Modjeska Peak

At 5496 feet, Modjeska Peak is the second highest peak in the Santa Ana Mountains of southern California.  Unlike Santiago Peak (5687 feet), the summit of Modjeska is not covered with telecommunications infrastructure, which makes it a much more appealing destination.

By 5:45 on Thanksgiving morning, Zach Cyrus, Patrick Moran and I were walking up the unpaved Harding Truck Trail.  Four hours and over eleven looooong miles later, we arrived at the summit with Miguel Forjan, who had biked up in under 2.5 hours.  By 12:45 the last of us (namely, me) had returned to the parking lot at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary.

The numbers: 20+ miles (including some short-cuts), 4000+ vertical feet, 7 hours round trip.

 Sunrise

 Cliffs and trail above Santiago Canyon.

 Patrick and Zach heading up. 

 Mt. Baldy

 A car that had seen better days.

 Looking back down Harding Canyon.  The Harding Truck Trail is visible on the upper left. 

 Zach wondering when this road would ever end.  We missed a key short-cut, adding about 1.5 miles to an already very long walk. 

 Zach on the final stretch. 

(L-R) Patrick, Miguel, and Zach on top of Modjeska Peak.