Skinner Peak

14 July 1990

By: Walt Wheelock

Leaders: Walt Wheelock, Ann Fulton, Dave Welbourne

The 100 Peakers and the Backroad Explorers overlapped on this trip. It was scheduled as a BRE trip, and on Saturday, Walt led the Backroaders from Red Rock State Park up a series of OHV trails (Dove Spring Rd-Aqueduct Patrol Rd. and up Bird Spring Canyon Rd) to Bird Spring Pass.

Skinner Peak was about a mile and a half to the north, with a 1770' climb. Here, Dave took over, leading eleven up the climb via the Pacific Crest Trail, to a crest, then cross-country to the peak, for a lunch stop. The return was down a gully, sometimes called "the ski run."

Walt took over again, dropping to Kelso Valley, then up the Piute Mountain Road to a delightful camp in the pines. Sunday, we dropped to Lake Isabella then up to Keyesville. Here Ardis Walker, long time historian of Kernville (he was born in Keyesville 88 years ago) gave a most interesting talk on Keyesville and the Walker family activities.

From here we shifted into 4x4 and it was a rough climb up to the Rancheria Road, at a point just south of Shirley Meadows. Here we were within a dozen miles of the 100 Peakers Saturday night camp near Black Mountain. Then down the isolated Rancheria Road to Bakersfield.

Participating were: Walt Wheelock, Ella Porter, Ann & John Fulton, Bob & Sue Jaussand, David Welbourn, Ken Sears, Mickey Ashley, Steve Burks, Elena Lobl, Scot Jamison, Walt & Frances Bonozza and Ed Krull.