Hiking Club Treks to Sulphur Mountain

November 22, 2024

By Ian Sheshunoff ’26

On November 9, Hiking Club led the first of hopefully many bike trips to Sulphur Mountain in Ojai. In the days leading up to the planned departure, the nearby Mountain Fire led to fears of unsafe conditions, but after receiving a go-ahead from the Ventura County Fire Department, the expedition proceeded as planned.

The students arrived at the edge of Ojai on Saturday morning and biked six miles to the base of Sulphur Mountain. Over the nearly four hours of biking, the two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior, and a senior ascended nearly 3,000 feet! The sun was bright, but the temperature was never more than 70 degrees; a far cry from earlier in the season, in which temperatures can exceed 110 degrees in the Ojai Valley.

The group pedaled up from rolling bucolic foothills grazed by cows and horses to the steep, dry slopes near the top of the mountain. After several water breaks and snack stops, everyone made it to the campsite: an abandoned airstrip on the summit of Sulphur Mountain with cascading views in all directions. Unlike most bikepacking trips, all the overnight gear was dropped off ahead of time, as well as heavier equipment, so dinner was a feast of pizza, ice cream, and blueberry pie! On the next day, the baggage was packed up and the cyclists returned to the base of the mountain, covering 12 miles in under 40 minutes of downhill riding. The descent was exhilarating, with the landscape whipping by as the group flew down the turns that had been so exhausting the day before. The trail, known as the Ojai Rim Loop, is considered to be one of the most beautiful bike rides on the West Coast; from golden sunsets to towering cliffs and green hills covered in vineyards and olive farms, the trip was a perfect place to enjoy the outdoors while taking some time to get away from the more hectic aspects of high school life.

A special thanks to Kern Ducote for making this trip happen and to everyone who went for making it such a wonderful experience. For those who wanted to go but couldn’t, stay tuned! There will be more to come…