Date: 19 Aug 87 22:32:48 PDT (Wednesday)
Subject: Hike change this weekend
From: "Bruce Hamilton".OsbuSouth
To: BackpackInterest.ESArea
cc: XMBCOfficers.ESArea
Reply-to: Hamilton.OsbuSouth


Correction to the XMBC calendar sent out by Mick Herod earlier today: 
Emanuel Borovsky regrets that he will be unable to lead a hike to Bear 
Canyon this Saturday.

HOWEVER, I will lead a hike this Saturday (if at least one other person 
will come) up Strawberry Peak.  PLEASE REPLY BY NOON FRIDAY if you plan to 
come.

If you have Robinson's "Trails of the Angeles", this is hike #37, Red Box 
to Strawberry Peak.  The club has done #36, Colby Canyon to Strawberry 
Peak, a couple of times already.  The #37 route is supposed to be 1000' 
less vertical climbing, so I'd like to try it.  If one person arranges to 
leave his car at Colby Canyon, it is possible to go up from Red Box and 
then down Colby Canyon, for more variety.

We'll leave the trail head at 10:30am, and we should easily be back to the 
cars by 4:30pm to go for pizza etc.  This means you should be getting on 
the freeway around 9:15, if you're coming from the South Bay.

7 miles round trip, 1500' elevation gain.
classification: moderate
topo maps: Chilao Flat and Condor Peak

summit: 6164'.  A fine view of the Mojave Desert.  If we take the steeper 
route down, there's a little bit of easy class 3 scrambling over rocks; 
otherwise it's just a nice hike up from Red Box and back.

HOW TO GET THERE: from downtown LA, take the Pasadena Freeway north a 
couple of miles, then the Golden State (5) west (left exit from the tunnel) 
a couple of miles, then the Glendale Freeway (2) north until it ends.  2 
joins the 210 east for a couple of miles, then exits and becomes the 
Angeles Crest Highway.

Drive up the Angeles Crest Highway 11 miles from La Canada to Colby Canyon, 
1 mile beyond the Clear Creek junction.  If you want to do the 
up-one-side-down-the-other and we have more than one car, we can leave one 
car here.  Other cars should continue 4 miles farther to RED BOX RANGER 
STATION.

Cross the Angeles Crest Highway and follow it northest about 50 yards to 
the beginning of the Barley Flats fire road.  Turn left (north) and proceed 
past the locked gate up the fire road.  In 1/2 mile you will come to a 
bulldozed swath leading up to the left.  Follow this old tractor-way up to 
the ridge just south of Mt. Lawlor, then pick up an obvious but unmarked 
trail that contours around the mountain, high above the Angeles Crest 
Highway, to the saddle between Lawlor and Strawberry Peak -- 2 miles from 
the start.  From the saddle, turn left (northwest) and follow a faint 
climbers' pathway up the ridge, through chaparral and oaver boulders, to 
the summit -- 800' gain in 3/4 mile.

Colby Canyon descent option: descend the abrupt west face, folowing the 
green arrows painted on the rocks, then continue down the ridge to 


Josephine Saddle and descend Colby Canyon to the Angeles Crest Highway.  
(Otherwise, return to Red Box the way you came up.)

--Bruce  333-8075 = 8*823-8075