Sunset on Williamson
Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2023 8:39 am
Yesterday Cecelia and I hiked to Mt. Williamson for her birthday and for the sunset. Since it was her special day, I thought, "What the hell? Let's drive the long detour through Tujunga to reach Islip Saddle!" First we stopped at the overlook for Big Tujunga Dam.
Then we checked out the view of Williamson Rock.
We caught several rock climbers walking back to their cars, returning from an illegal adventure.
After that we drove to Islip Saddle and prepared for a cold, evening hike.
The trailhead burned in the Bobcat Fire.
The South Fork Trailhead looked messy, but the PCT appeared in better condition heading up to Williamson. Still, we kicked many rocks and branches off the tread as we climbed. A few poodle dog bushes remained beside the trail, but it was easy to avoid them. Also I counted three small trees across the trail, one minor wash out, a stretch of moderate rutting, and a few scree sections where the tread is narrow on steep slopes. Overall not that bad for a burn zone.
A few trees survived here and there, more so near the summit.
We reached the top about an hour before sunset. While Cecelia chilled and took photos, I hurried over to Peak 8244, stole the Sierra Club register and brought it back to Williamson. Maybe you know that the Sierra Club places a register on 8244' instead of the official, 8214' summit. Don't ask me why GNIS and USGS Topo have Williamson at 8214 instead of 8244, but they do. Actually they measure it at 8216' now, and if they ever produce a new map worth a damn, I'll stop using measurements from the '95 series.
What I'm trying to say is, if you're looking for the register, it now lives on 8214, which is technically now 8216. But you better go grab it soon, because, according to the Sierra Club, registers don't live very long on 8214. I guess that's why they put it on 8244, because it gets stolen from the official summit?
The problem is that 8244 is a quarter-mile away from 8214, and some people don't enjoy hiking that much extra distance to find the register. Also, 8244 currently has a patch of poodle dog on its smallish peak, so it's a less preferable hangout than 8214 in my opinion.
In addition to being confusing, Williamson is one of those spots with amazing views all around. That's probably why they call it the Pleasant View Ridge. "Pleasant" is an understatement, if you ask me.
Even the desert view at dusk is delightful.
It helps to have neat clouds in the sky as well.
The summit area is nice and flat for relaxing or even camping. We drank hot apple cider and posed for photos while waiting for the sunset.
Then we bundled up and headed down by headlamp. My car read 45 degrees an hour after sunset, but it was colder on the summit.
Then we checked out the view of Williamson Rock.
We caught several rock climbers walking back to their cars, returning from an illegal adventure.
After that we drove to Islip Saddle and prepared for a cold, evening hike.
The trailhead burned in the Bobcat Fire.
The South Fork Trailhead looked messy, but the PCT appeared in better condition heading up to Williamson. Still, we kicked many rocks and branches off the tread as we climbed. A few poodle dog bushes remained beside the trail, but it was easy to avoid them. Also I counted three small trees across the trail, one minor wash out, a stretch of moderate rutting, and a few scree sections where the tread is narrow on steep slopes. Overall not that bad for a burn zone.
A few trees survived here and there, more so near the summit.
We reached the top about an hour before sunset. While Cecelia chilled and took photos, I hurried over to Peak 8244, stole the Sierra Club register and brought it back to Williamson. Maybe you know that the Sierra Club places a register on 8244' instead of the official, 8214' summit. Don't ask me why GNIS and USGS Topo have Williamson at 8214 instead of 8244, but they do. Actually they measure it at 8216' now, and if they ever produce a new map worth a damn, I'll stop using measurements from the '95 series.
What I'm trying to say is, if you're looking for the register, it now lives on 8214, which is technically now 8216. But you better go grab it soon, because, according to the Sierra Club, registers don't live very long on 8214. I guess that's why they put it on 8244, because it gets stolen from the official summit?
The problem is that 8244 is a quarter-mile away from 8214, and some people don't enjoy hiking that much extra distance to find the register. Also, 8244 currently has a patch of poodle dog on its smallish peak, so it's a less preferable hangout than 8214 in my opinion.
In addition to being confusing, Williamson is one of those spots with amazing views all around. That's probably why they call it the Pleasant View Ridge. "Pleasant" is an understatement, if you ask me.
Even the desert view at dusk is delightful.
It helps to have neat clouds in the sky as well.
The summit area is nice and flat for relaxing or even camping. We drank hot apple cider and posed for photos while waiting for the sunset.
Then we bundled up and headed down by headlamp. My car read 45 degrees an hour after sunset, but it was colder on the summit.