I recently tackled the biggest beast of my hiking career. I summited Mt. San Gorgonio, also known as Old Greyback, which is the highest peak in Southern California with its peak at 11,503 ft. The hike is a large loop that spans roughly 25 miles through narrow paths, steep cliffs, loose gravel, snow and eerily familiar twists and turns that make it far to easy to get lost. This hike is immensely difficult and should not be attempted by anyone who is not an expert hiker/camper. However if you are an experienced well-prepared hiker looking for a true challenge, then this is the hike for you.

There are various paths that lead to the peak of Gorgonio, but we chose to take the South Fork Trail because it led us to the top of two smaller mountains on our way to the beast. We summited Jepson Peak and Little Charlton Peak during our continuous climb until we reached Old Greyback.

Mile one. Old Greyback appears! Gaining altitude… Signs were no help. Getting close! Aar Jay giving his opinion of Old Greyback. Reaching the top. Geo Cash found! Success!

As we scaled the mountain, we realized that we had severely underestimated the amount of snow on the mountain which drastically slowed our pace. As we reached the top it became evident that we needed to pick up the pace to get back before dark and that got us into trouble. While this hike is popular, the trails are not clear cut and seem to dwindle into nothing at some points. We ended up getting lost at the Sky High Trail mark and were forced to camp for the night. While we were prepared, we did not intend to be on the mountain for two days. This was absolutely our fault as the hike has a two day completion recommendation.

Around 7 p.m. we went into camping mode and looked for a dry spot to set up camp while gathering firewood. Next we lit a fire, rationed our food and filled our water canteens/camel bags with melted snow and creek water. Once Morning hit we regrouped and figured out that we had made our way into North Fork Meadows. This meant that we had added roughly twelve miles to our hike bringing our total to nearly 40 miles.

As we knew that there was probably a search party out for us, we kicked it into overdrive and blazed back towards the trail at steady yet fast pace stopping every two hours to eat. When we were about ten miles out we noticed a helicopter over head that was advising us to call for help. We waved him off and made our way back to the car where we were greeted by the sheriffs and park rangers. They were surprisingly not mad and just relieved that we had made it back safely. So after being missing for a day, it’s safe to say that Gorgonio is no joke.

In recent news three hikers went missing for three days in nearly the identical spot as us. They were rescued safely, but it just further shows that this mountain is difficult and dangerous.

Photo Credits: Ryan Whittington, Ricardo Soria