Hadn't had a chance to stretch my legs for a while so went high country to try and avoid the heat. Unfortunately the heat was noticeable even above 10,000 feet. I have never hiked out of Angelus Oaks as it isn't very efficient in hitting all the peaks in the area. I noticed a minor bump called Gerhardt Peak which gave me the excuse to do this hike. Angelus Oaks is very popular and seems to be the primary access point to the San B peak area. The trail begins as a no nonsense switchback climb up the main ridge. I seemed to be a bit behind the pack of day hikers but caught up to many parties on the way up. The initial climb is pretty unrelenting with a small break when you reach the top of the ridge but then you have a final small bump to get over to get to the flat section of the ridge. Much of the ridge is covered in manzanita and other thorny plants making the trail an absolute necessity. After a little over 2,000 feet elevation gain after the last bump you hit the gentle manzanita ridge section that culminates in the John's Meadow trail intersection and a spot where people camp to the right. Gerhardt Peak is now directly above you. Follow the trail all the way around the peak until you are at the high point and have passed the peak. At this point turn west and stay beneath tree cover to minimize manzanita growth for a short hop to the top of boulders that has a sign-in can from a little over ten years ago. Very few people until recently have come up here giving it an exclusive feel.
From here you get the next 2,000 feet of gain on pretty gentle but steady trail. This section other then the lowest section has little shade and unfortunately the heat was on making it unpleasant with a slight breeze to keep it from being worse then it could've been. Limber Pine camp as advertised is one of the best places to camp in SoCal with expansive views, sunset must be gorgeous from up there and a spring is less then 1/4 mile away which was flowing nicely. Finally you hit the top of the ridge and see the Washington Monument which is just a large duck with other miscellaneous junk on it. The next bump is the peak with another 200-300 feet elevation gain to the top. It seemed like most of us hikers timed our approach at similar time making a small summit peak pretty unpleasant with the quantity of people there. One group was large and more rambunctious then most making my stay up there shorter then expected. On top of that, the heat was also felt, making me less interested in staying.
The way down was hot and I started feeling a little woozy. I took for me an unusual stop at Manzanita Flats in the shade to cool down and reduce an elevated heart rate. The final section down was really hot with me getting back to the car at three and a temperature reading of 90 degrees. I don't think I would take this way again, as the views were sparse, the trail was busy, and most of the route wasn't very interesting. I think a Forsee-John's Meadow loop sounds much more interesting with the upper John's trail in great shape now.
