The first thing I noticed was the severity of the burned trees. Most of the forest on this side had burned up to about 9000'. The trail crossed a dirt road above Horse Meadows and another half mile got me to Poopout Hill. There was a camping spot there, but the low summit boulders had no markers or register. Poopout Hill was only a 5 minute diversion. From this point to Dollar Lake Saddle at 10000', the trail makes long, swooping switchbacks. The grade is gentle up to the Dry Lake cut off, then gets steeper, but never uncomfortably so. However, the combination of distance and increasing elevation make it a grind. The last mile before Dollar Lake Saddle offered phenomenal views of San Gorgonio and Charlton.
Poopout Hill summit
Gorgonio from the trail
Charlton from the trail
The crux of the hike was the east ridge of Charlton. It's 800' of steep class 1 with occasional light class 2 on nice granite. A trace of a use trail appeared and faded. The pines are sparse enough that they don't really get in the way, but I was moving slowly on the ridge above 10k. The summit area was long and broad and the trees blocked views 180 degrees to the east. There was a broken ammo box bolted to a rock with a pair of red cans inside. The register was brand new, only placed a couple of weeks earlier. After signing in, I enjoyed the sharp view of the north side of San Gorgonio and Jepson. Gorgonio was only 800' higher than Charlton, but it looked much higher due to bulk. After some photos, I started down toward Little Charlton, barely visible over the trees. When I got near the saddle between the two, it opened up and I got a good look up the rocky ridge. It was only 100' gain to the top of Little Charlton. Any of three small bumps could have been the high point. The second bump had a broken ammo box, but no register. I continued over Little Charlton to the SB Divide Trail and took that back to Dollar Lake Saddle. My final rest stop was at Horse Meadows to check out the cabins. One was locked and one looked like it was built for stable gear. This hike was right in my sweet spot at 14.9 miles and 4197' gain.
Climbing the east ridge of Charlton
Charlton summit
Approaching Little Charlton
