Ontario Peak, Falling Fir Ridge

On October 9, I climbed my first mountain in over four months (thanks primarily to injuring my back and being distracted with music).  It was great to get back to the Cucamonga Wilderness, especially with some early season snow on the ground.

 Snow on the north side of Ontario Peak

Patrick Moran and I opted for an obscure ridge on Ontario Peak -- namely, Falling Fir Ridge (which I have written about here and here).  The ridge rises over 3,000 vertical feet between Fir Draw and Falling Rock Canyon, and involves some loose class 3 scrambling.  We hiked into the aptly named Icehouse Canyon at around 6:30 AM and were on the summit of Peak 8688 (a subsidiary peak of Ontario Peak) before 10:00.  We then enjoyed a leisurely stroll down the trail. 

 Patrick on Falling Fir Ridge, with Sugarloaf Peak in the background.  Note the shady character in the foreground.

 Patrick on the summit of Peak 8688 with Baldy Bowl in the background.  Patrick's fancy digital camera is somewhere near the bottom of the bowl. 

Me on the summit of Peak 8688, with the true summit of Ontario Peak in the background.  Patrick took this photo on my camera, because his camera is somewhere near the bottom of Baldy Bowl.

Patrick cooling off.

A trail-side attraction in Icehouse Canyon