Sam Fink Peak

[afaraday]

Anyone been to Sam Fink Peak and can comment on how hard the routefinding is?

Thanks,

Amin

[Hikin_Jim]

Sam Fink is the one down by Caramba, right? I believe Kathy has been there.

HJ

[KathyW]

Yes, I've been there.

Follow the HPS directions - it's not hard to get to Sam Fink.

Here are a few picture from when we did it:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/California-Hiking-Scrambling/Southern-California-Mountains/Sam-Fink-Peak-52705/3981443_DqjcF#231434846_3VwWx

We started at Humber Park, but you can also take the tram and start in Long Valley but I don't think it's much easier that way.

HPS Directions: http://angeles.sierraclub.org/hps/guides/28p.htm

[Hikin_Jim]

The route that Kathy took is marked on the first photo in her link.

I'd almost be tempted to do something more like what I've plotted on this map, just to avoid some of the steeper terrain, but I'm just basing that on the topo map's contour lines. I've not been to Sam Fink peak.

HJ

[Nick-SJM]

Hikn_Jim, I agree with you. When ever we need to get a helicopter into the Caramba area, we land at the flat area just west of point "M". It is easy to get up to that point. We have had subjects who are exhausted walk up to that flat area. I suspect the remainder of the hike up to the Sam Fink peak is not too tough either.

[KathyW]

Jim: We initially did hike over to that flat spot, but there was a reason we didn't go over the bump and then drop down to the saddle and up to Sam Fink. As I recall, we backtracked from near the flat spot and took the round-about-route like I show on the map as it was easier to go around that bump than over it to the saddle, but the flat area is a nice area to check out.

[Hikin_Jim]

Jim: We initially did hike over to that flat spot, but there was a reason we didn't go over the bump and then drop down to the saddle and up to Sam Fink. As I recall, we backtracked from near the flat spot and took the round-about-route like I show on the map as it was easier to go around that bump than over it to the saddle, but the flat area is a nice area to check out.

Interesting. Yeah, maps with 80 foot contour lines can be somewhat deceptive. There could be impassible cliffs or the like that'll never show up in the confines of an eighty foot interval. I've been burned by that before on XC hikes in the Sierra.

Who the heck decided that the San Jacinto Peak area needed 80 foot contour intervals??!

HJ