Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Bikepacking in Henry Coe State Park / Day 4: Hike from Paradise Lake up Rooster Comb Trail and Orestimba Creek Road to Robison Creek and back 44
A very hot afternoon, over 100 degrees. My original plan is to hike up Robison Mountain, but by the time I realize that I've missed the trail, I'm getting low on water and tired from the heat. So I skip the extra hill hike. 14.3 hiking miles.
Drinking hot morning coffee in the hot morning tent
No backcountry trip is complete without a photo or two of a morning cat hole
Morning in the hot sun at Paradise Lake, Henry Coe State Park
My first stop is the dam at Paradise Lake to pump some water
I walk up the short steep road from Paradise Lake
I walk a mile down Red Creek Road through the vinegar weed to Orestimba Creek Road, backtracking yesterday's route
At Orestimba Creek Road, I begin the hike toward the Rooster Comb, the grey, rocky mass on top of the distant hill to the right
After 0.6 mile, I reach the Rooster Comb Trail and I've already drank 1.5 litres of water
Rooster Comb Trail rises slowly up grasslands with occasional oaks
A little further, Rooster Comb Trail passes below the Rooster Comb itself (the rocky ridge)
View from Rooster Comb Trail of the privately owned ranch down below and the Orestimba Creek Road passing through it
Rooster Comb Trail rides a ledge through a bit of chamise and a few oaks
The narrow trail ducks into a woodsy area
A few hollyleaf cherry bushes live along this part of Rooster Comb Trail
I pass a marker indicating that the trail continues straightahead (which seems obvious to me)
Rooster Comb Trail meanders through another open area and crosses a small dry creek
I walk through another area of small oaks that doesn't offer as much shade as one might expect
The Rooster Comb Trail comes to an end as it dips down to rejoin Orestimba Creek Road beyond the non-Park private property
Hiking a segment of Orestimba Creek Road that I've never been on before, everything feels familiar again
A number of ceanothus bushes dot the flat landscape just north of the private ranch
A couple more ceanothus bushes in the same area along Orestimba Creek Road, Henry Coe State Park
Oh look, another balloon!
Orestimba Creek Road rises a bit above the canyon, which becomes rather narrow after a while
The steep road ahead doesn't look right, so I take a long break on a big rock near here and get out my map
I begin backtracking and look for Murphy Trail along the way, an alternate route up to Robison Mountain
For safety reasons, I give up on the idea of hiking up Robison Mountain and continue backtracking along Orestimba Creek Road
I start back up the Rooster Comb Trail to the right to avoid the private property on Orestimba Creek Road ahead
Just before entering this wooded area, I make a note of where it seems the Robison Mountain Trail should be
A downed pine tree lays across a switchback on the Rooster Comb Trail
I reach the Rooster Comb Summit Trail and decide to walk up it a quarter mile
A quarter mile climb up a little hill
From here, I can clearly see the trail up the Robison Mountain ridge line whose beginning I didn't see down below
I stop at the first summit on the trail and take in the views of the ranch below and the quiet hills
I'm overheating, so I take a break in some shade and enjoy the breeze up on this hill
After my break, I drop back down to the Rooster Comb Trail, the sign for which is the white post at the centre-right
I experience more great views on the return trip down Rooster Comb Trail to Orestimba Creek
Back on Orestimba Creek Road, I take a moment to explore the fenced entrance to the privately owned ranch
The gravel of dry-in-summer Orestimba Creek radiates heat on a 100-degree day like concrete does in a big city
While walking the mile up Red Creek toward Paradise Lake, it occurs to me that something here has changed since last year...
Arriving back at Paradise Lake, a pretty sight, home again for the night
The tent is intact; I always wonder how many curious animals visit it during my absence
I peel the outer layer off the tent to expose as much screen as possible and take a break inside away from the flies
Upon hearing some noises outside, I discover a lone wild pig moseying around the Paradise Lake dam
I'm boiling water for my backpacking meal tonight at dusk; usually I wait until after dark for some unknown reason