This morning at 6:00 Ellen and I met at the Mill Creek Ranger Station thinking we were going to hike up Vivian Creek on a Wed in order to miss the crowds. We were surprised to find that the Vivian permits were already gone, as were permits for some of the other trailheads. We did get a permit for San Bernardino Peak. I was excited because I had never done that hike before.
We hit the trail at 6:30 and were soon treated to a show of wildflowers, including some iris, penstamin, wallflower and snow plants. I really took a liking to the trail when we got to what Ellen called "Manzanita Flats." Then things kept getting better as we went up. The views were great, and there were still some snow patches, making for a great alpine experience.
We reached the peak at 10:30. Ellen doesn't mess around when baggin' a peak! We had a leisurely lunch and made good time coming back down. It got really hot, and we agreed that we needed something cold to drink.
Ellen treated me to lunch at The Oaks restaurant and drove us back to my car.
What a great day and great company!
Thank you Ellen for getting me out on a new trail!
