Anyone hiked Cucamonga Peak recently (2016) ?

[Vimal]

Hi,

My friend and I plan to hike Cucamonga Peak towards the end of Feb 2016. We had hiked Mount Wilson in January.

We have bought ourselves ice crampons. But it would be first time for both of us hiking on ice (which I expect to be the case towards the summit).

Just read about the deaths near Mount Baldy. So want to exercise caution.

Has anyone done this hike recently ? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Vimal

[Jill G]

This will be informative:
the group who attempted Sat. http://www.meetup.com/USHiking/events/228180525/

And the blog here: http://www.wildcalendar.com/?p=963

[April]

It’s not enough to just have the equipment you need to know how to use it. Please take some classes before you attempt to hike on ice and in extreme conditions.

[April]

http://www.dailynews.com/opinion/20160209/take-care-right-equipment-on-winter-hikes-in-mountains

[Carisa Hernandez]

We hiked Ice House Canyon to the Cucamonga Peak Trail on 1/26/16. Less than a mile up the Cucamonga Trail beyond the saddle we turned around. The trail was impossible to make out and we had slid in areas where the ice was slick and sunk in over our knees in places where it was soft and deep. In this type of terrain the microspikes and crampons do not help. I would call the Baldy Fire Department to get info on how the trails are before you attempt to hike it this month. Our group consists of avid hikers who are well equipped and trained and we all agreed to turn around that day! We like to return from our treks to tell our stories…not be one.

[Vimal]

Thank you all for the suggestons.

[David R]

Absolute agreement to above postings, knowledge of gear, not just owning it, is paramount.

Myself and two friends attempted this on 2/15/16. Getting to the saddle is no problem. We only ventured about 400yards beyond that. Two of us had Crampons and felt okay with it, our third had microspikes which were not sufficient at all. We played it safe, turned back and went up Timber instead.

And yes, finding the trail is as much of a challenge as the ice. I brought a gps for this purpose and had we continued it would have been very necessary. No prior tracks, and the trail completely invisible under the snow. Unless you have very good prior knowledge of the route…

Happy hiking, be safe!

[Author]

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