Snow Peak

29 September 1990

By: Charlie Knapke

Last year, I led this peak as an exploratory hike. I thought it would make a good addition to the HPS list. Unfortunately, the date of the trip conflicted with the Dick Akawie Memorial hike. As a result, some people, including the listed assistant, passed up the hike.

This year, I had proposed that Snow Peak be added to the list. I decided that I should lead it again so more people could experience it first hand. This would enable them to make a decision when the ballots arrived in the fall. Since the trail goes through the San Gorgonio Wilderness, I limited this trip to 15 participants.

On the day of the hike, we got a late start as some of our group misjudged the driving time to the trailhead. At the trailhead, Luella said that she and her father had hiked into this area years before and had actually gone part way up the Raywood Flats Trail which we had planned to take to the peak.

Once we were all assembled, we headed up the trail. The first mile and a half follows an old truck trail which used to be the access road to the beginning of the Raywood Flats Trail. When the wilderness area was changed in 1988, the present trailhead was established at the present boundary. When we reached the old trailhead at a clearing, we found that there was still water running very slowly at the spring.

We then headed up the old trail to the peak. The trail crosses the middle of the canyon bottom before climbing up the hillside. This is where the brush grows the fastest. I was pleased to see that it was still passable without the use of loppers. (None were brought this trip.) When we reached the old logging roads near the summit, we took the faintest one to where I had placed the register can on my original scouting trip. Someone else had signed in the register since then but no one in our group recognized the names.

It was beginning to rain and was rather cool and windy by now. We had a quick snack and headed back down to the cars.

Judging from the number of puns coined using the word snow, I would say that the group enjoyed the trip despite the continuing threat of rain.

This is definitely the most experienced group of hikers that have joined me on one of my trips. Thanks to Luella Martin Fickle, Erich Fickle, "Shamus" Fleming, Evan Samuels, Judy Ware, Carleton Shay, Martin Feather, Cristy Bird, John Southworth, Linda Avila, Dorothy Pallas, Mark Scofield, and of course Frank Goodykoontz.