Yesterday was going to be my San Gorgonio hike...got the call about the fire and trail closures on Thursday last week.
What I did instead of San Gorgonio yesterday was Telegraph Peak via Icehouse Canyon. Really tough hike, 13-14 miles (I was using 2 different tracking apps that had different readings), and about 4500 feet of cumulative elevation gain. From the trailhead you ascend about 3000 feet to Timber Mountain, descend about 300 feet (you've got to hike up this on the way back), then ascend another 1200 feet to Telegraph Peak (~9000 feet). More than once along the trail I thought, this is how I felt when I hiked Mt. Whitney last year! I hiked Mt San Jacinto via Humber Park a couple weeks ago and it was tame in comparison. This hike doesn't have the same altitude but for conditioning it was a good one. Anyway, just a suggestion for a San Gorgonio substitute.
