I've actually done this hike before, so, for some reason, I expected it to be so much easier than it was! Or maybe I was just out of shape…

The girls (Emma, Vivian) and I started from the trailhead just past the bridge on the way to Sturtevant Falls around 8-8:15 am. Easy-ish start and up to Hogee's campground, at which point we got a little lost. This trail is so piss-poorly marked! Anywho, without reception we took our chances and went left, per the instruction of another trail-mate, and we started on the winding trail through far too many switchbacks, up to the Mt. Wilson fire road.

Once nearing the top, we were certain there was a trail that took up up over the final push but instead opted for the slow road up… honestly, I think that was a better decision as our legs were all burning by that time. As we approached the very anticlimactic summit a storm started to roll in, slapping us straight in the faces with gusts of wet cloud! Vivian made the most critical observation that it's quite hard to understand just why the phrase “soft as a cloud exists.” Clouds are not soft. They are wet, and cold, and make it so that you need to layer up pretty heavily at the top of Mt. Wilson!

The Cosmic Cafe was ok – nothing spectacular. I can't imagine eating a bowl of chili or drinking a milkshake then hiking 7.5 miles back to the car… so, quite grateful I didn't. Otherwise, would've been visiting “nature's toilet” more times than I would've liked to on the trail!

We took the other trail back to Chantry Flats, the one that drops you in above the grounds so you can smartly miss out on climbing that horrendous hill back up to the parking lot! The girls were moving a bit slower, so I jogged the trail back and met them with the car for hot dogs at the Pack Station around 4 pm.

Great first hike, gals! Looking forward to Mt. Cucamonga next month! (Which we have actually already done but are hopeful this time it will be much easier!)