San Gorgonio

An absolutely brutal hike to the top of San Gorgonio via the Vivian Creek route — a third trip up 'Old Grayback,' this time in the dead of winter with Lupita along for the day. Lupita and I carried crampons and ice axes just in case conditions turned technical, but in the end we only needed microspikes for the whole climb. The lower trail through Vivian Creek was mostly clear, but the snow started showing up well before Halfway Camp and never really let up after that — packed and icy enough in spots that the microspikes stayed on for most of the climb.

Above treeline the whole mountain opened up white — snow-covered ridgelines, a summit ridge outlined against a completely clear blue sky, and views for miles in every direction once we broke out of the trees. Passed the trail sign into the wilderness, then worked up through the open bowl below the summit before the final scramble onto the boulder-strewn top. Got the obligatory sign photos at 11,503 feet, solo shots and one together, the San Gorgonio massif and the desert floor spread out below in the clear winter air.

Twelve hours out there in total, covering close to 19 miles with 5,515 feet of gain — between the snow slowing the pace and the extra time spent enjoying the summit, the light started fading on the way down, and the last stretch back to the Vivian Creek trailhead happened by headlamp again, just like the very first trip up this mountain. A genuinely long, hard day, but a beautiful one to be out there — this peak keeps finding new ways to earn the reputation.

Back to 'Old Grayback' for a second trip up the Vivian Creek Trail, and this time around it was all blue skies and sunshine instead of the cloud inversion from the first visit — a completely different, beautiful kind of day on the highest peak in Southern California. Same steep start out of Vivian Creek, same long grind past Halfway Camp and up into the open, exposed summit ridge, but with clear views the entire way instead of a sea of clouds.

The summit block itself never gets old — a broad, rocky high point with sweeping views out over the San Bernardino Mountains and beyond, and this time clear enough to pick out landmarks for miles in every direction. Took the obligatory summit sign photo at the top of the boulders marking 11,503 feet, arms out to take in the whole scene.

A genuinely awesome day from start to finish — proof that this mountain is worth climbing more than once, whether you catch it under a blanket of clouds or wide open under a bright summer sky.

San Gorgonio is the highest peak in Southern California, and the Vivian Creek Trail is the shortest way up it, which still means somewhere around 17 to 18 miles round trip with close to 6,000 feet of gain. It's steep from almost the first step — a mile of climbing before you even reach the wilderness boundary — and it doesn't really let up until you're standing on top. This one lived up to its reputation as a long day.

The trail follows Vivian Creek up through shaded pine forest, past Vivian Creek Camp and Halfway Camp, before breaking out above the trees into open, exposed terrain for the final push. By the time I got up onto the summit ridge, a full cloud inversion had rolled in below — an entire sea of white stretching to the horizon in every direction, with just the tops of the tallest peaks poking through like islands. Standing on 'Old Grayback's' broad, rocky summit with that view below was one of the most incredible things I've seen from the top of a mountain.

The descent turned into its own adventure. Between the mileage and the time spent soaking in the summit views, the sun went down while I was still working through the boulder fields and switchbacks, and the last few miles back to the Vivian Creek trailhead happened well after dark, finishing somewhere past midnight. A brutally long day from start to finish, but between the cloud sea at the top and a fiery sunset through the pines on the way down, this is one of the most beautiful hikes I've done — every one of those hours was worth it.