| Peak | Mt Wilson |
|---|---|
| Group | N/A |
| Trailhead | Upper Winter Creek |
We left Hawthorne before the the sun broke over the mountains to the east. The long miles to the trailhead flew by but Liz and I were a bit stressed about finding parking, especially as we crept up the narrow winding road to Chantry Flat and saw a number of cars parked seemingly randomly up the hill. We arrived shortly after six and were relieved to see there were still several spaces left. Not being ones to waste good time we gathered out things and headed up the trail.
Last year we hiked Wilson going the SoCal Hiker recommended route including the detour to Sturtevant Falls so this time we wanted to try a different path – Upper Winter Creek fit the bill so we headed up the short stretch of fire road and before we knew it we were immersed in nature. It was surprisingly warm even early in the morning and I think we both felt a tad overdressed even in thin long sleeves. We made a few stops to enjoy the views and were passed by the occasional runner, most of whom seemed completely out of their depth. Eventually the path gets steeper and steeper to the point that we were really starting to feel the effort and grateful that the altitude on this hike is still pretty low.
Once we hit the Mt Wilson Trail itself and started up the old road, which I find incredibly fascinating to think cars used to drive up that wreck of a trail, things got a bit easier. We took the trail to the right of the road and ascended to the gravel parking lot below the Cosmic Cafe. Since we arrived before they opened we hung out at the tables and had a snack before taking advantage of the luxury of being able to buy a mid-hike coffee and heading down the other side of the hill on the Sturtevant Trail.
The switchbacks down never seemed to end and I remembered the pain of coming up this route last year. After hiker after hiker asking Lix and I how much further to the top we finally hit the creek and meandered in and out of it through the cool, shady air. Eventually we reached the cabins and the hordes of people on their way to the falls and it was getting pretty hot and sunny. The final climb up the fire road back to Chantry Flat was the hardest part of the whole hike but we finally made it back to our car after roughly six hours.
Driving back down the road we saw so many people walking up or trying to park their cars half on, half off the shoulder we were glad we were overzealous and got up there so early. Overall I was very pleased with the hike but something about Mt Wilson just doesn’t do it for me – you never feel quite out of the city with all of the infrastructure and too many hikers – but it’s not a bad place to start hiking, or if you live nearby for a little weekend stroll through the forest.
