We hit the trail right around 9:00am. The climb starts quick, but the trail is beautiful, soft singletrack with lots of tree cover.
Our first view of San Bernadino Peak (on the right) and East San Bernadino Peak (on the left).
Our first snow sighting. I had grown so used to drought conditions that it really hadn't occurred to me that snow might be an issue here in mid-May.
The peaks getting closer slowly but surely.
Gee, that looks like quite a bit of snow up there...
The trail winding through dense meadows of Manzanita chapparal.
Great views of the valley below and the San Gabriels in the distance.
Dad making his way through the Manzanita.
The summit looks so close...
Dad powering along. At well over 8,000' now, you can definitely start to feel the effects of the altitude.
Stopping for a late lunch.
The rising moon alongside a prominent rock formation.
Starting to get into some bigger patches of snow now.
The pace starts to slow a bit as the snow patches get bigger. Once we pass Limber Pine Camp, Dad decides to call it a day. He graciously agrees to wait and let…
Dad's picture of me heading out. I ended-up losing the trail in the snow just a couple hundred yards further. I had to resort to pulling out the topo map and…
My hopes of sumitting are going downhill fast. I'm breaking trail now through snow drifts 2-3 feet deep. Here I'm post-holed almost up to my crotch with my…
The conditions quickly alternate from post-holing, to slush, to ice depending on tree cover etc. Here I was attempting a traverse across an exposed, icy…
I had long ago given-up on following the route of the real trail. I had climbed-up a creek ravine that, according to the topo map, pointed towards the summit.…
At some point, I'm pretty sure I can see the summit. I'm not sure if it's actually San Bernadino Peak, but it will be my summit for the day no matter what it…
Almost to the top and the views are starting to make it worthwhile. There's Big Bear Lake in the distance. There are no other tracks anywhere, so it looks like…