Mt. Wilson via Jones Peak Ridge - May 27, 2011

Conditioning Hike Needed....

In short, I needed some mileage and I was pressed for time. Where to go? Mt. Wilson is more or less in Pasadena's backyard, so with a mileage right around 14 for the standard route, I figured I would try something new and ascend via Bailey Canyon, tag Jones Peak, hopefully Mt. Harvard, and finally up to Wilson.

Did I mention I had to be home by 3pm?

This was the first in a series of training hikes I have planned up for the summer, with hopes of tackling the Presidential Traverse in New Hampshire's White Mountains in August (in a day, not backpacking). With that in mind, I tried to keep my pace up as I was worming my way around Mt. Wilson.

Basically, the highlight of the trip comes after gaining the summit of Jones Peak. You follow a use trail, which is not marked on any map I had, and follow the ridge between Jones Peak and the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. Lots of ups and downs on the ridge, with the final push to the toll road being a little steeper than your average trail.

After gaining the Toll Road, the rest of your hike is pretty basic as far as hiking on-trail goes. I had wanted to bag Harvard as well, but there is now a gate that blocks off the summit where the radio towers are located, so that was a "no-go."

Overall, it was just what I was looking for. Here are some of the stats:
8:20am - Left Mt. Wilson Trailhead on Mira Monte
9:45am - summit Jones Peak
10:35am - Gain the Mt. Wilson Toll Road
11:40am - Summit Wilson
12:25pm - Winter Creek Trail Junction
1:38pm - First Water
2:10pm - Back at my car on Mira Monte
Total Time 5hrs 50min
Total Mileage - 15.2

My GPS came back with an astronomical figure of over 8000 feet elevation gain, but I find that to be simply impossible. When I first started I had it recording tracking points every 15 seconds, but then I switched it over to every 5 seconds. I find the closer in time proximity I have the GPS, the elevation gain profile becomes more inflated. That said, the hike started just under 1000 feet and topped out at 5700 feet, so there's a minimum of 4700 feet not including all the ups and downs. I would guess maybe around 6000 feet elevation gain, given all the bumps on the ridge.

Pics here:

GPS Track of the Mt. Wilson Hike via Jones Peak and Ridge

Jones Peak