katelyn.condra - Aug 8, 2022 6:18 pm Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2022
Ventana adventure completed
We did this as a two day trek staying at Pat Springs overnight. Thankfully there was cold, flowing water at the springs which saved us. I think I drank 6 L our first day which was about 25 slow miles. The trail is very overgrown, there is limited shade, and we choose to go in the middle of summer-- not sure Id do that again, but we were the only ones on the trail and the summit was so worth it!
Id not go without a sun hoody, hat, trekking poles, pants, & gaiters. The prickly plants are unreal.
colingregory - Feb 28, 2022 8:07 am Date Climbed: Feb 26, 2022
Backpack
This one meant a lot! After a failed attempt from The Drain last October I felt like I might never summit VDC, this route is usually the worst whack around, all but impassable. We heard positive trip reports and had to go check for ourselves, unbelievably it’s a wilderness highway from The Hoist to the summit. We hiked through tons of snow but none of it an issue, we followed a lion’s prints for the final mile to the top, we celebrated a double snow cone summit with snow cones. It was a special moment for me on a spectacular Ventana day with 6 friends. I doubt this summit has had many days with that many visitors, hopefully that’s changing. If you ever wanted VDC, its guard is down and now is the time to go. Bring some tools and help keep the trail alive. We also bagged 2 unnamed peaks, North Double Cone Peak, Uncle Sam (bleh), and I snuck away at the end for Little Pines.
Thanks to all the locals who have spent 100s of hours returning this trail to its original glory. Also to Bob, Leor and many others for inspiration to make the trip!
colinr - Mar 16, 2016 3:18 pm Date Climbed: Mar 12, 2016
Stormy
Started up from Bottcher's Gap after 7 on a mostly cloudy morning after substantial overnight rain. Got wet in the tunnels of brush beyond Lone Pine Camp, but made it to the summit with Mason in 5.5 hours. We bushwhacked a few minor summits on the way back, returning through cold wind and slushy rain at dusk. I'd like to return on a day with views less obscured to tackle a bigger adventure involving more peaks.
Strazmataz - Oct 19, 2014 1:34 pm Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
Loved It
2 night trip from Botchers Gap. Lot's of fun~!
gordonye - Jan 22, 2013 3:35 am Date Climbed: Jan 20, 2013
Bushwacking hell
Overnight trip from Bottcher's Gap with Mike C. Miles of bushwacking after Pat Spring, especially between Puerto Suello Jct and Lone Pine camp, and around Little Pines camp, where one must walk/swim/crawl on hands and knees straight into walls of shrubbery.
soslaw - Oct 17, 2012 5:19 pm Date Climbed: Oct 13, 2012
Puerto Suello Trail
A long day rewarded with stunning 360 degree views of the Ventana Wilderness in the soft Autumn light.
mrchad9 - Mar 5, 2012 12:21 am Date Climbed: Mar 4, 2012
Bottcher's Gap
Great, clear weather and super views as an overnight on the route from Bottcher's Gap. A little brushy at times but no so bad as the camp host made it out to be. With a bit more water on the route it'd be a great destination.
biz - Jul 29, 2010 2:20 pm Date Climbed: Oct 5, 2004
2x
The first solo in October. The 2nd in a day from Bottcher's Gap with Pat. Took a nap on the summit and awoke to a rattlesnake slithering under my back. Yikes!
rhyang - May 9, 2010 7:03 pm Date Climbed: May 8, 2010
From Pat Spring
Started early from Pat Spring, tagged summit, then headed down to try Kandlbinder (4653') .. a lot of brush burned off in the fires of '08, but not quite enough :) Got to the window and decided to turn back. Talus, loose rock, sand, brush .. long day .. about 12.5 hours.
Next time maybe I'll try Kandlbinder via the north slope from the Little Sur drainage.
--
Date climbed: 3-May-2008
Third time for me: started from Bottcher's Gap, tagged Mt. Carmel, spent the night at Pat Spring, then did the 15 mile hike to the VDC and back. Hiked out the next morning.
Very scratchy brush to push through south of Puerto Suello, but then it's always been that way when I've done it. Beautiful weather and wildflowers.
--
Also did it in May 2001, and again in 2003 (hiked up the Big Pines trail from the dam that year - loads of poison oak).
We hiked to the top as part of a 3 day backpacking trip.
peterh - Jun 14, 2009 10:17 pm Date Climbed: Jun 13, 2009
Dayhike from Bottcher's Gap
Day hike from Bottcher's gap with a group of four friends. Departed 6:15am, reached the peak at around 2pm, and arrived back at Bottcher's Gap at around 10:25pm. The campground host seems pretty keen to warn people off dayhiking this peak, but we made it anyway :-)
The trail is pretty vague, due both to the fires and the regrowth after the fires --- I think we lost and regained the trail 4 times over the hike. This is no longer the highway of a trail it was a few years ago. The bushwhacking is also much worse than I remember from my last trip (2006?), although somewhat mitigated by the fact that a lot of the brush is now dead.
I left Bottcher’s Gap on Monday morning the 14th of April and had a nice hike to Pat’s Spring; clear views, clear trail and few ticks. I spent a windy night on the ridge there. Had some snow mixed with light hail. Tuesday morning, I set out for the Double Cone. The hike was great until I reached Puerto Suello trail junction. After that, eventhough I stuck to the Ventana trail, it was 3 miles of bushwhacking. I was crawling on my hands and knees through some parts due to the overgrowth. It added an hour or so to the hike. The summit was clear with great views in all directions. I spent the night there. I hiked back to Bottcher's Gap on Wednesday the 16th.
Solo dayhike. Great trail up Jackson Creek to about 3K ft marked with red, orange and yellow tags. I bush-wacked to about 3,250 ft. Brush suddenly becomes very bad. Moved up & over to left side and climbed (class 3) up to about 3,500. Granite is bad, I think there's a fault line in that area. Scree fields are also very unstable. There may be an easier route, I didn't have time to explore any further and turned back.
panweilin - Oct 25, 2007 2:12 pm Date Climbed: Nov 18, 2006
Start from Bottchers Gap
On the way back, spotted a few Leonid meteors at the top of Devils Peak.
Hiked up the Carmel from Los Padres. Camped at Hiding Canyon. In the morning up the Puerto Suello to the summit then back to the truck at Los Padres Dam via the Big Pines Trail. Couldn't find the Pat Springs water source and thus had a long hot and dry hike from the summit to Los Padres Reservoir.
Strazzman - Mar 25, 2007 6:22 am Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
With Adam
Did the same thing as QuailBS. First time out in the Ventana, and I plan on going back. It is really pretty country back there.
metasyn11 - Mar 23, 2007 4:37 pm Date Climbed: Mar 22, 2007
Ventana Trail from Bottchers Gap
Camped at Pat Springs, then dayhiked VDC. Gorgeous, clear day.. I got to the summit early (~10:30a), so I decided to take a whack at the window, the deep notch about 2/3 of the way to Kandlbinder west along the ridge. The brush proved far too dense, however, and I was soon rebuffed. Then a long, tiresome hike all the way back to Bottchers Gap.
QuailBS - Mar 17, 2007 5:01 pm Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
Bottchers to the Double cone
Spent 2 nights to and from the Double Cone.
Camped at Pat Spring and Little Pines.
Very beautiful trip.
Stay tuned for a trip report.
redtroll - Nov 3, 2006 3:09 am Date Climbed: Oct 29, 2006
Bottchers via Pat Spring
Beautiful day, unlike last time. Litterally had to swim through the manzanita on the way up.
redtroll - Jun 28, 2006 3:48 am Date Climbed: Dec 17, 2005
WET!!!
12/16- Did a night hike in to Pat Spring
12/17- Summited
12/18- Hiked out from Pat Sping
It was foggy as we hiked in to Pat Spring
At the summit, it started raining. It rained all night and the whole day on the way out, and boy it was windy and cold.
katelyn.condra - Aug 8, 2022 6:18 pm Date Climbed: Jul 25, 2022
Ventana adventure completedWe did this as a two day trek staying at Pat Springs overnight. Thankfully there was cold, flowing water at the springs which saved us. I think I drank 6 L our first day which was about 25 slow miles. The trail is very overgrown, there is limited shade, and we choose to go in the middle of summer-- not sure Id do that again, but we were the only ones on the trail and the summit was so worth it!
Id not go without a sun hoody, hat, trekking poles, pants, & gaiters. The prickly plants are unreal.
colingregory - Feb 28, 2022 8:07 am Date Climbed: Feb 26, 2022
BackpackThis one meant a lot! After a failed attempt from The Drain last October I felt like I might never summit VDC, this route is usually the worst whack around, all but impassable. We heard positive trip reports and had to go check for ourselves, unbelievably it’s a wilderness highway from The Hoist to the summit. We hiked through tons of snow but none of it an issue, we followed a lion’s prints for the final mile to the top, we celebrated a double snow cone summit with snow cones. It was a special moment for me on a spectacular Ventana day with 6 friends. I doubt this summit has had many days with that many visitors, hopefully that’s changing. If you ever wanted VDC, its guard is down and now is the time to go. Bring some tools and help keep the trail alive. We also bagged 2 unnamed peaks, North Double Cone Peak, Uncle Sam (bleh), and I snuck away at the end for Little Pines.
Thanks to all the locals who have spent 100s of hours returning this trail to its original glory. Also to Bob, Leor and many others for inspiration to make the trip!
colinr - Mar 16, 2016 3:18 pm Date Climbed: Mar 12, 2016
StormyStarted up from Bottcher's Gap after 7 on a mostly cloudy morning after substantial overnight rain. Got wet in the tunnels of brush beyond Lone Pine Camp, but made it to the summit with Mason in 5.5 hours. We bushwhacked a few minor summits on the way back, returning through cold wind and slushy rain at dusk. I'd like to return on a day with views less obscured to tackle a bigger adventure involving more peaks.
Strazmataz - Oct 19, 2014 1:34 pm Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
Loved It2 night trip from Botchers Gap. Lot's of fun~!
gordonye - Jan 22, 2013 3:35 am Date Climbed: Jan 20, 2013
Bushwacking hellOvernight trip from Bottcher's Gap with Mike C. Miles of bushwacking after Pat Spring, especially between Puerto Suello Jct and Lone Pine camp, and around Little Pines camp, where one must walk/swim/crawl on hands and knees straight into walls of shrubbery.
soslaw - Oct 17, 2012 5:19 pm Date Climbed: Oct 13, 2012
Puerto Suello TrailA long day rewarded with stunning 360 degree views of the Ventana Wilderness in the soft Autumn light.
mrchad9 - Mar 5, 2012 12:21 am Date Climbed: Mar 4, 2012
Bottcher's GapGreat, clear weather and super views as an overnight on the route from Bottcher's Gap. A little brushy at times but no so bad as the camp host made it out to be. With a bit more water on the route it'd be a great destination.
biz - Jul 29, 2010 2:20 pm Date Climbed: Oct 5, 2004
2xThe first solo in October. The 2nd in a day from Bottcher's Gap with Pat. Took a nap on the summit and awoke to a rattlesnake slithering under my back. Yikes!
rhyang - May 9, 2010 7:03 pm Date Climbed: May 8, 2010
From Pat SpringStarted early from Pat Spring, tagged summit, then headed down to try Kandlbinder (4653') .. a lot of brush burned off in the fires of '08, but not quite enough :) Got to the window and decided to turn back. Talus, loose rock, sand, brush .. long day .. about 12.5 hours.
Next time maybe I'll try Kandlbinder via the north slope from the Little Sur drainage.
--
Date climbed: 3-May-2008
Third time for me: started from Bottcher's Gap, tagged Mt. Carmel, spent the night at Pat Spring, then did the 15 mile hike to the VDC and back. Hiked out the next morning.
Very scratchy brush to push through south of Puerto Suello, but then it's always been that way when I've done it. Beautiful weather and wildflowers.
--
Also did it in May 2001, and again in 2003 (hiked up the Big Pines trail from the dam that year - loads of poison oak).
SkyPilot84 - Dec 10, 2009 7:58 pm
From Bottcher's GapWe hiked to the top as part of a 3 day backpacking trip.
peterh - Jun 14, 2009 10:17 pm Date Climbed: Jun 13, 2009
Dayhike from Bottcher's GapDay hike from Bottcher's gap with a group of four friends. Departed 6:15am, reached the peak at around 2pm, and arrived back at Bottcher's Gap at around 10:25pm. The campground host seems pretty keen to warn people off dayhiking this peak, but we made it anyway :-)
The trail is pretty vague, due both to the fires and the regrowth after the fires --- I think we lost and regained the trail 4 times over the hike. This is no longer the highway of a trail it was a few years ago. The bushwhacking is also much worse than I remember from my last trip (2006?), although somewhat mitigated by the fact that a lot of the brush is now dead.
Kaiyabear - Apr 17, 2008 12:22 pm Date Climbed: Apr 15, 2008
Bushwhacking to Ventana Double ConeI left Bottcher’s Gap on Monday morning the 14th of April and had a nice hike to Pat’s Spring; clear views, clear trail and few ticks. I spent a windy night on the ridge there. Had some snow mixed with light hail. Tuesday morning, I set out for the Double Cone. The hike was great until I reached Puerto Suello trail junction. After that, eventhough I stuck to the Ventana trail, it was 3 miles of bushwhacking. I was crawling on my hands and knees through some parts due to the overgrowth. It added an hour or so to the hike. The summit was clear with great views in all directions. I spent the night there. I hiked back to Bottcher's Gap on Wednesday the 16th.
SillyUncleKarl - Apr 7, 2008 2:35 pm Date Climbed: Apr 6, 2008
Bottchers/Little sur/JacksonCrSolo dayhike. Great trail up Jackson Creek to about 3K ft marked with red, orange and yellow tags. I bush-wacked to about 3,250 ft. Brush suddenly becomes very bad. Moved up & over to left side and climbed (class 3) up to about 3,500. Granite is bad, I think there's a fault line in that area. Scree fields are also very unstable. There may be an easier route, I didn't have time to explore any further and turned back.
panweilin - Oct 25, 2007 2:12 pm Date Climbed: Nov 18, 2006
Start from Bottchers GapOn the way back, spotted a few Leonid meteors at the top of Devils Peak.
edevart - Sep 4, 2007 6:13 pm
Los Padres LoopHiked up the Carmel from Los Padres. Camped at Hiding Canyon. In the morning up the Puerto Suello to the summit then back to the truck at Los Padres Dam via the Big Pines Trail. Couldn't find the Pat Springs water source and thus had a long hot and dry hike from the summit to Los Padres Reservoir.
Strazzman - Mar 25, 2007 6:22 am Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
With AdamDid the same thing as QuailBS. First time out in the Ventana, and I plan on going back. It is really pretty country back there.
metasyn11 - Mar 23, 2007 4:37 pm Date Climbed: Mar 22, 2007
Ventana Trail from Bottchers GapCamped at Pat Springs, then dayhiked VDC. Gorgeous, clear day.. I got to the summit early (~10:30a), so I decided to take a whack at the window, the deep notch about 2/3 of the way to Kandlbinder west along the ridge. The brush proved far too dense, however, and I was soon rebuffed. Then a long, tiresome hike all the way back to Bottchers Gap.
QuailBS - Mar 17, 2007 5:01 pm Date Climbed: Mar 15, 2007
Bottchers to the Double coneSpent 2 nights to and from the Double Cone.
Camped at Pat Spring and Little Pines.
Very beautiful trip.
Stay tuned for a trip report.
redtroll - Nov 3, 2006 3:09 am Date Climbed: Oct 29, 2006
Bottchers via Pat SpringBeautiful day, unlike last time. Litterally had to swim through the manzanita on the way up.
redtroll - Jun 28, 2006 3:48 am Date Climbed: Dec 17, 2005
WET!!!12/16- Did a night hike in to Pat Spring
12/17- Summited
12/18- Hiked out from Pat Sping
It was foggy as we hiked in to Pat Spring
At the summit, it started raining. It rained all night and the whole day on the way out, and boy it was windy and cold.