4/29/18 My last time up Momyer was as part of the 3 Peak Challenge in 2017. This time it was just for fun. A long day, with 28 miles, 7,300' of gain, howling winds and freezing temps on top did indeed make for a lot fun!
1 Passing over Mill Creek in the morning.
2 Momyer has fantastic singletrack the entire way, much of it through beautiful tree cover. And no humans, whereas the Vivian Creek trail can get busy on weekends.
3 More tree-lined singletrack.
4 Alger Creek near the Alger Creek backpacking campsite.
5 Leaving Alger Creek.
6 Jepson Peak with some snow on it. I hope snow won't be an issue today. It's going to be a long day and I don't have much time to be slowed down.
7 Getting ready to cross Plummer Meadows.
8 Great to see water still flowing in several places.
9 First sign of snow at about 9,000'.
10 Dollar Saddle. The Momyer trail joins-up with the South Fork trail here, which recently re-opened. I came across a group on their way down South Fork. They were wearing pretty heavy winter gear, it must be colder on top than it is here at 10,000'.
11 More snow as I get closer to the top. As soon as you pass over Dollar Saddle, you're on the windy side of the ridge, and the temperature drops quick!
12 There are some great bowls around here.
13 Starting to hit some good sized snow patches now.
14 Fortunately, there are already tracks dug in or else some of these traverses would be dicey with only trail running shoes on.
15 Looking down at the Mill Creek valley far below.
16 This part of the trail has my favorite view of San Jacinto. Today I particularly like how the sea of clouds stops right up against the peak.
17 Another amazing bowl.
18 Now joining with the Vivian Creek trail. It's late enough in the day that I don't see anyone else.
19 Made it!
20 Always have to take a picture of the summit marker!
21 View from the top with a sliver of Big Bear Lake showing in the distance.
22 360 summit video.
23 The only person I saw on top. Must be a great place to camp. But the wind is howling up here and the temperature with wind chill is in the low 20s. I wonder if that's a TV antennae or what?
24 Nice lighting as I head back down across Plummer Meadows.
25 I love this singletrack.
26 Getting close to sunset and I still have quite a ways to go.
27 The headlamp went on around 8:00pm. This sign means I'm finally getting close to the trailhead!
28 Full moon over Mill Creek. One of my all-time favorite trail scenes. I only wish I had a camera with me that could do it justice. It was a full moon in an otherwise pitch black sky, fringed by the clouds, and lighting the water on the creek so well that you could see every ripple.