| Peak | Mt Wilson |
|---|---|
| Group | N/A |
| Trailhead | Chantry Flat |
We left Barstow at 4:15 a.m. and arrived at Chantry Flat at 6:15 a.m. and the parking lot was almost full. We followed the Gabrielino trail to the Sturtevant trail to the top of Mt. Wilson. The views were stunning and lunch at the Cosmic Cafe was delicious. After resting for a bit we were ready to head down via the Winter Creek trail. Our group separated with the two faster people taking off ahead and my husband and I bringing up the rear. Unfortunately my husband and I missed a very important (essential) left hand turn which takes you from the Mt Wilson Toll Road to the Winter Creek Trail (aka back to our car). By the time we realized our mistake, figured out exactly where we were, and coordinated with our friends who had an extra key to our car, it made more sense (or just sounded less painful) to keep going forward/downhill than to backtrack uphill for several miles. So…..we ended up walking all the way down the Mt Wilson Toll Road to Eaton Canyon in Altadena. We were able to explore a whole other trail and saw even more amazing views. This “side adventure” did add a few extra miles to our day (we ended up hiking about 18 or 19 miles instead of the 16 that our friends did. We talked a lot (after a brief stretch of silence and disbelief) about where we went wrong and how in the world we didn’t see the trail to the left. It’s not really figuring out the mistake that is our most important take-away or lesson. Mistakes will happen….. but we are reminded it’s all the little things that you consistently do to prepare that come through in the end. For instance, we always take a spare car key and this time we made sure that each group in our party had a key and we always carry extra food & water and this time we needed it because the afternoon sun was hot and we hiked a few more miles than expected. We also carry headlamps and an emergency blanket etc – even though we didn’t need them, for a brief while before we figured out where we were and what plan “B” was….. it was comforting to know we had some basic survival essentials. I highly recommend not only having a good trail map but to know your route. There are several “forks” in the road and not all are clearly marked. This was a great hike and I would definitely do it again!
