Backpacking Mount San Gorgonio Via Dry Lake Part 2

After passing South Fork creek, we continued towards Dry Lake. The sun was out in full force. I took out my check dollar store umbrella, which is my savior when hiking in the beating sun.

I had coincidentally just purchased an ultralight one from Zpacks that is reflective, called the Zpacks Lotus UL. It does not fold up small through, so I opted for this one. I will use the zpacks one when I hike the desert sections of the PCT, or in the desert in general, at least that’s what I told myself when I purchased it.

The landscape was looking very dry and parched in May. It that Mount Whitney over there?

Finally we made it to Dry Lake, about 8 miles in and 3000 feet of gain approximately, the turn off for Dry Lake. We had just a bit further to go to the summit, but we would save it for the next morning.

Our trail dog Benjamin was having the time of his life romping in the mud, chasing ducks.

For a campground booked solid, it sure felt empty there.

We camped a mile from the spring, on this side of the Lake, to escape the crowds. Not a bad view either.

This lake only fills up after a rain, and otherwise is dry, or muddy. It was a man-made lake built by a pioneer named Vincent Taylor back in 1883, on what was once just a swamp, by damming the outlet to the lake. You can expect to see water here after a big rain, or shortly after winter, when the snow has just melted off, but otherwise it should be fairly dry.

After setting up my tent, I could see the sun setting through the pines, and felt a huge sense of peace, having made it this far safely. Now I just had to be on the lookout for widowmaker trees, and hope bears did not like this spot too.

I brought along my Big Agnes UL2 Copper Spur Backpacking Tent I purchased on ebay to hike the Catalina Trail, and future trails. The bug netting on it is very fragile, and it has a few tiny holes already, which I need to fix.

It weighs only about 3.2 lbs, which is very light for a 2 person tent. I recommend this one, if your in the market for a light tent, that sets up fast. Another thing to note, is it’s great for alpine hikes, where you need a freestanding tent, where the ground is hard, so it’s harder to drive in stakes.

It was dinner time. I would fill up water at the spring, and get ready for another day. So we headed over to Lodgepole spring. It was quite crowded over there. One more group set up nearby us, but for the most part, it felt very empty at our campsite, which I liked.

This was definitely one of the prettiest camp spots I have stayed in. We vowed to get up at 4:30am for an early start.

However, hanging my bear bag in the dark is not recommended. I forgot to do it, until it was very dark. It became like a scene in some comedy, with me throwing the rock bag over a branch, it getting stuck on a branch, the line getting tangled, and me praying, I could even manage to just get it down out of the tree to start over.

I had a Zpacks Ultralight Food Bag, which came with a rock bag. Throwing the bag into a tree, has a learning curve to it. When I was finally able to hang the bag, it was basically dark. At least I did not have to worry about bears eating my food. My friends merely hung theirs on a low branch. I was not wanting to hike up that mountain on an empty stomach, so I took precautions. Bears are especially attracted to peanut butter which I had.

The bag itself weighs just 3.4oz, and is made of Dyneema fabric, so it’s waterproof, sturdy, and light.

I had a lot of trouble sleeping that night, since I was freezing. I had brough a 20 degree quilt with a liner, but I was still cold. It was in the 40’s and that told me, I need to get a new sleeping bag for these kinds of trips. Some people just sleep cold, it’s a fact.

It was 4am when I awoke to some creature screaming in the darkness. I had planned to get up at 4:30, but I decided to just get going, make coffee, and start waking up.

My morning beginning my hike in the moonlight, beneath Mount San Gorgonio was very chilly, yet tranquil. I was wearing all my clothing. I was very cold even in two pairs of socks. The only way to get warm was to get on the move.

We finally set off around 5:15, after deciding to leave the tents set up. I brought my sleeping bag to the peak, since it weighed nothing, and would keep me warm, if need be.

It was beautiful seeing that deep blue glow in the skies. Whenever I force myself up early, this is my reward.

As we hiked on the trail grew more rocky as we climbed above 9,000 ft of elevation. It was a true alpine environment. There were few plants, and mostly pines, cedars, and hardy low growing shrubs.

This is a list I found of the common plants in this area, you might come across if you visit this wilderness.

It remained chilly well past sunrise. I had on a pair of “dance pants,” over my leggings. They are sort of windproof, and somewhat waterproof weighing only 3 oz. They look like hammer pants though.

Just huge trees lay every which way, and that a way.

The slope were getting ever more vertical, and the trees were struggling to stay upright.

This tranquil meadow was one of my favorite vistas of the morning, with the moon hovering peacefully above.

One thing was certain, the trail was well maintained, and beautiful along the way.

The golden glow of sunrise in the mountains, was very welcoming.

Some snow still lingered in the chutes of the mountain.

San G was definitely in my sights now.

As we neared the turnoff to Fish Creek, it finally started to not feel freezing.

Warm sunlight was all I wanted at this point.

The trees of the South Fork Trail to Mt San Gorgonio included: Lodgepole Pine, Jeffrey Pine, Coulter Pine, Limber Pine, White Pine, Incense Cedar, Pinyon, White Fir , Black Oak, Holly, Scrub Oak, Live Oak, Hollyleaf Cherry, Manzanita, and Mountain Whitethorn,

There were plenty of low growing shrubs such as Bearberry, Toyon, Flannelbush, and Coffee Berry.

Find out more about the native plants in the area at California Native Plant Society and iNaturalist.