Chief Peak, The Long Way

When a heat warning's issued, there's only one logical thing to do. And that's to go on a 20+ mile hike up to good ol' Chief Peak. Start at Gridley, hit the ridge road, and then truck on up to the summit. Easy route. Good trail. Lots of walking. We arrived at the trailhead at 7:20am, our packs heavy with water. In fact, that's about all that was in 'em. Hiking in the heat is no joke. Gotta bring more than you think you need. 

The early morning air already had a bit of a bite to it. From it we could tell that it was definitely gonna be a hot one. By the time we made it to the avocado orchards—not even a mile in— some of us were already dripping with sweat. The sun hadn't even been out for an hour and it was already making its presence felt. We moved along, talking and shuffling, enjoying the shaded canyons that the sun hadn't touched yet. Liam and Diego set a brisk pace while Marco and I kinda just sauntered along, taking in the sights and smells of the crispy morning. We found several white mushrooms growing in the brush along the trail. Marco believed them to be puffballs. They looked tasty, but we weren't gonna take no chances. Before long we caught back up to Liam and Diego and took our first break of the day at Gridley Springs.

After the break we continued up the trail, this time a little slower. We could see Chief Peak, and boy did it look far. A little bit of doubt leeched its way into the back of my mind but I ignored it and kept on walking. So far the heat wasn't so bad, but I knew that it would get far worse. When we hit the switchbacks our pace slowed significantly and we took more frequent breaks. So far we had seen only three people on the trail, one of whom was heading back down. The others were on electric mountain bikes. 

We reached the top of the switchbacks and from there could see the entirety of what we had left to walk. Chief Peak didn't appear any closer, and the ridge just looked long, hot, and shadeless. Nevertheless, we made it to the ridge road in just under 2½ hours, taking a long break in the dwindling shade. 

Road miles are easy miles, but for some reason they always suck. Don't know why. That's just how they be, you know? And like I've said before, the only way to do them is to just put your head down and keep truckin'. And that's what we did. The section of road between the Gridley Trail and the Howard Creek Trail is steep, mostly shadeless, and in the summer—very hot. After battling the switchbacks, we did not welcome this section of road. But we walked it anyways, enjoying the occasional gust of cool wind. 

Just after passing the junction with the Howard Creek Trail, Liam made the smart decision to call it quits. Told us he'd wait for us there in the shade of some pines. I admired the decision. It seems like a lot of people put the goal of summiting above everything else, that it's the most important thing. And then they use up all their energy trying to summit and then suddenly remember that they have to climb back down. So it's smart to recognize your limits and call it quits when you need to, lest you desire excessive suffering. I find it best when hikin' to remember this bit of advice: the summit is optional, but the descent is mandatory. We waved goodbye to Liam and continued up the ridge. 

The day was absolutely gorgeous. Definitely much better clarity than the last time we climbed Chief Peak. We kept on trucking, keeping conversation light, stopping every once in a while to take pictures of the views. As we were getting closer to our goal I began to feel more and more confident that we would actually make it. And though it was hot, it wasn't nearly as hot as I'd expected it to be. Plus the breeze was still cool which is always a good sign. We made it to the junction where the road splits off towards Rose Valley. We took a quick break there, admiring the brand new mileage sign. 

The long miles disappeared under our feet. We kept on walkin' and walkin' and walkin'. One time we stopped so Diego and Marco could roll a small boulder off the side of the road. Wanted to see how far it would roll. They wanted to roll another but I mentioned we should save it for the way back. We were gonna need our energy for the climb.

Summit is on the left

Not long after, we made it to the base of the peak. We would first have to climb the false summit. This proved to be the most difficult part of the whole day. It's just up and up and up, with some loose rocks and no switchbacks. By the time I got to the top of this section my legs were on fire. Marco looked winded. Diego looked about done. It was there where Diego called it quits. His legs had been giving him a hard time and decided that the summit wouldn't be worth it. Marco and I continued on, topping out on the false summit and getting a good look of the last bit of the climb.

Our route

We followed the well worn and easy to follow use trail all the way to the base of the rocky part of the summit. From there it's kind of a "choose your own adventure." I decided to take a fun way that involved some minor scrambling. After the scramble its a simple boulder hop to the summit. With a hop and a skip and a jump and a slip we made it to the top in just under 5½ hours. 

Top of the scramble

The Summit. Woo Hoo!

There was a stillness at the summit, not even the gentlest of breezes. Butterflies and bumblebees and gnats were the most noticeable inhabitants. The views stretched off for miles. It was a good day, and on a good day like that Chief Peak was the place to be. Before I had climbed the Bluff and Old Man Mountain, Chief Peak was my go-to spot for impeccable views. And if you've been lucky enough to have been up there, you know what I'm talking about. The whole Ojai Valley is stretched out to the south, the ocean and the islands visible in the background. The Oxnard Plain is visible, as well as the distant Santa Monica Mountains. To the east you can see the Topa Topa Bluffs, as well as Hines Peak and Cobblestone Mountain. To the north is the Sespe Wilderness, with Thorn Point and Reyes Peak taking up much of the view as well as Piedra Blanca. As we were sitting on the summit we looked west and saw the Gridley Trail, a microscopic line etched into the side of the mountains. We still had a long way to go. After spending 18 minutes on the summit we packed up, said our goodbyes, and started our descent. 

View East

View North, into the Sespe Wilderness

View West, from whence we came

Climbing down the scramble

We found Diego napping by sandstone boulders. Asked him if he was ready to go. He was, though his legs were still sore. We took a few more pictures of the area and then began our long walk back towards the Howard Creek Junction where we would meet up with Liam. 

Ready to go

We eventually got to the spot where that boulder was waiting to be rolled. Diego and Marco picked it up, heaved it over the side of the road, and watched it tumble a good 100ft before coming to a stop. I don't know what it is, but there's just something about rolling boulders off the sides of mountains that really makes you happy. With our spirits raised, we trucked onwards, not even noticing the long miles or the increasing temperature.

To our surprise, Liam actually met us just after the junction where the road spilts off towards Rose Valley. Told us that he was feeling better and that he was gettin' real bored just sitting there. With our group finally whole, we steamrolled down the sharp grade of the ridge road all the way to back to Gridley, letting gravity do most of the work for us. 

Nordhoff Peak center right

We took a long break before heading down Gridley, laying in whatever shade we could find. It was hot now, and all of us looked as if we had jumped in a swimming pool. Though the rest of the day would be downhill, we knew that it would only get hotter the farther we went. We hadn't seen a soul since morning, which made perfect sense. Who in their right mind would be out walkin' in this stupid heat? We put on our packs, downed some Liquid IV, and trucked on down the trail, looking forward to dunking our heads in the cool water of the horse trough at Gridley Springs.

Keeping a steady pace and putting one foot in front of the other got us there sooner enough. The sun seemed angry. Seemed like it was mad at us for going on this hike. Seemed angered by the fact that its heat wasn't killin' us. Seemed angry that we were actually enjoying ourselves. And the angrier it got the hotter it became. It felt like each of us was wrapped up in a big ol' quilt walking down that trail. Nice and warm and cozy. It absolutely sucked. But I said it was relaxing just to spite the sun. Can't let the sun get you down. Can't let it get in your head. Gotta mess with it. 

The horse trough was a welcome sight. We spent a long time there, dunking our heads and enjoying the shade. We were nearly done with our day. Just had a little bit more to go. 

Back in the orchards

Those last few miles from the trough to the trailhead seemed to be especially long. No one was on the trail, even by the orchards. Near the trailhead we saw one guy on a mountain bike and that was that. We jogged the last few hundred feet, finishing the whole ordeal in 10 hours and 16 minutes. It was a long day in the sun, a day made more enjoyable by good views and good company. This route sure ain't the fastest nor easiest way up to Chief Peak, but it sure is awesome.