On the Road

Any trip that ends with your vehicle running better than when you started is a good one. Such was the case with this past weekend’s trek up the mountain, and the electrical gremlin that has plagued me since April has finally been found and eliminated. I’m not a big fan of letting computers look out for me, but this time the error code that popped up led me straight to the melted wire on cylinder 6 (these short Magnecor wires have to go). A quick trail-side band-aid later the Disco is running nice and smooth again and the troubles with my Yaesu 350 are gone.

Maps just aren’t what they used to be, partly it seems because of the efforts of misguided “environmentalists” to discourage all vehicle-based travel in the back-country. The 2009 edition of the official USFS maps are missing half of the trails, particularly the less well-known routes to the more isolated (and more desirable) areas, and I cannot find a decent trail guide for this area anywhere. Instead, the entire map section of the Discovery Center is filled with beginner’s hiking books and titles like Sex in a Tent. I suppose this is both good and bad: good because it will keep those less well-known areas less well-known, bad because history shows us that is the first step toward sealing such areas off behind a federal Wilderness boundary permanently.

First on our agenda Saturday was the pre-run up Gold Mountain (3N69), which was torn up so bad by The Great Snow Storm of 2008 I had to turn back the last time I tried to run it (in a stock vehicle). Entire sections that used to be semi-smooth dirt road are now boulders and rock ledges to be climbed, making this beautifully scenic trail a fun challenge once again. With the aid of a friend’s GPS we were able to find the loop through the talus slope I’ve been trying to find (score one for that modern gadgetry I hate so much) – also more difficult that the last time I visited.

We finished up Gold Mountain with a lunch stop on Jacoby Canyon (3N61) before heading back south. Jacoby hasn’t changed much since last year. There are a few new rough spots, but nothing a stock vehicle can’t negotiate with a little finesse. Perhaps more challenging is finding a comfortable spot to eat lunch with the massive swarms of ladybugs flying every which way… it is their mating season, after all. Purple, yellow, white and red wildflowers still cling to the slopes here, taking advantage of the shelter and water offered by the canyon.

With full stomachs and the pre-run complete we headed south towards camp, opting to take the scenic route up to an unnamed peak above Wildhorse Meadows. This is the highest point in the San Bernardinos that can be reached by vehicle, and offers panoramic views of the mountains and valleys in every direction. I really want to make a trip up here for sunrise or sunset. The trail heading up to the summit is even narrower now, it almost seems like no one has driven it since I was last here (not surprising, as it is not on the map anymore). After running these 3 trails today I think we’re going to combine them into an all-day “Peaks Tour” for SummerFest.

We camped at Coon Creek Cabin on Saturday night so we could get a first-hand look at the place before SummerFest. The “cabin” is HUGE, and the campsite is right next to a high drop-off (known as Coon Creek Jumpoff) overlooking Palm Springs and, on a clear day, the Salton Sea. Highway 38 is far away on the other side of a ridge, so the only sounds here are nature and yourself. Reservations are required for this group campsite, but if you get them through the Recreation.gov site make sure you also call the ranger station at San Bernardino NF and let them know you’re coming (you’ll want to call them anyhow to see if campfires are really permitted). It seems Big Brother is not in the habit of notifying their men in the field, and as a result both the trash and the toilet were practically overflowing. The poor guy they sent up to check on the “possible trespassers” had only been on the job for a week.

Sunday morning we took a narrow, long-forgotten road (1N30) behind the cabin that leads directly over the ridge to Highway 38. The route is a narrow, twisting maze likely better suited to ATV/bike travel, but it offers some spectacular views of San Gorgonio, the Santa Ana River Valley, and even Mount Baldy. The last part of the track takes you through what appears to be an abandoned trailer park.

Next we headed out to Heartbreak Ridge via 2N01 for a little fun on the rocks before taking Burns Canyon home. I’d forgotten how much fun this kind of trail can be…