San Gorgonio 9 Peaks 07/07/07

[AlanK]

My son Eric and I did the 9 Peaks hike yesterday. All in all, it was a great hike on a gorgeous, if warm, day. I posted a trip report here. My pictures include some shots of the water situation at High Meadow Springs and High Creek Camp.

[magikwalt]

Hi Alan,

Great day of hiking. If that pace is you with a bum leg then you must be jogging the rest of the time! I don't know if you happened to keep a GPS file on the hike but being new to that area I'd really appreciate one if you did.

Thanks,

Walt

[AlanK]

Walt -- I will e-mail a GPS trace when I get home this evening. I am not allowed to distribute C2C traces but SGW ones are still ok. (That last sentence was intended as a lighthearted wisecrack based on past conversations on this board.)

[magikwalt]

Quick...let me cover your thread so no one starts yelling. I saw the scout patch on the SGWA site and was wondering what it entailed. I certainly appreciate it if you would.

Again, looks like a heck of a day hiking!

[Hikin_Jim]

Walt:

I'm not sure if this is helpful, but here are names and elevations of "the nine" that everyone's referring to. The number to the left indicates their overall rank within the SGW.

"The Nine"
1. San Gorgonio 11,502
2. Jepson 11,208
5. Anderson 10,867
6. Charlton 10,809
7. Shields 10,704
8. Little Charlton 10,699
9. E. San Bernardino 10,694
10. San Bernardino 10,652
13. Alto Diablo 10,433

[AlanK]

Walt -- I sent you a Private Message. I need an e-mail address for sending the GPS info.

[JayO]

Alan -

Can you list the 9 peaks in order that you hit doing the Momyer to Vivian loop?

I'm guessing you do it that way to just use one car. Otherwise I was thinking it could be Angeles Oaks to SB peak across the ridge to San G and down Vivian - if you had two vehicles.

[AlanK]

You're right -- We originally did the hike in 2003 and picked the Momyer-Vivian loop in order to get away with using a single car. There are other possibilities for closing loops on the road (e.g., Angelus Oaks - South Fork), but this one requires only about 1.5 miles along a pretty quiet road.

An added bonus is that this loop probably has the most elevation gain of any of the choices -- that's not a bug, it's a feature!

We hit San Bernardino East immediately after gaining the ridge. We then went over to San Bernardino and back before hitting Anderson, Shields, Alto Diablo, Charlton, Little Charlton, Jepson, and San Gorgonio. We definitely prefer to hit the big ones last.

We always head directly up Charlton from Dollar Lake Saddle, as opposed to taking the trail around and heading up the gentler side. We also like to divert to High Meadow Springs for water.That's usually our only water stop.

[Hikin_Jim]

One could also do "the nine" from the Forsee Creek trailhead. It's not as much gain (which is fine by me), but you wouldn't have to back track after you've done E SB and SB pks.

You would start at the Forsee Creek TH
Turn right on the Forsee Basin trail to John's Meadow. Good water at John's meadow.
Ascend from John's meadow via the unmaintained but easy to follow trail to a junction near Manzanita Spring (usually dry) with the SB Pk trail.
Take the SB pk trail to SB pk (where else?) There may be water enroute at Limber Pine Spring.
Cruise along the ridge top, bagging as you go, culminating in San G. There may be water at Trail Fork Spgs (often dry) and High Meadow Spgs (normally reliable).
Descend San G via Mineshaft saddle & Dry Lake to S Fork TH
Walk a mile or two back to the Forsee Cr TH

No back tracking (eww), some beautiful country, and a little less elevation gain for us wimps. This is the "grand tour of the SGW."