This blog will detail 1,000 video hikes in Southern California. By Southern California, I am drawing a line from San Luis Obispo to the Nevada Border. Anything south of that line will be declared "Southern California". In a way, it is a personal challenge to do so many hikes. Mainly, however, it is my way of showcasing how many hiking opportunities there really are right in our own geographic back yard. As a blog, it serves as a companion piece to my Youtube channel "Mike On The Trail". It is also a work in progress, as I don't actually have 1,000 edited videos completed. This will take effort for quite some time before it is declared done. Even then, there will still be more out there. Here's to hiking and all the positive effects it has had on my life...and possibly yours!
Summary Whitewater Preserve sits in an usual and generally unstable location in the San Bernardino Mountain foothills. It is unstable, since the area sits within the Whitewater drainage zone. If water flows heavily through the canyon, then the road gets closed and so do the hiking trails. Otherwise, the landscape is rather dry and desert like, as it is also in the desert transition zone. From the parking lot, I made a left next to the parking lot entrance, where the signed trail begins. It starts out on a maintained pathway before crossing through the rocky river channel. Once across the channel, the trail connects with the Pacific Crest Trail and stays on the left side of the river channel.
Approaching Forks Benchmark on the PCT.
At about 2.5 miles in, the trail reaches cliffsides adjacent to Red Dome. Red Dome is nothing more than a giant red boulder sitting in the river channel. It is worth a visit, with an easy scramble to its top. I concentrated more on the cliff wall, where a use trail goes up its side. Once on top of the cliffs, a use trail continues to a higher point. Some minor bushwhacking brought me to the summit of Forks Benchmark. I found the benchmark and took in the views. Looking up the ridge, I could see a somewhat direct route further up the ridge to Nob Benchmark about 1.5 miles away. I didn't come out there expecting to climb Nob Benchmark, so I made sure to take note of it for a future hike.
On the summit of Forks Benchmark.
I returned back to the trail after visiting Forks Benchmark and returned to the parking lot to complete a quick visit. The weather was perfect, but I felt a little disappointed by not continuing to Nob Benchmark. However, I was a little pressed for time. I will definitely be back someday to extend the hike further next time, and also wipe away a little bit of the "hiker's guilt" that I inadvertently created for myself on the visit.
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