Dobbs to Jepson Peak... brrrr....

[Sally]

(Alternate titles for this TR: "Pineapple Express my a$$" or "Where is that Confounded Ridge?"

Yesterday Ellen and I thought a hike up Dobbs Ridge was just the ticket for getting me on the trail so I could unwind from Black Friday weekend in the retail business. Our intention was to keep an open mind, play it by ear, and decide whether to go all the way to San Gorgonio Peak or Jepson Peak depending on how we felt and what the weather was like.

The weather forecast: Pineapple express conditions which are generally not too cold, 40 degrees high at the top, and breezy with gusts up to 40 MPH, and a chance of showers in the afternoon above 8000 feet. This did not sound too formidable, but we packed warm cloths, including down sweaters and rain gear.

Dashboard temp at TH parking lot, 34 degrees. Hmmm, colder than we expected. As we crossed Mill Creek we saw heavy black clouds down below. But up we went.

The temps were perfect for going up the ridge that takes you to Dobbs Ridge, nice and cool. When we got to Dobbs Ridge it was down right chilly and breezy. Climbing out of the drainage that one must cross to get to the trail to San G or continue up to Jepson Peak, it got colder and windier. And windier. At first I was excited to see rime ice on the stubby trees. But then WE were starting to accumulate rime ice on ourselves. We made the decision to just go to Jepson and skip San G. We made it to Jepson Peak and stayed just long enough to put on extra layers and get the heck off of the top. We were walking into a headwind and our eyeballs were freezing.

After descending below the trail we found a semi-sheltered area in which to eat our lunch. I noticed that my bandana that I keep tied to my pack was missing. A casualty of the wind! Nourished and rested we headed back down to Dobbs Ridge, and started angling down to the ridge that would take us back to the Vivian Creek Trail.

This is where I realized that leaving my GPS at home was a dumb idea. Ellen and I have the route nailed going upwards, but in the past we have had issues finding the proper ridge to get back down. On one trip we were too far to the right and on another too far to the left. We were socked in with clouds and were unsure of which way to go. I had visions of either freezing to death on the ridge overnight or pressing the 911 button on our Spots. After a lot of screwing around and finally using the compass on my iPhone we finally found our route. Oh yeah, we forgot our maps and compasses too. Sheesh! Note to self: ALWAYS bring GPS on cross-country routes, even the ones you are familiar with! We were prepared for weather with all the essentials with the exception of navigational tools.

This will be a trip with lessons learned that will not be forgotten! The Chili Verde at El Mexicano hit the spot! Thank you, Ellen for the companionship on yet another adventure on the mountain!

Pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1009477359 ... directlink

[Ellen]

Howdy All

My title for the TR of this hike -- into the Artic Circle with Sister Sally. Her first photo is somewhat of an omen:



We've gained the Dobbs ridge and are looking west:



Looking from the Dobbs ridge at the Yucaipa ridge:



Jepson peak, looking north. I'm amazed Sally could even take a picture. We're hunkered down trying to put on extra clothing before completely losing the use of our fingers.



Into the void -- looking north from our lunch spot.



Still smiling at lunch -- before we lost track of the route going down.



Like Sister Sally, I felt stupid for not bringing a map or compass On the other hand, I felt that we did a good job staying calm and problem solving.

It was bitterly cold -- even for us polar bears. I was very glad that we were properly clothed and that I had my down mittens.

As my friend Lance says, "Any plane crash you walk away from is a good one." This was a good one and we're wiser for it.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[tekewin]

I thought it was chilly on Dobbs back in late October. I can imagine the chill you guys dealt with this late in the year. Thanks for the great report and the icy pictures. Brrr....indeed!

[zippetydude]

It's amazing how quickly, "I know exactly where I am" can turn into "Exactly where am I?" And the devil is in the details, like taking the ridge to the left or right and finding yourself cliffed out, or fog rolling in and not being able to tell anything more than the general direction that you came from...

I'm glad it worked out fine, but I have to say, with the misadventures you two get into, you may find people calling you Lucy and Ethel pretty soon.

z

[Sally]

zippetydude, our usual team consisting of Ellen, Marilyn, and myself, is already officially known as "The Three Stooges." We earned the name while we were in the Alps for doing such things as banging into people and things with our ice axes that were attached to our packs, using funky techniques with our ice axes, inadequate ability to communicate in French and German, misplacing important documents, misplacing everything, walking through cow pastures when there were perfectly good roads to walk on, not knowing how to use foreign currency, vague knowledge of interpreting trail signs, trail markers, and guide books, violations of using proper local ettiquette,... the list goes on and on...