Return To Frankish Peak Mother's Day Challenge

It's dry. It's drab. It's lowly. The trail is indistinct, overgrown with vegetation and leg-scratching brush. Plus, the majority of the trail is sketchy and very steep. And the peak itself is unremarkable and littered with broken beer bottles. But if you're up for the challenge and don't mind good company, what better way to celebrate Mother's Day than this rigorous mother of all short hikes?

Don't wear shorts like we did on our exploratory hike. If you do, your legs will get scratched up like ours did. Just wear long hiking pants and you'll be fine.

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At just 4201 feet in elevation, Frankish Peak sits humbly and almost completely hidden in the shadows of the massive Ontario Peak which looms to the north. The trail is extremely steep in portions with loose soil, rocks, boulders, dubious footing and lots of overgrown vegetation and weeds are that are sure to scratch your legs and arms if you come unprepared. You may slip, you may fall. Especially on the way back down. Expect it.

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That said, Frankish Peak is an excellent conditioning hike about 4.8 miles round trip with 1995 feet of elevation gain. Because the trail is anything but obvious, we are almost certain to wander off trail and even make a couple wrong turns. We'll likely have to refer to the hike description along the way to be sure we're on track.

Don't sign up for this one unless you are prepared to stay with the group or find your way back should you get separated. Expect this hike to take 4.5 to 5.5 hours depending on the group.

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WHAT TO BRING: Bring good trail shoes or hiking boots with lots of grip, full-length hiking pants, at least 3 liters of water, an energy snack or light lunch, trekking poles if you use them, gloves if desired and anything else you may need.

NO PLUS ONES: As with most Lazy Ass Hiking events, this is a No Plus Ones event. That means that you can't bring a friend or guest unless they are members of Lazy Ass Hiking and have RSVP'd for the hike.

WHERE TO MEET: The "trailhead" is actually just a dirt turnout on Mountain Ave east of Mt Baldy Road across from the San Antonio Dam. The 2798 N Mountain Ave address is an approximate address. The approximate GPS is: 34.158137, -117.669851.

ADDITIONAL INFO: For a slightly more detailed account of this hike, including a photo of the parking area and trailhead, check out my blog post at:

http://www.lazyasshiker.com/frankish-peak-hike/

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WAIVER OF LIABILITY AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK

By joining and/or participating in this and any Lazy Ass Hiking event or activity you agree to be fully responsible for your own safety and behavior and to hold the organizers and participants harmless from any loss, damage or liability that may occur during this event or while in transit to and from the event. You are responsible to know your limits and determine whether you are in adequate physical shape to complete the hike or not. In addition, you understand and accept that hiking is an inherently dangerous activity that can lead to serious injury or death and that the organizers are not professional hikers or trained leaders and are not medically trained to handle emergencies.