It’s 7 a.m. on a Saturday morning when I meet up with my friend Paul Cronshaw at the Tunnel trailhead in upper Mission Canyon. We’re planning a hike—or what might be better described as a scramble—to the top of the most prominent ridgeline overlooking Santa Barbara, an almost flat mountaintop known as Arlington Peak.
We’re greeted at the trailhead by a thick-as-pea-soup fog and much cooler temperatures than expected. Not exactly the best of weather conditions. Worst of all, who knows what the views will be like when we reach the top?
We both look up at the surrounding hillsides, watching them fade into the white mist within a hundred yards. Paul smiles and turns to head up the mile-long asphalt road leading to the trailhead. If he’s game, so am I, and I quickly catch up.
Paul is what is known as a “lite hiker” and he and our late friend Rick Christensen were both early ambassadors for ‘going lite’ on the trail, whether a dayhike or backpacking trip. Paul and I have logged countless trips into the local frontcountry and backcountry and he has an expert knack for monitoring trail conditions throughout all of the Los Padres Forest.
Roughly translated, this means Paul is in way better shape that I’ll ever be in and I know I’ll need to push myself to keep up. Luckily, I have a secret tactic whenever my legs begin to give out: I’m the camera guy and it turns out Paul doesn’t mind stopping whenever I call out, “picture time!”
Even so, the fog threatens to throw a wrench in my secret plan; it’s hardly worth stopping for pictures of our hazy human silhouettes in the gloom.
We follow the Inspiration Point Trail for several hundred yards, rock hop up the creek, then head up a steep route through the chaparral to the foot of the Arlington ridgeline.
Picture time
At exactly the right time, the fog begins to clear and within minutes we can see almost all the way up to the top of the ridge. From this point on, we set a pace that is perfect for me: scramble up the rock for a few minutes, have Paul stop for picture time, then repeat all the way to the top.
Slowly we work our way in and out of the rocks — or rather, enormous boulders — with some requiring us to worm our way though in places where their slabs have split apart.
Just when I thought Paul might disappear into a particular rock face, he decided to look for a route around. A few minutes later he yells that he’s found an amazing spot to stop for a break. He’s right. We may be out of the fog but Santa Barbara isn’t!
I have Paul scramble up to a precarious spot overlooking the marine layer below. “Get the picture!” he says quietly. I do and we climb back down to avoid pushing our luck.
(Photo by Ray Ford)
We’re soon back to scrambling and before we know it, we’re at the top, perched on a 15×15 foot flattop with a smaller slab of rock nearby adorned with names of others who’ve made the trek.
The view is spectacular in both directions—especially off to the west—where Broadcast and Santa Ynez Peaks are located. Though they are not the tallest peaks in the Santa Ynez range, they are at the heart of its 50-mile extent . The honor of tallest peak in the range goes to Divide Peak, much further to the east near the Santa Barbara/Ventura County lines.
Collecting peaks
The urge for many once they’ve reached the top of Arlington Peak is to take in the views, snap a few photos for Instagram or Facebook and then head back down. They’ve bagged another peak and it’s time to move on.
But nearby is another peak that is worthy of one’s time. It’s known as Cathedral Peak, though it displays most prominently from the Goleta side of the valley and thus can’t be seen on the climb up to Arlington.
The route to it is along the top of the narrow ridgeline leading east in the direction of La Cumbre Peak. I’m told that Cathedral Peak can be climbed though I haven’t tried. It is pretty neat to lean over the top and look down its 300 foot length.
If you are up to the challenge of climbing down the mountainside, there is a little-known surprise near the bottom. Tucked away is a cave that a former News-Press historian, the famed Dick Smith, claimed was an old “bandit’s lair” supposedly used as a hideout when things in town would get too hot. It’s a very unique cave formation. Those who have been, know what I mean.
Paul and I each find a quiet place to hang out a bit longer before heading back down. The day has turned out beautiful despite the fog below. We silently share in the satisfaction of having accomplished something nourishing for both our body and soul.
As we descend Paul gradually leaves me behind as my creaky knees protest all the way down. Both of my knees are titanium and while the climb up is tough, it’s the descent that can be especially arduous. But that, also, is a part of both the challenge and the journey of the hike.
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The hike to the top of Arlington Peak is one of the more challenging routes in the Santa Barbara frontcountry. Should you choose to head up there use caution at all times and be well prepared (proper clothing, food and water, and especially footwear) to ensure your hike goes well. Having a fully charged phone with you is essential.
