Made the trek up Mt. Wilson yesterday to keep the conditioning going. Get there right at 6:15 AM and the parking lot was almost full. Decent shade at the beginning underneath the tree cover, but once you started gaining elevation—it got hot quickly. Following the tail along the falls is delightfully calming.

About midway up, the bugs got pretty annoying anytime you stopped to catch your breathe. I did manage to leave my big spray in the car which helps little once you’re on the trail. Early morning mistake. They were annoying up until you reached the peak.

Mile 5,6, and 7 were my slowest on the way up. But, once up the top, it was all worth it. Spent some quiet time at the lookout, and then spent about an hour at cosmic cafe. Met a few other trail thrill seekers and enjoyed the gentle ribbing from a wolverine while showing my Ohio State pride.

The way down was pretty smooth sailing, but there were a few trees that fell blocking the trail. Fairly easy to navigate for this short legged adventurer-just make sure you’re up for it. Nothing like lifting your body over logs after a long hike. Mile 9-13 managed under 25 minutes with enough time to stretch, grab some water, enjoy the views and take photos.

The last mile if you follow the trail- you get a lot of parking lot noise, dogs barking, and people. But you’re too tired to care.