Mill Peak, Keller Peak (LO), Slide Peak, Crafts Peak, Grays Peak, Bertha Peak, Arctic Point, Gold Mountain, Silver Mountain

20 June 1992

By: Patty Kline

Leaders: Patty Kline, Frank Goodykoontz

This was the right weekend for this trip. The Big Bear earthquake was one week later and we would have been driving on a dirt road to Bertha. Would we have been flattened by boulders falling on the road, or hemmed in from either direction? I'm glad we will never know.

Unfortunately, one week later, I was in the area. I was zipped in a tent trying to get out as the rocks were avalanching in the valley below Forest Falls. This was when the Yucca Valley quake hit. Three hours later when the Big Bear earthquake hit, I was at the Vivian Creek Trailhead getting ready to leave for Galena. The dust clouds acted like a solar eclipse. Needless to say, I didn't do Galena along with my 2 hiking partners, Pete Doggett and John Kurnick.

Now back to the Big Bear hike. We met at 7 am Saturday morning to do the virtual drive-ups of Mill, Keller and Slide. It was a killer with Mill - 2 miles round trip and 600' gain. Next was Keller, a true drive-up. Slide was third with 1 1/2 miles round trip and 300 feet of gain. We then drove over to the roadhead for Crafts. This was 4 miles round trip and 1300' gain. It was a pleasant little hike. We had our lunch on top. Last of the day was Grays which was 2-1/2 miles round trip and 700' gain.

We found a very nice camp spot away from the pay campground. It has a fire ring and a picnic table. It is located 2 1/2 miles from Fawnskin on the road to Little Bear Peak. We had the usual community happy hour and garbage bag salad I enjoy on my trips.

The next day, we left to drive the tricky dirt roads to Bertha Peak. It was about 3 miles round trip and 800' gain. We then did Arctic Point where we had lunch. This is one of my favorite Big Bear peaks because of the interesting boulder conglomerations. It is 3 miles round trip and 800' gain. Then came Gold which we took the 4x4s up. The last peak of the weekend was Silver which we again took the 4x4's up.

This weekend harvested 9 peaks. The participants were Barbara Reber, Alex Levoff, Tom Sakowych, Peter Doggett, Delores Holladay, Matt McBride, and George Schroedter. If any of you left a blue A16 belt style water bottle holder, let me know because I found it after we got back in our cars at the very end of the trip after Silver.

Thank you to Frank Goodykoontz for leading the trip with me. He always does such a great job.