Woke up Wednesday and headed to Wilson!  An early morning start left us pretty much solo until First Water were we ran into one person who shared a key post trail coffee recommendation (Syndicate Coffee).  We continued on to Orchard Camp and felt like we had the mountain to ourselves!  The first half of the trail wakes you up and gets your attention.  The second half makes sure you understand you have climbed and will continue to climb!  It was up…up…and keep going up.  As you get onto the Old Mount Wilson Toll Road, there is a small rock scramble to navigate due to a slide.  The trail is clear and well marked, and outside of a missed turn off from the Toll Road back to the trail, we were solid the whole day.  Due to the missed turn we wound up walking the Toll Road to the top and banked the extra mileage!  Once there we enjoyed windy sunshine, spectacular views and a tasty yet squished lunch!  We took the trailhead back down from the parking lot, stumbling our way as fatigue set in and the sun slowly began to set.  After we passed First Water on the way down, it was great to chat with others starting their early evening hikes and runs.  We made it back in time to unpack, change and hit Lucky Baldwin's for dinner!  Total mileage was 15 miles from parked car to the top and back with the add'l Toll Road mileage.  Weather-wise was a two-layer morning to a single layer afternoon and ended with two layers and a hat.  It was an excellent day and way to begin our SoCalChallenge!  Appreciate the opportunity and can't wait for  #2!   Noel and Jim