July 3, 2026 · Vivian Creek route · the last SoCal test before Sierra season.
San Gorgonio Peak is the highest peak in Southern California, 11,503 feet up the Vivian Creek trail in the San Bernardino Mountains. I did it in July 2026 as the last SoCal box to check before the Sierra season. On paper, the biggest hike in the region. In practice, seventeen miles of unrelenting grade that I mostly wanted to be done with.
The day went. The numbers are in the grid below. Nothing broke, nothing failed, nothing lit me up either. If Whitney is the mountain that changed how I think about the sport, Gorgonio is the mountain I did because it was on the list. A fuller write-up is coming when I have more to say about it. Until then: it's done, the training miles counted, and the calendar keeps moving north.