitz, whitney
posted by T.M. Schultze at
8:58 PM
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