So get there early?AlanK wrote:No problem at all. Well, except for parking at Chantry Flats, which is the same as always.simonov wrote:Want to take the kids to Sturtevant Falls this Saturday. No problem with that?AlanK wrote:I have hiked up Mt. Wilson four times since the Station Fire. The Old Mt. Wilson Trail is fine, as are Sturtevant and Upper Winter Creek. Also, Mt. Zion, etc. The trail to Newcomb Pass is closed.
Old Mt. Wilson Trail
Nunc est bibendum
On a Saturday, earlier is better. Also, it is usually possible to park on the side of the road below Chantry Flats if the parking area is full. I have never failed to find a space, but I have stuck my car in a couple of questionable spots on occasion.
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PackerGreg
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Call the pack station and ask them to reserve spaces for you in their lot (626) 447-7356
I did the Mount Wilson trail yesterday and saw a lot of the aftereffects of the recent fire and firefighting efforts. The good news is that the firefighters protected the summit area successfully, preserving the observatories and all the historical and educational stuff up there.
In the final section of the trail between the block-house and the summit, most areas are pretty burned out. There are a couple of very short sections where the trail is covered with flowing debris, but they didn't seem particularly dangerous to me because the run-out below was not steep. However, I would lay odds that as soon as we get our first big storm, that section of the trail will be completely destroyed by debris flows from above, and will have to be rebuilt.
There is lots of red stuff all over the landscape, which I assume is fire retardant that they dropped from aircraft. There's a ton of it in the headwalls of the Winter Creek canyon, right below the solar spectrometer tower and the historic Michelson interferometry site. It may have had the intended effect, since the vegetation in that area seems not to have burned at all.
There is also a new, wide firebreak/road, which runs from the old toll road down to the bench (coinciding with what used to be a series of shortcuts) and apparently continues farther down, although I couldn't really see. It's ugly as hell. They may have run it all the way down Manzanita Ridge to the road from Chantry Flat, but I couldn't tell. They also cleared a lot of the old rock-fall on the old toll road.
There are signs at the top and bottom of the trail saying that there is no potable water at the summit. However, if you go to the spigot behind the Cosmic Cafe, they have a note posted explaining where to get guaranteed-potable water near the 100-inch telescope. They had a leak (maybe related to the fire?), and they're worried that parts of the water system are contaminated. They're currently waiting for test results. If you're willing to risk it, you can also avoid the long detour to the 100-inch and just fill bottles from the sinks in the bathroom.
In the final section of the trail between the block-house and the summit, most areas are pretty burned out. There are a couple of very short sections where the trail is covered with flowing debris, but they didn't seem particularly dangerous to me because the run-out below was not steep. However, I would lay odds that as soon as we get our first big storm, that section of the trail will be completely destroyed by debris flows from above, and will have to be rebuilt.
There is lots of red stuff all over the landscape, which I assume is fire retardant that they dropped from aircraft. There's a ton of it in the headwalls of the Winter Creek canyon, right below the solar spectrometer tower and the historic Michelson interferometry site. It may have had the intended effect, since the vegetation in that area seems not to have burned at all.
There is also a new, wide firebreak/road, which runs from the old toll road down to the bench (coinciding with what used to be a series of shortcuts) and apparently continues farther down, although I couldn't really see. It's ugly as hell. They may have run it all the way down Manzanita Ridge to the road from Chantry Flat, but I couldn't tell. They also cleared a lot of the old rock-fall on the old toll road.
There are signs at the top and bottom of the trail saying that there is no potable water at the summit. However, if you go to the spigot behind the Cosmic Cafe, they have a note posted explaining where to get guaranteed-potable water near the 100-inch telescope. They had a leak (maybe related to the fire?), and they're worried that parts of the water system are contaminated. They're currently waiting for test results. If you're willing to risk it, you can also avoid the long detour to the 100-inch and just fill bottles from the sinks in the bathroom.
2023-01-21, 7:00am: I joined a group of about 30 volunteers to haul up materials for the bridge. The bridge location is on the Old Mt. Wilson Trail approximately 100 yds. or so up canyon from the start of "Charlie's New Trail" (bottom of Bastard Ridge). Charlie's trail is passable and a bunch of volunteers were working on the tread today to make it even safer. The bridge is temporary, but will allow the Old Trail to open up while the washed out portion is built back up to the original level. At which time the bridge will be taken down?
Mr. Spears mentioned that Bailey Cyn. was open and that the Mt. Wilson Trail will open on Monday 23rd. Today, with the trail "closed", there were about 30 volunteers hauling materials up and about 50+ hikers. Then all of a sudden there were no more hikers coming up - due to the police turning people back at the trailhead.
The bridge will be 3 stringers spanning the washout, supported on sleepers at each end. Then they'll have cross pieces over the stringers to form the tread. It's a long span and in my opinion will be kind of bouncy, but we'll see! I hope the ground that supports the sleepers remains stable. I understand that they will try to finish the project on the 29th.
Looking up cyn./trail from the start of Charlie's Trail...
I went up the trail today for an out and back to the summit. The bridge made me feel nice and safe. The poodle dog bush near the summit seems to be dying out, which is good. Creeks were running faster than usual, but not so much as to cause problems crossing.
But -- Bean Town is out of business! So sad to have to resort to corporate Starbucks for a bathroom and coffee.
But -- Bean Town is out of business! So sad to have to resort to corporate Starbucks for a bathroom and coffee.
> They struggled because of Covid and an old lady backing her SUV into the store front (which closed them down for like 10 months). They went tits up in December 2022.
I used to go there in the morning before running, then when I got back from my run around 11, I would buy some food and eat it out at one of the tables outside (where my smell wouldn't bother people). Even at ~6 am, when I got there, there would be like 5 regulars. Then when I got back, the place would be absolutely packed (on a weekday!) with people having brunch/lunch, plus a steady take-out stream. All of this was true after they were closed. I talked to one of the former regulars, and she said she thought it was basically poor management. That makes more sense to me. It's not rocket science to keep a place running when it's that popular.
Oh, well. I have a love-hate relationship with Starbucks. They're corporate ick, but they also open nice and early, and they have bathrooms, for which I willingly pay my $2.50 for a cup of coffee that I could have just drunk out of my thermos.
Got back from my run today and paid $6 for a slice at Village Pizzeria, then $3.50 for a soda at the pie shop around the corner. I guess that's the price of going to a place where the trailhead is in an affluent area.
I used to go there in the morning before running, then when I got back from my run around 11, I would buy some food and eat it out at one of the tables outside (where my smell wouldn't bother people). Even at ~6 am, when I got there, there would be like 5 regulars. Then when I got back, the place would be absolutely packed (on a weekday!) with people having brunch/lunch, plus a steady take-out stream. All of this was true after they were closed. I talked to one of the former regulars, and she said she thought it was basically poor management. That makes more sense to me. It's not rocket science to keep a place running when it's that popular.
Oh, well. I have a love-hate relationship with Starbucks. They're corporate ick, but they also open nice and early, and they have bathrooms, for which I willingly pay my $2.50 for a cup of coffee that I could have just drunk out of my thermos.
Got back from my run today and paid $6 for a slice at Village Pizzeria, then $3.50 for a soda at the pie shop around the corner. I guess that's the price of going to a place where the trailhead is in an affluent area.
That's actually seriously a good idea. Never noticed them there. (And there's another liquor store two doors down...?). The Sinclair gas station also works for a cheap soda, but they're on the wrong side of the street as I'm heading home.
I should just get more organized and treat it more like I would a wilderness trailhead. Bring a cooler.
I've been doing Wilson once a week for the last few weeks, timing myself to the top. Last week there was a lot of snow and ice, so this week I made room for microspikes in my favorite itsy-bitsy fanny pack by substituting a folding silicone cup for my water bottle. So of course the snow had completely melted. But the folding cup is actually a wonderful way to save space and weight.
Can you carry water in this cup or do you fill it whenever you want a drink?bcrowell wrote: ↑I've been doing Wilson once a week for the last few weeks, timing myself to the top. Last week there was a lot of snow and ice, so this week I made room for microspikes in my favorite itsy-bitsy fanny pack by substituting a folding silicone cup for my water bottle. So of course the snow had completely melted. But the folding cup is actually a wonderful way to save space and weight.
A 32 ounce Nalgene bottle weighs about 6 ounces, 1 liter SmartWater bottle weighs about 1.2 ounces. Of course if one doesn't carry any water then it's significant for weight reduction.
"Argue for your limitations and sure enough they're yours".
Donald Shimoda
Donald Shimoda
> Can you carry water in this cup or do you fill it whenever you want a drink?
It has no lid. You use it to drink when you're at a water source.
> A 32 ounce Nalgene bottle weighs about 6 ounces, 1 liter SmartWater bottle weighs about 1.2 ounces. Of course if one doesn't carry any water then it's significant for weight reduction.
I'm using it in this situation based on volume, not weight. I'm doing this as a run, and I want to use my little tiny fanny pack that is super comfy for running.
> You can do Wilson mega-ultralight because of Decker Spring and water at Wilson, but it's a risk if you have to spend the night without extra food and warm clothes in winter.
The only scenario I can envision where I'd be spending the night would be if I went sailing off a cliff and landed at the bottom of a gully. It is imaginable, and it's why I generally go slow and careful whenever I get to an exposed outside curve on that trail. If I did go flying off, danger number one would be that I would die instantly from the fall. If not, then probably I would be screaming for help from the gully. Food and water would not be the main concerns, as far as I can see.
It has no lid. You use it to drink when you're at a water source.
> A 32 ounce Nalgene bottle weighs about 6 ounces, 1 liter SmartWater bottle weighs about 1.2 ounces. Of course if one doesn't carry any water then it's significant for weight reduction.
I'm using it in this situation based on volume, not weight. I'm doing this as a run, and I want to use my little tiny fanny pack that is super comfy for running.
> You can do Wilson mega-ultralight because of Decker Spring and water at Wilson, but it's a risk if you have to spend the night without extra food and warm clothes in winter.
The only scenario I can envision where I'd be spending the night would be if I went sailing off a cliff and landed at the bottom of a gully. It is imaginable, and it's why I generally go slow and careful whenever I get to an exposed outside curve on that trail. If I did go flying off, danger number one would be that I would die instantly from the fall. If not, then probably I would be screaming for help from the gully. Food and water would not be the main concerns, as far as I can see.
You guys are pretty disappointing as far as your capabilities. I bring nothing for Mt Wilson climb and I mean literally nothing, no clothes, shoes, that is the way hiking is meant to be done. I drink straight from the stream and if hungry typically eat the lizards. I have only once been cited for indecent exposure if you must know.