Summer hiking series- Pine Mtn via Acorn/PCT trail

cheriej2042
cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I’ve been to Wrightwood/Lake Arrowhead area but never hiked this trail. A meetup group posted so I joined in, 10.5 miles about 3750 elevation gain up to 9000 ft. The trail starts out climbing through pine forest but is relentless switchbacks ( not the most difficult I’ve ever done but I was trail running the day before and was pretty dehydrated). After a few miles you reach the bench/ intersection with the Pacific Crest Trail. This was quite exciting for me as I’ve never been on the PCT. You follow the PCT along a forested balcony trail descending after a few miles onto the Devils Backbone trail towards Pine Mtn. Devils Backbone (for some reason people here call any exposed ridge line that name) was a fun little scramble not too difficult. There was a false summit then you make an even steeper climb switchback through more pine forest to reach the summit with views of Mt Baldy Mt Dawson . I plan to climb Baldy in September. I signed the summit register in the red can but no one else did even tho was their first time.

This was probably the first real hike I’ve been on in a while that wasn’t a fire road or swamped with people. I continue to be baffled why everyone here wants to hike as fast as they can until they bonk or injure themselves. It’s like a strange competition. One woman is training for Mt Whitney (14,000 + feet) and asked another hiker about it. She said she didn’t understand why her fingers and lips turned blue when she went! I wanted to say “because you can’t hike that fast at that altitude! You’ll kill yourself!” Instead I just listened and they wondered if they could bring oxygen with them! I hope I can get back to climbing some big mountains overseas next year. Until then I’m just going to keep training here. I’m not in peak shape yet but am trying to get into that before I finally go hiking overseas again. I’m happy with my pacing , strength and endurance which is improving.
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Next up Mt Modjeska 13.5 miles next Saturday

Replies

  • Dogmom1978
    Dogmom1978 Posts: 1,580 Member
    Gorgeous and I’m jealous!

    I don’t hike any high elevations or get to travel, but I luckily have some nice (albeit) easy hiking trails near where I live. The elevations by me or only 2000 ft or so. I used to hike Mt Rogers yearly in October (5700 and change) but I think that’s the highest one I’ve done.
  • drmwc
    drmwc Posts: 1,037 Member
    edited August 2020
    That looks brilliant! Way higher than anything we get in the UK.
  • swirlybee
    swirlybee Posts: 497 Member
    oof. Is that the smoke from the fires that I see off in the distance in the first picture?

    I'm planning on doing Baldy and Bernadino next month. Maybe I'll see you out there.
  • cheriej2042
    cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
    swirlybee wrote: »
    oof. Is that the smoke from the fires that I see off in the distance in the first picture?

    I'm planning on doing Baldy and Bernadino next month. Maybe I'll see you out there.

    Yes unfortunately that’s the smoke from the fires. Some people on the hike felt the air quality being so poor + the heat and had trouble. I think it should be better by next month. I’m doing San Gorgonio and they aren’t opening that until 9/1 because the fire burned on that mountain. We don’t have it as bad as northern cal so I’m hoping the air keeps improving.
  • swirlybee
    swirlybee Posts: 497 Member
    cheriej2042 wrote: »
    swirlybee wrote: »
    oof. Is that the smoke from the fires that I see off in the distance in the first picture?

    I'm planning on doing Baldy and Bernadino next month. Maybe I'll see you out there.

    Yes unfortunately that’s the smoke from the fires. Some people on the hike felt the air quality being so poor + the heat and had trouble. I think it should be better by next month. I’m doing San Gorgonio and they aren’t opening that until 9/1 because the fire burned on that mountain. We don’t have it as bad as northern cal so I’m hoping the air keeps improving.

    Yup, hope that the air does improve. And don't forget that you'll need a [free] Wilderness Permit for San Gorgonio after Labor Day (I think).
  • cheriej2042
    cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member



    Yup, hope that the air does improve. ]And don't forget that you'll need a [free] Wilderness Permit for San Gorgonio after Labor Day (I think).[[/b][/b]/quote][/b]

    Wow! I did not catch that! They just posted that on 8/11 on the website! Thanks for letting me know.I think that blows up our meetup group that had 40+ people signed up because they are limiting groups to 12 max. I sent a message to the meetup group organizer. Maybe he will just limit the group to 12 and then the other co-organizer can take another 12. I should make the cut because I signed up early but they are limiting permits on weekend to max 114 I think. Well, I'm glad they are doing this. It's become like the freeway on a lot of trails and it isn't peaceful or fun at all.

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