Cucamonga – Always a favorite

First time getting up at 4:30am in a while for a hike. I left at 5:30 and by the time I got to Icehouse Canyon there were people parked 1/2 mile down the road from parking lot. I ended up scoring a spot a good way up Mt. Baldy Road, which was so far I questioned if my car was towed when I came back. Was interesting to see that the Backbone Trail is reopened so that will be in the near future.

Today I ventured up Cucamonga Peak as a check to make a go/no go on Half Dome later this week. Overall felt it was a pretty successful trip up. I hit the Icehouse Saddle in under an 1 1/2 hours and summited in 2 hours 42 minutes. Total time was about 30 minutes longer than my best time but there was a fair amount of traffic for the first 2 miles, I passed probably 60-70 people. It really thinned out past the saddle and on the way down was much less packed. I guess everyone went to Ontario, TImber, or just the saddle today.

Weather was perfect in the low 50’s with a cool breeze that would pop in and out. Cucamonga is one of my favorite trails and it was great to be above the clouds most of the morning.

11.84 miles / 5 hours 8 minutes / 4,031 feet elevation gain (*I didn’t start my watch until the trailhead but was parked at least 1/2 mile from away)