After having sporadically hiked some of the peaks in Southern CA throughout the past few years, I finally signed up fo the SoCal Six-Peak Challenge. Being right in my backyard (or close enough), I took on Mt. Wilson first. The day was overcast and the crisp morning air went straight through my shirt as I walked from my car to the trail. A few minutes of walking on an incline though warmed me right up. The journey was challenging, but the views and the opportunity to just be among the vastness of nature made it worth it. Colorful flowers decorated little crevices along the mountain. At one point, I made it over one steep incline hump, took a moment to let my throbbing legs rest and looked up to realize that I had made it over the clouds. The view was phenomenal and picturesque. In that moment, I knew I had picked the perfect day for this trail.
Note to fellow hikers starting from the Mt. Wilson trailhead in Sierra Madre: About 6 miles into the hike, you encounter a sign that indicates Altadena is 1 3/4 MI away and Mount Wilson is 7 1/4 MI away. The sign is somewhat incorrect. The arrow pointing towards Altadena is actually towards Mt. Wilson and the arrow pointing towards Mt. Wilson is actually for Altadena. At that point, the peak is closer to 1 1/4 MI away. See photo of the sign for reference.
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