Although I have been spending a fair amount of time in these mountains during the last 25 years only recently have I learned about Mt. Sorenson. From the top of this peak you are rewarded with views of Lake Arrowhead, the Pinnacles to the north and the desert beyond.
There are 2 ways to access the cache site - Short Hike and Longer Hike.
Short Hike
You should plan for ½ hour to 1 hour to find the cache and enjoy the area. There is a 10 minute hike with about a 75 foot elevation gain.
Between Sky Forest and Running Springs turn north off of Rim of the World Highway (Hwy 18) at Heap’s Peak Helibase. Follow this road west towards the helibase. You will park in an open gravel area where the road bends sharply left at N34 14.179, W117 09.332. As a bonus you can drive a couple hundred feet farther to visit the actual helibase.
Once parked follow the trail west to the top of Mt. Sorenson.
Longer Hike
Plan 1 to 1-1/2 hours to get the cache and return. It is 2/3 of a mile and a 235 ft elevation gain to the top.
At the right side of the parking area for Heaps Peak Arboretum there is a gated, dirt road you can hike on. The road gets kind of weird but - if you can stick with it - it leads right to the top of Mt. Sorenson. If the helibase road is closed this makes an excellent option for accessing this cache.
At Ground Zero
At the posted coordinates you will find a monument to a past Boy Scout Executive, Arnold “Sorrie” Sorenson. Note the elevation of Mt Sorenson posted on the monument and subtract the last 3 digits from BOTH the following latitude and longitude:
N34 14.568, W117 09.703
This will take you to the cache. You need not leave the trail until you are about 40 feet from it. Wouldn’t this be a great place to watch the Lake Arrowhead fireworks from?
When placing the cache I found a curious wooden box nearby. It had a charred bottom and was locked. But, it opened easily. Inside, I found a partially melted plastic bag and a very faded photo of a dog. My 12-year old Jr Geo Kelsey came up with a theory quickly – it’s the ashes of someone’s dog laid to rest. Hmmm…maybe somebody can confirm this theory. I reclosed the box and put it back in its place.
Now that you have the cache you may be wondering where the trail you took eventually leads. If you want to make a half day of it and can arrange the car shuttle you could hike 2 miles down to FishPOET’s Lake Arrowhead Scout Camps Kash. This is an interesting adventure and may require you to use your GPSr for navigation. For further details please read my posting on that cache page. Have fun!