Journey with me to April 2009. I was the world's worst couch potato. I had been that kid who got picked last for teams in P.E. and I hated exertion in all its forms. With a metabolism to get away with it, there was no motivation to be any different. I had lived in Sierra Madre 17 years, able to see the little people walking on the Mt. Wilson Trail. The spouse, a natural athlete, had dragged me to First Water and Sturtevant Falls once each years before, probably with me complaining all the way, but it didn't make me want to do more. It just wasn't me.
Paying for something or other at the local hardware store, I saw a stack of Robinson's "Sierra Madre's Old Mt Wilson Trail" at the register, and got one out of a vague interest in local history. I read the book, looked at the photos and the map, and wanted to see more of the historical sites. Somehow on April 12, 2009, I agreed to go to First Water and see if I felt I could continue to Orchard Camp. We got there and somebody took a photo of us by the big oak that's now fallen. I remember getting a phone call when we got home and saying I just hiked 6.6 miles and I don't know how I'm going to get up out of this chair.
It must have worked out OK, because on the 17th we went to Chantry and did the Winter Creek loop. I had read about the canyon phone system, and took a bunch of pictures of phones.
Then it was Mt Islip, Mt Gleason, Throop Peak, Shortcut to West Fork, San Gabriel Peak & Mt. Disappointment. I wanted to get all the way to Mt Wilson, and cooked up the idea that I could do it with an overnight at Spruce Grove and a ride home from the top. The Sturtevant Trail with overnight gear was not easy. The Station Fire happened. So, Sandstone Peak and Bertha Peak near Big Bear while everything was closed. Then, Echo Mountain, Henniger Flats, a one-way up the Mt. Wilson Trail so I could see all those sites in the book. But I wanted to do a roundtrip to Wilson, and a miserable trip up Jones and Hastings Peaks made me doubt it would happen. Kept working though. Mt Zion Loop. San Olene. Back to Jones Peak and Orchard Camp. Deer Park. Big Horn Mine. Got to Last Water on the Mt Wilson Trail and back, and then the whole round trip! The photo I took from Manzanita Ridge has been my phone background ever since.
I was still rather slow, but my range was increasing and I still had more places to see. Little Jimmy Spring. Sunset Peak. Guffy Spring. Baden-Powell. Inspiration Point. Deer Flats. Jackson Lake to Jackson Flat; Big Pines to Blue Ridge CG and Guffy.
Got a rip-roaring 9-month case of plantar fasciitis, and bought bikes to get into the mountains somehow. So, plenty of fire roads - Blue Ridge Rd, Toll Road, some road in the Verdugos, Valley Forge, Glenn Campground and Cogswell Dam.
Turned out that biking made me a stronger hiker! Got to Mt Waterman, Mt Burnham, Mt Wilson from my front door instead of a trailhead (adding 2.6 mi). Smith Mountain in the rain. Mt. Hillyer, Vetter, Mt Lowe, Devil's Punchbowl. Icehouse Saddle and Kelly's Camp. Cabin Flat. Switzer's to Red Box. Mt Williamson, Mt. Bliss, Cooper Canyon, Newcomb's Pass. Vincent Gap to the glider and Mine Gulch CG, Bridge to Nowhere, S. Mt Hawkins. Warm Springs by bike, Idlehour, Fish Canyon, Heaton Saddle. Strawberry Peak, Strawberry Meadow. DeVore, Wright Mountain, Josephine Peak. Eventually, First Baldy and Spring Camp.
Well, this turned out to be a long list of San Gabriels place names, and I've probably missed something, but that's kind of how it went. I have been all over these mountains and I consider April 12, 2009 the day I became A Hiker. Thanks for reading and marking a 10 year point with me!
10 years
Thank you for posting. Your story is similar to mine. I was inactive for a long time. I couldn't walk around the block without getting out of breath. When I first started dating my future wife, I needed to find something that we could do together. I had just done a UCLA geologic bus tour that included the Vasquez Rocks and the Devil's Punchbowl. So, I took her to those places. Needing more places to visit, I came across Jerry Schad's book Afoot and Afield in Orange County. A few years later, we found ourselves on top of Mt. Whitney. It was quite a transition.
