The beautiful Pacifico Mountain stands at 7,124’. It’s located in the central San Gabriels and the climb up on the PCT offers expansive views that sweep across the Antelope Valley and the Mojave Desert. This hike is about 6 miles one way. We’ve done it in its entirety in the past, but today our goal was to reach the PCT mile marker, break for lunch and then turn around and head back. With the shorter days, we wanted to make sure we were back down the mountain before darkness fell. We began the hike from Mill Creek Summit heading up the PCT. The aroma of chaparral was comforting and familiar and there was plenty of Manzanita on the trail. The charred trees burned in the Station Fire still held fast. As the trail hugged the north face of Mt. Pacifico, we passed large Spanish Bayonet. The trail is easy graded, but it is narrow and parts have now eroded since we were last here in 2019. We stopped to watch a group of ravens call and croak to one another as they danced and dived on the wind in tandem before landing on the precipitous ledges. I’ve always loved this hike because of those birds. The views to the PCT marker did not disappoint. The clouds decorated the blue sky only adding to the dramatic scenery of this incredible hike. After our break, we began making our way back. It was a nice way to end our time in the Angeles, until we return again next year.
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Once again we are back home in Southern California. It is here that I feel more like myself. The mountains and desert terrain is what I know best, and to start our adventures, we chose one of our favorite trails, Waterman Mountain.
Waterman Mountain was named after Liz Waterman, the wife of Bob Waterman who explored the area in 1889 along with Commodore Ferry Switzer. The mountain was originally named “Lady Waterman Mountain” after Liz. Later, when the U.S. Geological Survey mapped the mountain, they removed the “Lady” and the mountain is referred to as “Waterman Mountain”.
We took the trail from Buckhorn off the ACH climbing south through tall stands of Jeffrey Pine, Ponderosa Pine and Incense Cedars. This section took a hit from the Bobcat fire in 2020, and there are many charred trees, but the trail is still beautiful nonetheless. The vanilla smell of Jeffrey pines and dry sand along the trail was familiar and welcoming. I felt a sense of comfort. All worries and troubles from the past year were swept away on the fresh mountain air as we stepped onto the trail and began our climb. Once we reached the saddle on Waterman’s east ridge, we enjoyed the spectacular views down into Bear Canyon and out to Twin Peaks. Wildflowers were still blooming along the ridge. We took a short break before heading westward and up to the summit where we sat amongst the large rock formations and enjoyed our lunch. I reminisced how one year on New Year’s day we sipped champagne from the rocks and watched the stealth bomber fly over from the Pasadena Rose Parade. This mountain has always held special meaning to us and the San Gabriel High Country will always be one of my favorite sections of the Angeles.
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