Frigid Timber (W6/CT-052) …an early November jaunt in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA

Summit: W6/CT-052

Activation Date: November 4, 2015

ATT Data Coverage: Spotty

ATT Voice coverage: Not sure but presumed to be spotty

APRS Coverage: Not sure

Access: Park/trail head at N34 15 00 W117 38 19

Hike stats:  9.4 miles roundtrip and 3,500′ of ascent up to 8,303′, walk on forested trail to treed/exposed summit.

Dawn is breaking to the east and silhouettes the ragged edge of the clouds that hang across the San Gabriel’s. It’s not quite what  I wanted and I squint to try and see how grey they are but its too early to tell. The drive into the mountains is a stark transition from the busy freeways I just left behind. I pass an empty reservoir, a reminder of man’s effort to control nature. Baldy Village looks welcoming as its now become apparent that the clouds wrap around and embrace the peaks. A mile beyond I reach an empty parking lot and for some inexplicable reason my first spot won’t do and so I park in another. It’s really no different but I’m happier. The sun rises soon but I’m not sure it will make much difference as Icehouse Canyon is steep and narrow and it will be hours before it’s bathed in bright light.

The sound of the car door locking is a reminder that the outdoor adventure has begun and I have traded warmth for frigid morning air hovering in the mid 30s. The first mile is dotted with log cabins and small dwellings all boarded up and it’s not clear if they await winter and occupants or have just bid goodbye to summer residents. The trail weaves its way around boulders, over soggy patches of ground and eventually settles into something that is recognizable which begins to gain elevation.

My first glimpse of Icehouse Saddle shows promising signs of blue sky with only a few wisps of clouds. As I close on the three mile mark I have traded the prospect of clouds above me for snow and ice below. It had rained a few days early in So Cal and hence my interest in all things cloud during the drive in. Some of the rain had become snow. Not very deep, maybe half an inch and really quite beautiful but irrefutably something that required more vigilance. The temperature has dropped and I bundle into my down vest. The Saddle has snow everywhere and I settle within the base of a tree and eat a sandwich.

Its probably only a mile and 500 ft up to Timber but somewhere I lose the trail and debate bushwhacking over the white ground. Sanity prevails and I backtrack and find an obvious sharp turn I had missed and take it with renewed confidence. Pines trees flank the trail and dangle pine nettles covered in ice that reminds me of sliced cucumber.

The trail heads on to Thunder and Telegraph but I take a right and head on a spur to Timber. A ring of frosted trees defines and defends the peak that look inhospitable and inviting at the same time.

The activation zone is quite beautiful and I survey it looking for an operating place and where to plant my antenna. Today my antenna system doesn’t want to cooperate. The mast was up, the end fed was strung out to the hiking poles only to see the mast fall down and once re-erect the hiking poles follow suite and tumble down. Round and round I go with this frustrating dance until everything decided to cooperate. The wind has picked up and the grey clouds have magically reappeared and test the warmth of my clothing. Cell coverage is fickle and once I’m sitting down and ready to operate the signal disappears. The little icon swirls around on SOTA Goat trying to get my spot out. I stand up, move here and there and finally my spot is out and I’m in business.