Devil's Chair

Hiked: January 15, 2007

It was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and BF had the day off, so we decided to go hiking. The night before, we called up Danger Mouse (you may remember him from Switzer Falls) and decided we'd actually get up in the A.M. and drive somewhere more than 20 minutes away for the hike. Heavens!

FAST FACTS:

• Length: 7.4 miles
• Elevation gain/loss: 1000'
• Location: Near Pearblossom, CA
• Type of Hike: Out and back.

We decided on heading out to Devil's Punchbowl up in the desert east of Lancaster and Palmdale. Our goal was to leave by 10. We got on the road by 11—not bad by our standards. I chose to take I-5 to the Pearblossom Highway instead of taking the winding mountain roads through the San Gabriels. Though it added about 15 miles to the drive, we got to the trailhead in less than an hour thanks to clear highways (a rare sight in L.A.) and my lead foot.

While we were plodding down the Pearblossom Highway we saw a sign that seemed out of place. It proclaimed, "Hungarian meats and sausage - 2 miles ahead." We were in the middle of the California desert, and there was Eastern European meat to be had? My father is Hungarian and I've inherited his love for csirke paprikas and kolbasz. We just had to stop.

As it turns out, Valley Hungarian Sausage & Meat Co. is a happening place. Though it's in the remote town of Littlerock, California, it seems to be the place to get cold cuts. We waited in line to buy some sausage and salami, and I also scored a big can of chesnut puree.

Before I went completely insane buying sausage, BF and Danger Mouse lured me out of the shop and we were back on the road. It was a quick jaunt to the entrance of the park, which was happily devoid of people despite it being a holiday. We checked out the little displays describing the geology of Devil's Punchbowl and marvelled at some caged owls (one had recently decapitated a rat, which was laying, splayed, on the bottom of the cage). Then we got hiking.

The hike to Devil's Chair is out-and-back. After a moderate initial climb, the hike lolls up and down, staying mostly even until the very end. To get to the Devil's Chair, you have to descend a few hundred feet. This makes the very middle of the hike the most strenuous part. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The first thing that takes your breath away are these massive stone formations:



Pictures don't do them justice, as they're over 100 feet tall.

As you ascend the hill, you get a good view of the desert behind you:



As you keep walking, you pass by a small stream (I suppose it's bigger during other seasons). The first thing we noticed about this stream was that it was covered in ice:



We knew it'd be cold, but we didn't realize we were hiking on one of the coldest days on record in Southern California. The night before the hike, I had added earflaps to my knit hat. At the time, I was wondering if I was being ridiculous, but after a mile of hiking in the frigid conditions, I was the only one whose ears were toasty warm. Luckily, I had packed some extra mittens, a scarf, and a big knit hat for the boys. Here's Danger Mouse sporting my lovely entrelac scarf under his baseball hat:



And here's BF doing his part to help out mother nature (notice the lovely orange mittens):



On the way, you get to see some cool rocks:



But nothing compares to the view from the actual Devil's Chair. After descending a long batch of switchbacks, you end up here:





BF took some pictures and I put together two panoramas of the view from the Devil's Chair. They give you a better perspective on the coolness of the place. Here's panorama one and here's panorama two.

We headed back up the switchbacks eager to get out of the shade and into a warm car. Danger Mouse's fingers were just about frozen and I was unable to feel my legs under my jeans. Back at the stream, BF and I noticed a lot more ice that was camera-ready. (It wasn't until we got back that it started to look Georgia O'Keefe-esque.)



All three of us were pleasantly surprised by this hike. The geological formations were amazing, and it was only an hour outside of L.A. but had a completely different feel. Definitely worth the trip (and the cold).