San Gorgonio 9 peak challenge

[Ellen]

Howdy All

This is a hike I've wanted to do for a long time -- I hoped that the John Muir trail backpacking trip had hardened me enough. Left before the crap of dawn yesterday and met Lance at the San Bernardino peak trailhead to arrange a car shuttle. We started several hours before dawn due to the heat. Stan hiked part way up the trail with us before beginning a long trail run along the ridge. Tina and Greg started after us and we regrouped after Sheilds peak to complete the last three peaks together. Lance has fabulous orienteering skills and shepherded me safely over the peaks. I cannot imagine doing the challege from west to east -- coming down from Jepson to head up Charleston was very steep and sandy and dropping from Charleston back to the trail was no picnic either. My wonderful pain sister Tina carried a Fat Tire beer in honor of my birthday on Tuesday and we opened it on top of west San Bernardino peak. I looked around for the tram but no luck Had a wonderful dinner at El Mexicano to end a challenging day.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[lilbitmo]

Going in either direction is one hell of a day, you did a great job, glad to hear you made it

Nice Job

[NormaR]

-- I hoped that the John Muir trail backpacking trip had hardened me enough.

yep, it did!

congrats on a great hike!

[zippetydude]

Hi Ellen! It was so much fun with you and Lance, hiking along in the dark, not worrying about being eaten by a mountain lion!

I ended up doing the trail version of the 9 peaks, but I was trying to be home by noon, so I turned around at Anderson. It's definitely harder going VC to San G to San B and back than it was going San B to San G an back. Maybe just the additional elevation gain on the way back, but man, it kicked my butt!

It was great meeting Lance and Greg, and of course seeing you and Tina. I think I heard you and Lance up on Charleton (as I was coming back), but you were way off in the distance. Then I heard this loud voice coming down from Jepson...always nice seeing Tina!

Great job on your hike. See you out here again soon in the wilderness. So, was your birthday last Tuesday or this coming Tuesday? (Let's see if I can remember the date next year.) Either way, Happy Birthday!

z

[Ellen]

Howdy Norma and Lilbitmo

Thanks so much for your kind words -- I am blessed with wonderful crazy hiking fool friends -- most of them are members of this forum

That being said, I'd like to hike Skyline with both of you and or/snowshoe on San J before the end of the year (weather permiting of course) to get to know you.

Howdy Stan,

Holy Cow -- I can't even imagine hiking your route, but running it AND getting home before noon? Very impressive

I'm in the process of uploading the JMT pictures (about 270 of them) to Photoshop and will post a trip report as well.

Miles of smiles,
Ellen

[Zé]

Nice job!

I think dropping off Charleston to the dollar lake saddle was terrible. Steep and rocky. I wonder if there's a better way.

[Hikin_Jim]

Nice job!

I think dropping off Charleston to the dollar lake saddle was terrible. Steep and rocky. I wonder if there's a better way.

You can always do what big chicken Hikin' Jim (who has fried knees) does -- head back to Charlton - Little Charlton Saddle and drop down from there. Pretty easy, but adds some mileage.

[tinaballina]

Hi Ellen! It was so much fun with you and Lance, hiking along in the dark, not worrying about being eaten by a mountain lion!

Then I heard this loud voice coming down from Jepson...always nice seeing Tina!

z

LMAO, that was a good one. it was great seeing you and to know that we were not too far from the trail.
Ellen and Lance, thank you so much for doing the car shuttle and waiting for greg and i after my not so favorite peak.
Now that i have done the nine peaks twice i have to honestly say there is nothing easy about it.
Does anyone know what the exact mileage and elevation gain is from vc to end of sb trail head?

[NormaR]

Howdy Norma and Lilbitmo
That being said, I'd like to hike Skyline with both of you and or/snowshoe on San J before the end of the year (weather permiting of course) to get to know you.

ditto! hoping to do C2C in October and snowshoe as soon as the lovely white stuff falls. let's make it happen!

norma

[lilbitmo]

Tina wrote:

Does anyone know what the exact mileage and elevation gain is from vc to end of sb trail head?

I have a spreadsheet (Excel) that has it, "to the best of my ability to calculate it from books", I did not get it from GPS or data points. So I'm not claiming in to be perfect but it's fairly accurate.

If you send me a private message I will be glad to give it to you. That way if you get better data from GPS you can plug it into the cells and have your own to share with others.

I tried to stick it into this message but it does not allow that, I tried to upload it to "Photobucket" but it does not recognize that - if someone can tell me how I will follow those instructions and post it here?

Ellen wrote:

That being said, I'd like to hike Skyline with both of you and or/snowshoe on San J before the end of the year (weather permiting of course) to get to know you.

It would be my pleasure to do so Ellen - Norma has asked me in the past and we just have not been able to get the same day on the mountain. I've put off C2C with other plans and have not done it yet, so I'm in for October or early Nov.