Lookout Mountain #2

6 November 1988

By: Minor White

Leaders: Minor White, Asher Waxman

On a foggy Sunday morning ten people found their way through the fog to the Pomona Car Pool. Having faith that a sun existed above the fog, we carpooled to the Baldy Village. We were rewarded with a beautiful day for hiking.

The hikers were dropped off at Baldy Village while Robert "Mr. One-liner" Marshall volunteered to take his car to Cow Canyon Saddle for a car shuttle. This was much appreciated at the end of the hike.

This hike was co-sponsored by our "International Community Committee". We were delighted to have Rosina Mueller from Germany, Anneliese Richter from Austria and Michelle Owen from Israel.

The group started up the trail to Bear Flats at 8:30AM. After getting away from the private homes we stopped to get acquainted. We also discussed the historical significance of our goal. Lookout#2 and Mount Wilson, were used by Michelson to measure the speed of light.

At Bear Flats we headed west, contouring around the exposed hillside, to the West Fork of Bear Canyon. Water was running in the canyon and the flora was lush. At the request of Francesca "Nature Girl" Cancian, we stopped to explore around a small water cascade where the group debated the names of the various plants.

Trekking north and west up the canyon took us to the ridge overlooking Cattle Canyon. This was our first good view of the rugged surroundings and the neighboring peaks. With the promise that lunch was only twenty minutes away, the group climbed to "Lunch" peak (6940 feet) and got into a discussion of how peaks get their names. Doug Hatfield and Robert Hartstone assisted in the identification of the principal peaks around us.

After lunch had settled, we ran the ridge over to Lookout #2. The register cans were hard to pull apart and were beaten up from hikers using rocks to pound them apart. The old cans were replaced with new.

To avoid the rock outcroppings on the way down the firebreak, the group was led down a ridge along the east side of Lookout #2 to a use trail that contours southwest and joins with the firebreak below the rock outcropping. I feel this is a safer route for newer hikers.

At the main saddle below Lookout #2 everyone enjoyed the comfort of the "Old oak tree" before starting our last leg down a poorly maintained trail to the right of the ridge leading to Cow Canyon Saddle. How nice it was to have Robert Marshall's car waiting for the car shuttle back to Baldy Village.

Congratulations to Jan Kidwell for accomplishing the most gain within her hiking experience and thanks to Asher Waxman for being the sweep on my cross-country leader experience trip.