Great hike today. Our goal was to complete two peaks (Strawberry and Mount Wilson) in one continuous hike. The weather today was perfect. Rain and snow was forecast for the late afternoon on both peaks. Temps throughout the day ranged from 37’ to about 45’, with light to moderate winds.
We began our day by meeting at Mount Wilson Circle Rd (a one way street) and the Kenyon-Devore Trailhead at 0530. We left one vehicle there and then drove back down Mount Wilson/Red Box Road to the Red Box Picnic/Parking Area. It was a bit chilly, but we were all prepared with the appropriate layers of clothing.
We hiked up the Strawberry Peak Trail from Red Box. About 3.6 miles to the summit. It was a little windy and chilly at the peak, but once we started back down it warmed up again and the winds died. Once we got back to Red Box the winds picked up (about 15-25 mph) and the temps dipped into the 30’s again.
After a short break, we headed out on the Gabrieleno Trail (PCT) to summit Mount Wilson. Beautiful trail. Great protection from the wind and cold. After about 3.8 miles on the Gabrieleno Trail we headed southwest on the Kenyon-Devore Trail to Mount Wilson, 2.8 miles.
We travelled a total of 14 miles in 8 hours 33 minutes for both peaks, with just over 4500’ in total elevation gain. The summit was cold and windy, and the afternoon storm system was coming in quickly. We were all a little cold and tried by this point, and were ready to head home.