“HELLO CLEVELAND!!!” (*clears throat and whispers*) “uh, National Forest.”

I began the hike out of the same parking lot that I parked in six days earlier to do the Chiquito Falls hike, not knowing at the time that the trailheads shared the same parking area. Ortega Highway and its tailgating drivers, we meet again.

I crossed the road to the Bear Canyon Trailhead and then began to climb…steady…steady climbing all morning long. Or, at least, most of the morning. There is that last section which would not, in any way, be described as steady climbing. The last part is pretty steep and sections of it reminded me a bit of Punk Out Trail above Glendora. Trekking poles are definitely recommended for this section, both for the ascent and the descent.

I was a bit nervous about the clouds hanging around to mar the beautiful view at the top but the skies cleared early in the hike and it was sunny by the time I reached Four Corners. The sky was clear and the view was beautiful at the top.

As it was a weekday (Friday morning), the trail was not very crowded – the reason I decided to do it during my vacation week. I started just before 7 a.m. and passed fewer than 10 people during the hike, most on the way back down.