The City of Grand Terrace’s 16th Annual Hike on Blue Mountain at Honey Hill Drive and Palm Avenue was held on Saturday, March 4, 2023.
Blue Mountain has been a part of the City’s heritage since it was incorporated in 1978. This year was another success as we had 512 hikers attend with their families, friends, and beloved pets.
This is a day for the community to come together and enjoy a morning outdoors. The hike, utilizing the main trail, is 3.24 miles round-trip with an altitude of 2,394 feet and had been graded following the recent rains for safe travel. The distance and altitude markers adorned with rocks, painted by community volunteers, are staged all along the trail to help hikers track their progress as they go. At the top of the mountain this year, we had a special treat, our Mayor Bill Hussey, took a moment to say a blessing over the City of Grand Terrace.
We had many volunteer groups in attendance interacting with our hikers.
Friends of Blue Mountain provided information and sold memberships; The Foundation/Senior Legacy provided information about programs to assist high school seniors; San Bernardino County Public Health Vector Control provided information and samples regarding mosquitos; San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Search & Rescue, & San Bernardino County Fire Department passed out goodies, assisted with bringing hikers that needed help down the mountain and made sure there was no one left behind; California Health Collaborative/ San Bernardino County Tobacco Control Program passed out information regarding a Smoke-Free Grand Terrace; Grand Terrace CERT Team and Explorers assisted with passing out waters to hikers; Grand Terrace Boy Scouts made sure that everyone that attended the hike signed a waiver release form; Grand Terrace High School Students also passed out waters and assisted other booths where needed; and Grand Terrace High School Cheer Squad did a very accomplished cheer routine and made sure to cheer everyone on as they arrived to the top of the mountain with music and cheers.
Jesse Galvan, a young hiker, was one of the first to reach the top of Blue Mountain with all 10 elevation stations checked off his chart.
Pete Peterson, who has attended the hike for many years now, said, "Our 16th Annual Blue Mountain Hike was another success for the community. The only disappointment was the clouds that hung over our beautiful snow-covered mountain... I was awarded a genuine gold-colored Olympic-style trophy on a red, white, and blue ribbon and received an "I Hiked Blue Mountain" sticker. I made the hike last year and several others, but this year I ran out of breath before I ran out of the mountain trail. Our kind Grand Terrace Mayor, Bill Hussey, called for a ride for me, not with Uber but with one of the several Sheriff's quad runners that were monitoring the hiker's needs and safety. Lord willing I will be back next year because it's always too soon to quit! But I must agree, I've never been this old before!"
Brian Arias, a Grand Terrace resident, said, "The Blue Mountain Hike is a great way to bring together the community and see the beauty of the city. My family and I have been doing the hike for years, my kids are in high school and I can remember them doing the hike when they were in elementary. We look forward to the hike every year, it's one of our favorite hikes."
The City of Grand Terrace would like to thank all of our volunteers along with Julia Firnkoess, Edward Lee, and Patty Rodriguez for their endless hours in coordinating the local student volunteers. The City would especially like to thank property owners, Denis Kidd and Dr. Leonard Sigdestad, and Friends of Blue Mountain's, Flo Elliott, for assisting with organizing the event and allowing the City and its residents the opportunity to utilize their property for this event.