HOYT MOUNTAIN

[Girl Hiker]

It's been five years since I hiked on the George's Gap trail to Hoyt Mountain. One thing is for sure, it definitely was not how I remembered. It was surprisingly overgrown. I was under the impression that this was a well traveled route. Boy, was I wrong! Throughout the trail we were constantly ducking our heads to avoid being hit in the face with branches, crawling under downed trees, and avoiding small patches of poison oak. The signs were in good shape. The trail was still visible, so it was not difficult to navigate. There were a couple of open spaces where we could get some great views of the surrounding mountains. However, the trail was not completely clear until we reached a washed out area by a rock wall, probably a few hundred feet from the road. After taking a break at the towers, we headed up the steep trail and at the top was a burnt summit with water hoses left behind. It was still pretty. I found a rusted hand saw that would have been helpful with all the bushwacking we encountered earlier. Anyways, we had lunch on the summit before heading down the east ridge which was a first for me. Five years ago, I descended back to the towers then to Grizzly Flats. I was very impressed with the east ridge. It was very green and beautiful and so much fun scrambling down to our cars. It was a clear path with a few slippery spots. I would highly recommend taking this route if you don't mind the bushwacking and take some loppers.

False bump

Final ascent to the summit.

Summit pose
It was a fun hike. I lost a pair of sunglasses, found a saw, and a pair of shorts. Two of my friends found a tick on their body but not me
No sign of poison oak yet.