Mount Jenkins, Morris Peak, Southern Sierra (HPS)

A pleasant off-road in the Indian Wells vicinity took me up Buena Vista Canyon to a scenic roundabout perfectly suited for car-camping. A single noble tree offered deep shade and views down-canyon were tremendous, making me regret my decision to go door-to-door in a single day.

From the roundabout, a steep hike up BLM land connected me with the Pacific Crest Trail, where I could hike mindlessly and without a care for foot placement (among the PCT’s greatest pleasures) until cutting cross-country for Mount Jenkins. A poorly defined use-trail led over rocks and around boulders, increasing in grade steadily until reaching a short and light Class 2 chute. Atop this, I enjoyed a thrilling 90 seconds or so of true climbing to achieve the summit where views east to the desert floor were expansive, and north-west toward the Sierra were unexpectedly vast.

From here I returned to the PCT for a long stretch of trail, passing a plaque embedded in the rock honoring Mount Jenkins’ namesake, before scrambling up a very loose slope made slick by heaps of leaf-litter to reach the summit of Morris Peak. This too was capped by approximately twenty-five seconds of true hands-on-rock climbing, bringing the alpine total to a whopping 1.95 minutes. Still, a pleasant day with a good variety of terrain, keeping the solo hiker fully engaged for the duration—headphones not required.