I'd like to share my latest trip with you all since it was a very special one for me. Why so special, you may ask? Well, let's just say that before last friday, I had not owned a car for over three years! I honestly cannot express how intensely happy I was on the drive to Vivian Creek TH. The realization that I was now able to go wherever, whenever, was very overwhelming. Also, as much as I love great company in the mountains, I also love to roam alone. This was the first time in over a year that I got to trek out there alone... and boy did I enjoy it.
Pictures Here: https://picasaweb.google.com/108663958990569565475/DobbsPeakEastDobbsPeakSanGorgonioMountainX2DragonSHeadBighornMountain#
I started going up Vivian Creek at 8am, and crossed the creek and headed up onto Dobbs' west ridge for a change of pace. Submitted Dobbs at 10:20am and stood on East Dobbs 8 minutes later. I then traversed around the bend and eventually connected with the Sky High Trail, which I did not want to follow quite yet, therefore I got off of it and hopped on talus until I reached San Gorgonio's summit at around noon. I wasted no time there and headed straight down towards the Tarn.
Now, I don't know how many of you guys have seen the Tarn before, (the dry lake looking valley between San G and Bighorn Mountain) but if you haven't, you must check it out!! It is absolutely amazing, along with the views of Dragon's Head, Bighorn Mtn, San J in the background, and the rest of the lower jagged ridges south of San G. The Tarn literally made me stop dead in my tracks. I was just baffled by the oddity of the place.
Anyhow, after realizing that I had spent over a half hour just staring at the place, I quickly got going and tagged Dragon's Head. Again, I could not stop but behold the amazing drop just below it's eastern face. What a view! I then followed the thin ridge over to Bighorn Mountain and appreciated the view from up there for some time before heading back down towards the Tarn. I walked all over the place in circles, not really sure why. I just really liked the darn spot! It was only 2:40pm by then and I had already accomplished my goals. (I gave myself a 30 hour timeframe to tag these 5 peaks, I guess I underestimated myself!)
I thought of crossing over San G and tagging more peaks, but I couldn't get away from where I was. So I hung out in the tarn until sunset, working out, doing "sprints" across the valley and constantly going back and forth around Dragon's Head, trying to spot some bighorn sheep.
The next morning I woke up and tagged San Gorgonio once more, met a cool dude from Argentina, chatted with him for a few minutes and then I took off. I decided that I would try to run all the way down via Vivian Creek from the summit to my car. I ended up running about 60% of the way (I had all my backpacking gear, no shelter however, plus my big ole crampons and ice axe) and power hiking the more technical parts. I ended up making it down from the top in about 2 hours and 35 minutes, which I thought wasn't too shabby for me.
Two weird/cool things that happened on the trip:
1. As I was coming down the slope leading into the tarn, I heard a loud noise in the bushes behind me. I quickly turned around, thinking that a bighorn or deer just jumped out of it...but to my surprise, it was neither. A freaking dust devil was plowing through and was headed straight for me! I barely had time to duck before it went right through me and completely dissipated. Very weird!
2. I was just hanging out, guess where? in the freaking tarn yes, and I suddenly heard some rocks falling in the direction of Dragon's Head. I ran over to the edge of the ridge and continued hearing the rockfall for seriously at least another 40 seconds. I was going crazy thinking that perhaps there were some bighorns up there dislodging rocks. But, I unfortunately never saw anything.
Thanks for your time, and keep on trekking you amazing bunch of folks
As Sally noted, once we read HJ's trip report for this area, we absolutely had to go. Very special, mystical place (cue Twilight Zone music).
