The weather was warm but not hot, perfect for the slug of a hike up to Wilson. The trail is in great shape, and we passed a dozen or so volunteers doing more maintenance on the trail (presumably for the race next weekend). At Orchard Camp there were a lot of bees buzzing around but other then that the bugs were not really an issue. The Cosmic Café was open, and it was nice to reward our accent with a hot dog and a coke.

On our way down we decided to do a side adventure to bag Jones Peak via the trail from the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. And an adventure it was. Descending from the toll road to a saddle was very steep and very loose and it was great that someone had installed a rope that we were able to use to assist us getting down. The trail over to Jones Peak was in good condition and was well worn and we did not have to do any bushwhacking. From Jones Peak went down “Bastard Ridge” to reconnect with the Mt. Wilson Trail, and it certainly lived up to its name. The trail is very steep and has some sections that are deeply rutted from all the rains. In some sections it was like going through a mini slot canyon. In all it was fun to explore a trail and area that we might otherwise never get to see.