Old Lumpy (San Gorgonio, 11,500', CA)

pics by Harlan W.S.
July 11, 2010

This was a pleasant change, gentler and wetter than our local Spring Mountains. The trails were excellent. The RT distance should have been ~22 miles, but I managed to add some confusing extra distance, in part by coming down over Jepson (which can’t have more than 180’ prominence), and the Charltons (which have a maximum of ~300’ prominence), in part by taking some random extra trips down and up hill.

We saw several California gurls on top, but no bikinis on top, nor Daisy Dukes.

GPS trace of route. The red-and-blue dotted portion I did an extra 2 times, because I began to wonder if other folks had turned around after the clouds came. I jogged up and down the magenta section, once again concerned that I had somehow screwed up.	Grinnell’s Penstemon – also called balloon flower. Very much like Palmer’s penstemon.	Many Grinnell penstemons.
Rose.	Ken crosses a stream.	Ken and Will at Dry Lake, ~9000’.
	First view of San G.	Will crosses the 1^st significant snow on east side, above 10200’.
Plane wreck and plaque.	Strange-looking limber pine.	Silicic dike across gneiss.
Biggest snow crossing ~11000’, with watermelon snow, caused by algae.		Arrogance! I hit the top ~11AM, and nobody was there to take the photo, so this a self-portrait.
A fuzzy San Jacinto.		This guy was looking feverishly for the benchmark on top of the peak. I saw the benchmark after he left.
	Will comes up.
	This tiny benchmark was not placed by either USGS or CGS.
Exon Gomez died in 2004, after slipping off a waterfall in Thailand. He had climbed San Gorgonio earlier that summer. He was in Thailand to help an orphanage, and seems to have been a great guy.		Victor and Doris arrive!
Doris.	OK we head down.
Notice the rain in the distance.
I think that’s mighty Jepson ahead.		Red heather.
Lots of red heather.	Looking back at “peak.”	I’m looking back at Lou as he comes up Little Charlton, Medium-sized Charlton. or maybe Super-sized Charlton. My ancestors spent 100 years near Charlton, MA, so I was compelled.
Lou on Charlton-Charlton.	Photo of Lou taking a photo of signs at Dollar Lake saddle.	Behind Lou is the Charlton Ridge.
Yarrow, I guess.	Snow plant.	View back at San G.
Eric pumps water.	Yellow-white lupine.	California geranium.
Eric walks away from red penstemons.	Mariposa lily, more purple than we see in NV.	Various penstemons, paintbrush, and some AYC and wallflower.
Magenta lupine	Iris.