With the family back in school and their schedules becoming more defined, I was
able to plan a few trips to Northern California to explore a large part of the
state I'd not done much climbing in. It had been April since my last visit to
Mendocino and on the drive back from a more recent trip to Oregon I was reminded
that there were many places in the area I had yet to see. Using the
CC list and
my list of P1Ks as a basis, I mapped out a trip through the western half of
Mendocino National Forest. Forest Road M1 runs for more than 50mi north from
Clear Lake, weaving along a number ridgelines separating the various drainages
that course through this forested region. M1 was not as good a dirt/gravel road
as others I had traveled on in Mendocino NF, but I managed to get my low
clearance van along the entire length, even if not with all its pieces I had
started with. Most of these peaks are an exercise in driving punctuated with
short hikes to reach the summit - more of a workout for the vehicle rather than
one's legs.
Horse Mountain
This P1K is located between Clear Lake and Lake Pillsbury, a few miles west of
M1. Not having left San Jose until 8a, it wasn't until noon that I had driven
to the TH I used to reach Horse Mtn. With a high clearance vehicle one can
drive to the summit without much trouble. I parked at
in the road with
about 1.5mi left to the summit - no use beating up my poor van at the beginning
of this long driving trip. M1, the side road I turned off on and the one I
hiked up were all terribly dusty affairs. The white tennis shoes I wore had long
since taken the color of tan, but now they took on browner tone, collecting
far more dust in the seams and fabric than could ever be removed. The van would
likewise collect dust inside and out and would take a bit of work to clean up a
few days later. There is
little to recommend Horse Mtn to visitors, but on my short hike to the summit I
was passed by several vehicles, one of them a USFS ranger. Both were nowhere to
be seen when I reached the ,
evidently having continued over the
other side without much of a stop. Not that there's much to see - a partial view
can be had to ,
but trees block views in the other direction as it did
for most of the way along the hike.
Garrett Mountain
is a P900 located a few miles NW of .
Along with Horse, it
lies in Lake County and forms part of the divide between the West Fork of Middle
Creek (which flows southeast into Clear Lake, Cache Creek and the Sacramento
Valley) and Bucknell Creek (which flows NW into the Eel River and the Pacific
Ocean at Eureka). High clearance can drive to the summit of Garrett, or nearly
so, as the last quarter mile is . I had to park some 3.5mi
from the summit where the road became a bit rough on a downhill stretch with a
short washout section I had no confidence I could drive back up. I used an
abandoned logging road at the start for a partial shortcut, taking about 2hrs
to reach Garrett and return. The summit offered few views (Snow Mtn can be seen
to ) though it does sport and what looks
like of a lookout tower that once stood nearby.
Pine Mountain
After returning to M1 I continued north, pausing when I came across a signed
fork for the Pine Mtn Lookout after about 5mi. Though not on my radar, it seemed
like an easy bonus peak that was worth a detour. Surprisingly,
was not located at or near the summit, but about a mile to
the northwest, overlooking the with a 180 degree
view. It was only used for a brief period between 1933-45, but it is still
maintained in decent condition and can be rented for $50/night through
www.recreation.gov.
After a brief visit, I followed a poorer road southeast through the forest in
search of the highpoint. I got within a half mile, parking at
and hoofing it the rest of the way. is
broad, flat and offers no views.
Clearly the lookout was the more interesting feature on this mountain.
Big Signal Peak
Also called Sanhedrin Mountain, this
CC-listed summit is one of two P2Ks that
lie north of Lake Pillsbury. The rest of the day was consumed with much rough
driving, zero hiking. After returning to M1 from Pine Mtn, I continued north,
dropping to the Eel River crossing below Lake Pillsbury where I enjoyed a few
brief miles of delightful driving on actual pavement, before starting up on the
15mi drive to Big Signal Peak. The road makes its way up over 4,000ft to reach
the 6,175-foot summit, the last few miles particularly rough. I probably should
have hiked those last few miles, but the road's quality did not change abruptly
and I got slowly adjusted to the steepening road and rougher conditions,
to move a larger rock out of the way. My
van protested a few times when it banged into rocks underfoot, but it did quite
well. It has slip detection that removes power from the front wheel when it
starts to spin, a nice feature that kept me from digging a hole in the soft
spots on the road more than once. It bounced and plowed its way to the very
summit in an hour's time, arriving at 6p.
Unlike the previous summits I'd visited, this one had unobstructed views in all
directions. In three directions one can over
upon of forested watershed. 8mi to rises the
higher Hull Mtn and of the Mendocino NF. Immediately south
of Big Signal is the with a
sporting maps and all sorts of information, though as far as I could tell no
actual trails. The summit lookout tower has long been decommissioned and
repurposed as a . I got out long enough to circle
the summit tower, take a few pictures, and start back down.
I would spend the next several hours driving back down to Lake Pillsbury and up
to Hull Mtn before calling it a day. My poor car needed a rest...
Continued...