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| 2009 Big Bear Lake, CA / Joshua Tree National Park Trip |
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| Day 4: March 31, 2009 |
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Our legs felt good this
morning despite the number of miles we put on them
yesterday. We did a good job avoiding the snow and
determined to continue that trend with a longer
hike on the north side of the lake.
The Cougar Crest Trail is one of the more popular
hikes in the San Bernadino National Forest. From
the parking lot it winds slowly upward through massive
Jeffrey Pines, junipers, and firs. The trail is
hard packed and well traveled. In addition to the
footprints, there were paw prints and tracks from
mountain bikes. The first mile is easy - the path
is wide and the grade is not very steep.
Into the second mile the trail narrows and starts
to gain elevation. Hard packed dirt interspersed
with sections of rock make up the terrain. The trees
start to thin and we saw some great views of the
lake and surrounding mountains. The air was clear
and there were no clouds in the sky.
Towards the end, the trail ducks away from the lake
and we were able to see the wooden terrain on the
other side of the mountain. We did have to negotiate
our way through some snow, but the trail remained
obvious at all times. It turned back towards the
lake and we joined the Pacific Crest Trail.
Our goal was to summit Bertha Peal at 8201 feet.
We met two other hikers who were on their way down
and they provided us with good directions. We followed
the Pacific Crest Trail for about 1/2 mile. It was
a mixed path with lots of exposure letting us see
the lake the entire time. Then the trail crossed
a service road and we turned onto the service road
to make the final push.
We were warned at the Discovery Center that this was a killer part of the hike. Killer doesn't describe it. The entire 3/4 mile was some of the steepest terrain we
faced. We couldn't go more than five minutes without a rest. All of the work burned out legs and we churned them higher and higher.
It was all worth it. The views of the lake and valley
were spectacular. We put on our jackets to ward
off the wind and settled down to a nice picnic lunch.
After lunch, we took some pictures and headed back
down.
The descent was quick and we saw many more hikers (9) than we did on the ascent. We were astonished that most did not have hiking clothing nor did they have any water!
We concluded our hike and put the gear into the car. This was definitely our favorite hike.
Dinner: Peppercorn; nice mix of American and Italian |
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