As I was sitting in Lone Pine, bad news came. The Forest Service was closing all the national forests in southern California, including Inyo. This meant my permit was canceled for the next day, along with my campsite at Whitney Portal. After wallowing in pity for a while, I decided I didn't want to drive to the Bay Area at the end of a holiday weekend and so I started looking for somewhere to spend the night and get another peak in. I decided on Castle Peak, in the Truckee area.
The summit, not too far away, but very hazy.
I drove up that afternoon, getting to the trailhead after dark, where I camped. It was not a good place to camp, too close to the freeway. I did not sleep well, and at first light I was up and packing up. After eating breakfast in my car, to get out of the wind a little, I started up the road.
Where the trail leaves the road.
The approach is along a fire road that is open to cars. I saw a number of people camping along the road in campers and such. They were all still sleeping, since the sun hadn't risen enough to get over the ridges yet. Eventually, some singletrack breaks off, and you climb up to the PCT.
Sunrise above the ridge.
After taking the PCT the very short distance up to the pass, turn right and follow the trail up the ridge. It had been windy all night and morning, but once I got out of the trees on the ridge the full force of the wind hit me. I had to stop and layer up, even though I was hiking a good pace up the hill.
Very very hazy from wildfire smoke, but not as bad as it was down south.
The trail makes its way up the ridge. I had no problem following it, and it would be an easy hike even without a trail, just staying on the ridge. As I approached the top I heard some voices, and a head poked up from behind a scree wall. Turns out some people had camped at the summit.
One of the summit pinnacles. Or maybe it should be called a crenellation?
The highest peak is at the far end of the ridge, so I followed some use trails to it. I climbed up as much as I felt comfortable doing, then went down a little to set up my antenna. It was very windy, so I tried to find a place to sit out of the wind as much as I could.
My "why didn't I bring gloves?" face
I had good cell service, and no problem getting contacts, despite the early hour. I stayed warm enough, especially once the sun came around the point. Once the QSOs stopped coming, I packed up and headed down. It was still chilly, and I had a few hours of driving left to get home.
View through the summit.
A day or two after I got home, the Forest Service closed all the national forests in the state. I guess I lucked out and got some pre-Whitney hiking in at least.
Trailhead: Boreal Ridge Road. Take exit 176 and go to the north side of the freeway. Limited parking on the pavement.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Continue up the dirt road to the junction below the PCT. At the pass, follow the ridge up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.
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