Today was beautiful albeit very wet on Mt Wilson. I started at 5:45am at the Mt Wilson Trail and it was typical June gloom – low, enveloping clouds and drizzle. It wasn't particularly cold – probably in the 60s – but everything was quickly saturated with water. I was glad to have rain gear with me. Everything is green through the canyon and everything is blooming. It was stunning, especially after being used to much drier trail conditions in other places. Right after Manzanita Bridge “The Bench”, I finally broke through the clouds and had great views of the summit for the last two miles. It was sunny and warm but not too hot, probably 70s.
Two things to watch out for on this trail: On the final mile to the summit where the recent burn area is, the trail is lined with poodle dog bushes. They look beautiful but definitely don't touch them! They cause a skin reaction similar to poison oak/ivy. If you don't know what poodle dog bushes are, google it so you're aware. The second thing is there were a couple of areas along the trail where trees had fallen across extremely recently. There were two for sure that weren't there on my ascent but I definitely had to scramble over on my way back down. It was in the heavily forested area. I can't know for sure, but it seemed like everything was just so saturated with water that it was bringing trees down. So, just definitely use caution.
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