For my upcoming birthday I asked my husband for a Jetboil cooking system. It would be the first item in a long list of backpacking gear that we’re going to need to make the crossover from day hikers to backpackers. Since I’d been looking for an excuse to make the short hike up the little bump called Mt. Akawie (aka Buckhorn Peak if you’re using a Tom Harrison map), we headed up to the mountain to test the new cooking system and spend a quiet morning together.
We hit the trail just after 6 am. After a very short distance we took the path leading up to the peak. There appeared to be a number of fire roads around to explore, but we were ready to get cooking and I couldn’t wait for a hot cup of coffee. The Jetboil system did not disappoint! For breakfast I’d packed a couple of Eggo waffles (my favorite) and brought along a freeze dried breakfast scramble from Mountain House. Overall, it was pretty good. I definitely could live on this stuff for a couple of days in the backcountry. After eating, we got comfortable on one of the large, flat bounders looking towards Waterman Mountain and Twin Peaks and napped for a short while. After a peaceful rest and stomachs full of interesting freeze dried food, we packed up our gear and did some exploring around the mountain both on and off-trail. An unmaintained road/trail took us northeast around the bump and offered views looking towards Pleasant View Ridge. We also saw a lot of deer; mostly doe and one with a young fawn. The road/trail eventually disappeared and we made a scramble up the east side of the mountain before heading back the way we came. It was around 11 am when we got back to the car. We thanked Mount Akawie for the hospitality and headed home to enjoy what was left of our weekend.
We arrive at the turnout/parking area around 6 am and start up an old fire road.
It's quite in the forest, and the sun is starting to come up.
After a short walk, we see the trail leading up to the peak and decide to go straight up before exploring more of the little mountain.
In less then a mile, we are at the broad, flat top of Mount Akawie, aka Buckhorm Peak if you are using a Tom Harrison Map. According some information I found online, the peak was renamed in 1990 by the Hundred Peaks Section after Richard L. Akawie (1925-89) who was a Chemist, Six time List Finisher, Angeles Chapter Activity Schedule Editor and conservationist.
We walk up to the little peak that is now called Mount Akawie.
We find the spot where the USGS marker has gone missing. I wonder what happened to it.
Time for breakfast. I had asked my husband for a Jetboil for my upcoming birthday. It is the first item in a lot of backpacking gear we'll need to make the transition from day hikers to backpackers. We took it for a test run this morning, and it did not disappoint.
Today's menu: Mountain House Breakfast Scramble.
It doesn't look too bad. Freeze dried food is strangely fascinating.
I sip on a hot cup of coffee and watch my husband do the cooking.
Breakfast is served! I brought along some Eggos to accompany our breakfast in a bag which was actually better then I thought it would be. I might go as far to say it was actually pretty good!
We enjoy our breakfast while looking over at Waterman Mountain and Twin Peaks.
After breakfast and a short nap, we pack up to start exploring.
We take a stroll around the flat top of the peak to see if we can get any views.
Looking back up towards the high point.
We get back on the trail and continue down.
We see a ski run on Waterman Mountain. I wonder if we'll ever get enough snow for them to open for winter activities.
Looking back towards the trail leading to the peak. Someone put rocks here to note that this is the direction to go if you're looking to check this one off your list.
There's a junction here so we follow this road northeast.
It's a pretty road with lots of shade and some views along the way.
Looking over at Will Thrall and Pallet Mountain.
We stop here at the lookout to enjoy the views.
The trail turns southwest as it wraps around the mountain and finally disappears.
I thought maybe the trail/road would connect to another fire road we saw on the way up, but it doesn't. None of this is on either of my paper maps. We decided to scramble around and explore a bit while heading back in the direction towards the peak.
I take a lot of photos as we trail blaze our way back to the top.
Not too long after this photo, we are back at the peak. We stop for a moment to catch our breath and snack on some crackers before heading back to the car.
The day is warming up and we are both satisfied that we at least got a little bit of a workout. We agree to head back home.
We saw a lot of deer today; five of them as we were hiking, and here we come across a doe and her fawn looking cautiously at us humans.
The doe tells her fawn to go, and she follows close behind.
We take one more side trip before getting back on the trail leading to the parking area. It's already close to 11 am and we are hungry for lunch, so we decided to explore it another time.
Heading down the mountain.
One more photo before heading home.
