Trip report
May 25, 2019 — This loop felt like I good way to bag a bunch of the peaks I'd neglected in the San Gabriel Mountains' high peaks. Years ago, I hiked Cucamonga Peak, and last year I did Sugarloaf Peak, but I thought linking them together would serve as a nice long ridge traverse. This route hits Etiwanda Peak, Cucamonga Peak, Bighorn Peak, Ontario Peak, and Sugarloaf Peak. I later found out locals call this traverse ECBOS ("eckbose"). I thought I was unique in doing this route, but I guess that was a dumb presumption due to the popularity of the area.
Starting from the Ice House Canyon Trailhead, I followed the trail through lovely spring morning light and along the heavily flowing creek. I briefly debated heading up Falling Rock Canyon, but after remembering how steep and unpleasant it was the last time I headed thay way, I chose to make that my descent route. Instead, I continued to Ice House Saddle, where a million people were eating lunch, the crowd exacerabated by it being Memorial Day Weekend. I was feeling incredibly good, and I'm not sure why, but when I have days like this where my body is cooperating, the weather is nice, and I'm excited for all the things, it's best not to question it and keep pushing hard. Rather than take what seemed to be the mandatory rest at the saddle, I jogged on to the saddle north of Cucamonga Peak, then bolted up the switchbacks to the summit. Instead of lingering on Cucamonga, where people were blasting music and throwing up from exhaustion, I continued along the well-traveled social trail to Etiwanda Peak, where I could enjoy lunch in peace. I don't remember it being this crowded, but again it could just be Memorial Day Weekend's fault.
From Etiwanda Peak, I headed back over to Cucamonga, and then back down the switchbacks to the saddle between Cucamonga and Bighorn Peak. The going got a bit steeper now that there wasn't an official trail slowly switchbacking up to Bighorn Peak. It was interesting to look back and see the switchbacks up Cucamonga. The views from the summit were incredible. I never had seen Mt. Baldy from this angle, and certainly not with snow on it.
I continued west along the ridge from Bighorn Peak on a really nice social trail, all the way to Ontario Peak. I really enjoyed this ridgeline. Fog started rolling in while I was on the summit, and I didn't want to lose visiblity on my descent ridge, so I located the ridge that would take me down to Sugarloaf Peak. It went at Class 2, and would have absolutely been more work had I come up this way (reversing my loop). I was happy to have ascended the way I did, the trail ascent a pleasant change from my steep slope routes I've been doing all year. The ridge led down to the saddle southeast of Sugarloaf Peak, where I headed up to bag my last peak before heading down the steep and loose Falling Rock Canyon. There were a couple of Class 2+ moves toward the bottom to get down a waterfall, and then I crossed the creek and rejoined the Ice House Canyon Trail.