EAST MT FUJI & IDLEHOUR
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2022 1:26 pm
On Sunday, Sean and I got up early to do some hiking. The plan was to hike with him to Idlehour Camp and then hike back solo. We started at the Pinecrest gate then hiked up to Henninger Flats for a short break. We continued on the Mt. Wilson toll road. I was very excited because it had been years since I hiked to Idelhour camp from Henninger. As I was hiking up the road, it brought back lots of memories of when I used to hike with Tim who was an organizer for a meetup group when I first started hiking.
Anyways, the road is boring but then we saw a family of deer grazing by the side of the road so, that was pretty cool. As we approached the fork in the road, It all started to come back to me. Damn! I need to climb up, then drop back down to the camp, and then back up. I really wasn't looking forward to the steep ascent even though it was only 700 feet of gain.
I was quite pleased being surrounded by beautiful fall colors at the campsite. There was lots of water flowing in the creek. We spoke briefly with one camper who stayed the night before and was heading out to five points. After a nice peaceful lunch, I left Sean and headed out back to the main road. The ascent was a piece of cake and before I knew it, I was back on the road. I think the array of fall colors in the canyon eased my mind.
Sean suggested that I check out East Mt. Fuji since I had never been there. I hiked further up the Mt. Wilson toll road and soon arrived at the saddle. I saw a few bikers on the road. As I was making my way toward the summit, I took a wrong turn and followed a used path to the left which led to a false summit. However, someone put cairns up there so I'm assuming that others have mistaken this bump for the real peak.
After figuring out that I had to turn back and go the other way, I found the correct route. Also, Sean had mentioned earlier that there was communication stuff up at the top. There is no real trail up there so you just have to find your way. It wasn't too overgrown but there were signs of a recent fire. I found brand new fire hoses around the burnt area.
I finally arrived at the summit. Along the way are high-voltage warning signs. At the high point was lots of communication stuff. (I guess Sean was right) What I found interesting was all the batteries under the panels. I had never seen that before. It looked as if they were untouched by the fire. I also found a camera that was knocked over and I put it back upright.
After getting my fill, I took a break at the saddle under a tree to admire the awesome views. It was time to leave and I continued to descend the road back to Henninger. I was the only hiker on the trails since I left Idlehour camp. The goal was to beat the sunset and not hike in the dark back to my car.
Overall, it was such a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed my solitude.
Anyways, the road is boring but then we saw a family of deer grazing by the side of the road so, that was pretty cool. As we approached the fork in the road, It all started to come back to me. Damn! I need to climb up, then drop back down to the camp, and then back up. I really wasn't looking forward to the steep ascent even though it was only 700 feet of gain.
I was quite pleased being surrounded by beautiful fall colors at the campsite. There was lots of water flowing in the creek. We spoke briefly with one camper who stayed the night before and was heading out to five points. After a nice peaceful lunch, I left Sean and headed out back to the main road. The ascent was a piece of cake and before I knew it, I was back on the road. I think the array of fall colors in the canyon eased my mind.
Sean suggested that I check out East Mt. Fuji since I had never been there. I hiked further up the Mt. Wilson toll road and soon arrived at the saddle. I saw a few bikers on the road. As I was making my way toward the summit, I took a wrong turn and followed a used path to the left which led to a false summit. However, someone put cairns up there so I'm assuming that others have mistaken this bump for the real peak.
After figuring out that I had to turn back and go the other way, I found the correct route. Also, Sean had mentioned earlier that there was communication stuff up at the top. There is no real trail up there so you just have to find your way. It wasn't too overgrown but there were signs of a recent fire. I found brand new fire hoses around the burnt area.
I finally arrived at the summit. Along the way are high-voltage warning signs. At the high point was lots of communication stuff. (I guess Sean was right) What I found interesting was all the batteries under the panels. I had never seen that before. It looked as if they were untouched by the fire. I also found a camera that was knocked over and I put it back upright.
After getting my fill, I took a break at the saddle under a tree to admire the awesome views. It was time to leave and I continued to descend the road back to Henninger. I was the only hiker on the trails since I left Idlehour camp. The goal was to beat the sunset and not hike in the dark back to my car.
Overall, it was such a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed my solitude.