What can I say about this hike other than “Never again!” Figuratively speaking, of course. I wasn't even going to hike Mount Wilson on this day. I went with my wolf pack group, and we were going to do another hike to get some strength in. However, I had to make it up because I missed the first initial hike when they did it the weekend before. So, we started the hike with my dog (Storm) and started to make great time. My friends encouraged me to finish the hike, so my adrenaline kicked in, and I took on the challenge. Storm and I jolted into action, and more than half ways through, our adrenaline was deteriorating due to the heat. So, we took a break at the bench to eat some apples and take a drink. At this point, I was like, damn, this is tough, but we were only 1.5 miles away! So there we go again… taking big steps and moving side to side to get more coverage on the ground. 3 hours and a half later, we were at the top. I honestly couldn't believe it. I was so thrilled to make it.

Mount Wilson has always held a special place in my heart because it was a mountain I would always drive up to clear my mind. I would drive up Angel's Crest Highway and enjoy the road and the view. I parked by the observatory, looked over the San Gabriel Valley, and saw the city lights. I was speaking my goals into existence and taking the view in. However, this time around, I hiked it up. I felt more of an accomplishment, and it felt so surreal that I had hiked up to the mountain I would typically drive to.

Now let me say coming down was not the greatest experience. Storm and I were very delusional on the last 2 miles coming down. We would hit a corner thinking we were almost down, only to get hit with another corner at the end. It drove us insane! But we finally made it down to our friends, that were waiting for us at the bottom with water and snacks!