After failing last time, I learned my lesson and challenged San Gorgonio again. This time I really felt how important gear is in hiking. Started around 3:50 AM. Last time there were 5 Indian folks starting with me so I wasn't scared, but this time I was solo so honestly, I was a bit spooked.
Difficulty spiked because of the recent heavy rain in CA. Even the creek crossing at the start was different from last time.
The trail was flooded in spots, but luckily my boots are waterproof so my feet stayed dry even when submerged.
My pace was good, 1.5x faster than last time. The water bladder really helped cut down rest time significantly.
About 2 hours in, I saw some poop and got scared. Pumas and bears live here, but I figured they're scared of humans and kept going.
A huge tree was blocking the path so I thought I took a wrong turn, but after climbing over the tree, I saw the rain had knocked it down. If it were my first time, I would've been stuck for ages.
Took this on the way back, but you can't see the path from the other side.
Anyway, I lost my way a few more times.
This was at 6:20 AM, right before sunrise. It got bright so fast.
Maybe it's the cold, but the icy path started way earlier than last time.
Sun came up, took some pics.
Picked up icicles from the trees.
This is also part of the trail, but it was submerged from the storm, which was awkward.
Had chocolate and almonds for breakfast, put on my spikes, and set off.
Endless switchbacks.
Near the campsite area. Great view. Saw my first human here, looked like just a camper.
3,250m elevation. This is where I quit last time. I was 2.5 hours early, so I felt confident about reaching the summit. Weirdly, there were ice shards between the footprints. I'll explain why later.
3,300m. The ground turned to pure ice, not snow. Altitude sickness and wind made it hard to breathe. I burned out fast and my pace dropped.
Wind got crazy, put on goggles. I was naive—should've put on the hardshell and grabbed the ice axe then. Thought I'd do it when it got colder, but once I hit the ridge, the wind was too strong to even change. I couldn't even put my bag down because it was too slippery.
Total ice from here on.
Those ice shards were from the trees, blown down by the wind. Shards were rolling everywhere. Most trees were buried in snow. Very technical and dangerous zone from here.
No footprints, had to navigate by map. Wind was insane, ground was pure ice. Had to kick my spikes in hard. Should've brought crampons at least.
Signpost was buried. Used it to find the way from afar.
Difficulty got even more vicious. Smooth ice on an incline. Needed to secure my footing, but my ice axe was still in my bag.
After a few tries, I crawled up and found some broken ice behind a tree to sit and grab my axe. Put on the balaclava too. Should've done it earlier; it took 3 mins just to put it on because of the wind.
Anyway, let's go.
Couldn't have done this slope without the ice axe. Usually, it's not like this, but the rain turned the 3,000m mark into an ice rink. Total luck I brought the axe.
Wind was so strong even with goggles, I had to keep my head down. Finally saw the summit. If I caught the wind at the wrong angle, I'd stumble or get pushed back.
Dopamine hit because the summit was right there. Climbed like a madman.
Finally summitted... This is the San Gorgonio sign, buried in snow.
No one to take a photo, so I'm just celebrating alone lol. So happy I made it in those conditions.
Descent was twice as hard. Ice was too hard for spikes to bite, and leaning forward made it dangerous. Now I get why descent is riskier. Deep snow is better; on ice, you're basically crawling.
Saw two people heading for the summit an hour later. First people I saw all day. They looked like pros, putting on hardshells before the ridge. Chatted a bit and said bye.
Down further, had oranges, almonds, chocolate, and jerky. 10 min rest. Forecast said it would be a whiteout (gomtang) at 3 PM, so I skipped the switchbacks and went straight down the ice path.
1:30 PM and it's already a whiteout. Rain was supposed to start at 3.
Luckily brought a poncho. Rain leaked in a bit due to wind, but it blocked the wind well.
Finished the hike. The creek from the morning had risen a bit.
Hike record. Realized gear is everything for winter hiking. There were spots I wouldn't even dream of without it. Better to overpack gear. Thanks for reading. Hike safe!
"The community is impressed by the OP's guts to solo a technical ice climb, though many pointed out how dangerous it was to be out there alone in the dark. A mix of 'congrats' and 'you're a madman'."
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