In a repeat from 2020, the National Forests have enacted a blanket
closure to deal with stretched firefighting resources. This one
is from Sep 1-17, but I suspect will last longer. This leaves the
National Parks and BLM lands for Labor Day weekenders to fight
over. Yosemite permits would be impossible and SEKI seems like it
could be crowded, so I opted for BLM in the Southern Sierra around
Kennedy Meadows. On my way there, I stopped in the Tehachapi area
to pick up a small handful of summits before it got too warm out.
Peak 5,521ft
This unnamed summit is found north of SR58 and the town of
Tehachapi. The summit and south side of the peak are part of
Lehigh Trails, property owned by Lehigh Cement Company which has
an active quarry to the east of the trails. The Tehachapi Mountain
Trails Association has developed it as a bike park, though it is
open for hiking as well. $5 donation is required for day-use (not
really a donation then, is it?). I parked at the
off
Burnett Rd, about 4 other vehicles already there when I started
off around 9:20a. I followed the trail east, then northeast on a
little-used
that leads to a locked gate (which explains
why it sees little use). I went over the fence then up the old
ranch road continuing on the other side, making
the
peak's South Ridge. The
is crossed many times by the
descending from the summit. I stuck to the road to avoid
cyclists, but there was only a single one I crossed paths with the
whole way up and down. There are no trees or shrubs on the slopes,
just grass and evidence of much grazing (though no cattle to
be seen today). It took just under an hour to make my way to the
summit where several bike trails converge. There are several small
at the top, a holding the high
ground. I walked northeast from the summit to get a view
and to investigate a possible route to the higher Peak
5,922ft in that direction. It looks like a use trail (maybe an old
firebreak?) continues in the right direction, but the 3mi distance
was more than I wanted to do today. Besides, I think most of it is
on private ranch property. This would be a nice moonlight outing,
maybe bringing my bike along. I returned back over the summit and
then back the way I'd come, just after 11a.
Peak 6,623ft
This one is located south of SR58 and the town, a mile northeast
of the Tehachapi Mountain Park. Located on private property, I
had no real idea if I could reach it. There didn't appear to
be any homes about the summit in the satellite view, but there
were some on the road through Indian John Spring to the south of
it. I found the road gated near the park boundary, so I parked in
one of the
found on the south side of the road. My
initial effort was to hike through the
on the
south side of the road, still on park property. This worked well
enough, but it led to several homesites tucked in the canyon just
outside the park. I decided this was too close and retreated. My
second effort crossed the road just past the gate, going steeply
up the hillside to get out of view of the road below. This felt
much better, taking me up to the NW Ridge that I could follow
to the summit. I had to cross several dirt roads that showed
signs of regular use, so I was cautious in doing so, getting out
of view as quickly as possible. I spent a full hour in getting to
the summit where I found a small boulder at
, buried
in the trees. The return took only half as long,
by 11:30a.
Jacks BM
This summit is located at the west end of Cummings Valley, about
20min southwest of Tehachapi. This area is far more rural, and one
finds a great many American and "Thin Blue Line" flags, atop the
various flagpoles sprinkled throughout the area. There is a large
near the summit, allowing me to drive within a few
hundred feet of the top. Grassy slopes lead to the top, crowned
by a large class 3 .
A large man with a large dog
watched me from his nearby property as I hiked up to the top, the
dog barking all the while. I took a few photos looking
and , then retreated.
I had plans to visit a few other summits in the gated Bear Valley
Community. I visited one of the local realtors much as I had a
decade ago, hoping to get a pass to allow me though the manned
gate. Unlike last time, I was told the realtor would have to
accompany me to specific properties. This would not do, so I
thanked her for her time and left. I will need a new strategy, it
seems...
Continued...