Iron Mountain attempt 5/15/11

Iron Mountain
San Gabriel Mountains
Elevation: 8007'
Distance: 15 miles
Gain: 7200'


According to John Robinson, author of Trails of the Angeles, "8007 foot Iron Mountain is by far the least accessible peak in the San Gabriels....No trail approaches its isolated summit , and to climb it you must start miles away and thousands of feet below." In this local hiking legend's view, "Big Iron" is the most strenuous one-summit hike in the entire San Gabriel range.


We got an early start and had a good plan but mother nature had another idea.  After changing a flat tire on my car we made the steep ascent at a good pace.  The first part is pretty tough for a newbie like me but the light drizzle kept us cool.  The drizzle never let up though and soon became rain that stayed steady up to the 3000' mark and only got worse.  After a while the conditions were becoming a bit miserable and we decided to turn around and save this for another day.  This is an extreme hike that should not be taken lightly.  Preparation, good shoes, and plenty of water seem to be the rule for this beast.


We plan to try this again next weekend and hope for a successful summit.

Snowmobile crash.

Ouch!  This is why you should carry an ice axe. Make it stop already!

Mt. Whitney video

Check out this great video of the hike up Mt. Whitney. (not us, yet)

Training hikes

List of  peaks we would like to bag before Whitney.


Sitton: 3,273'  Gain: 2150' (done 1/25)


Santiago: 5,694'


Baden-Powell: 9,399'


Baldy: 10,064'


San Jacinto: 10,834'


San Gorgonio: 11,503'


Whitney: 14, 505'

Mt. Whitney here we come!

So we were successful in the Mt. Whitney lottery!  We were given the dates of September 28-29 for our summit bid.  Now all we have to secure the days off with work and step up our training hikes.  Our last trip to Mt. Wilson was cancelled due to a back injury but Danny and Jack were able to do a hike in Laguna Canyon.  We will be doing the Wilson hike sometime in the next few weeks.  Report and photos to follow so stay posted

Next hike, Mt. Wilson.

Our next hike will be this Saturday to the summit of Mt. Wilson (5,700'). Review to follow, wish us luck.

Sitton Peak review 2/6/2011

John and Danny at the summit of Sitton Peak 2/6/2011

Sitton Peak

Santa Ana Mountains

Elevation: 3273'

9.5 miles round trip

Gain/ Loss 2150'

Our time to summit: 2 hr 28 min

Total time: 4 hr 52 min

Today the Wolfpack consisted of  just John and Danny and we decided to seize the day and attempt the summit of Sitton Peak. The weather was perfect and the trail was empty probably because it was Super Bowl Sunday. After signing in at the trailhead, we started our ascent along a well maintain single file trail.  The trail is a bit steep for the first mile and really gets the blood pumping but it's nothing too crazy. The trail is a mix of shade and open space and could be pretty tough on a hot day. We saw a snake, the remains of an old plane crash, and a lot of horse poop. There's one short section that is flat but it's mostly a moderate ascent until you get near the summit. From there it's mostly bushwhacking it one step at a time.  After  about 2 1/2 hours, we were on the summit and the view was awesome. We could see downtown LA and even San Clemente Island some 70 miles away, totally worth the effort. Coming down can be a bit treacherous as I slipped twice and even broke my trusty walking stick, bummer. Good shoes with plenty of traction is a must as there are spots of small rocks and sandy boulders. Also, there is no water source along the trail so bring plenty. There is a hand pump water well at the parking lot for a nice splash at the end of the day.  I recommend this hike to anyone in reasonable physical shape.
PS, the trail is also dog friendly and does not allow mountain bikers.

Danny at summit

View looking towards Los Angeles

Summit marker at 3273'