Mt Wilson #10/18

cheriej2042
cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been waiting to hike Mt Wilson for what seems like years. The standard route has a road that is constantly washed out then we had the fires which closed that route until 2022. I found this other route which is longer at 14.45 miles; 5600 elevation to the 5710 summit. Located in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Los Angeles area.

Mt. Wilson is named for Benjamin Davis Wilson grandfather of George S. Patton. Searching for better wood for his wine casks, he followed an established Indian route and the trail is now named after him. The mountain can be seen with numerous antenna where many TV and radio stations transmit. It’s also known for the Mount Wilson Solar Observatory and has been visited by Edwin Hubble and George Hale.

The trail was well defined and was a steady climb up above the city of Los Angeles.
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There were many shaded forest parts and some boulders to climb around too
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The trail became steep at mile 4 to 5 but then you could see the summit
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Once I got to the summit I was stunned to see I was the only person there. It was surreal to walk around and not see a single person. Everything is closed due to Covid and I wish I could have tried the food at the Cosmic Cafe. I could see the telescopes from the fence area.

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It got a little dusty at the last 3 miles and was much warmer than when I started. But what a great trail. This mountain is one of the top 6 peaks people like to hike here. Glad I got to enjoy it without the crowds.

Replies

  • L1zardQueen
    L1zardQueen Posts: 8,753 Member
    Amazing. Thanks for sharing.
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    Brings back memories from +16 years ago when I was there last :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,454 Member
    Beautiful! Congrats on 10!
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    That's a lot of miles and a lot of vert! (Also a giant blowdown.)

    Your photos are gorgeous, I really like the way they show the mountains rising up from the haze below. It's cool to look at these pictures, empty of people, to know you were alone up there, and then from the top you're showing us the view down into the valley where millions of people live. What a contrast! It must feel great to escape like that.

    You've been doing a lot of badass stuff this year. I'm looking forward to trip reports from the remaining 8. 🙂

    (I enjoyed this the day you posted it, I wanted to wait for other people to reply before I did because I feel like it's kind of predictable that I'd be impressed and thrilled to see the pics.)
  • cheriej2042
    cheriej2042 Posts: 241 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    That's a lot of miles and a lot of vert! (Also a giant blowdown.)

    Your photos are gorgeous, I really like the way they show the mountains rising up from the haze below. It's cool to look at these pictures, empty of people, to know you were alone up there, and then from the top you're showing us the view down into the valley where millions of people live. What a contrast! It must feel great to escape like that.

    You've been doing a lot of badass stuff this year. I'm looking forward to trip reports from the remaining 8. 🙂

    (I enjoyed this the day you posted it, I wanted to wait for other people to reply before I did because I feel like it's kind of predictable that I'd be impressed and thrilled to see the pics.)

    Omg ! I had to laugh when you said I have been doing a lot of badass stuff. I’m so used to doing high altitude (16,000 ft +) that for years I never hiked much locally. But with the pandemic and all my trips cancelling last year I needed to do something to lose my covid pounds and hopefully get ready for my K 2 Base CAmp trip in September . I still don’t feel my hikes are that difficult because I’m still starting at mostly sea level or in some cases a little higher. But it is great to not have the crowds which is why I hike during the week. And it’s fun to finally hike all the local peaks. I also got my Whitney permit for October (even if it is only 14,000 ish 😂).
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I had a coworker who got winded walking up the ramp to Starbucks at sea level; Wilson and Whitney aren't K2 but they're way ahead of the curve. Our trails are overflowing up here, it's amazing you keep finding solitude, I bet it's frigid by California standards.

    I'm looking forward to seeing your K2 pics this fall! 🙂

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