Distance: 5.4 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 8214' (Williamson), 8248' (8248)
Elevation Gain: 1903'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.52
Round trip time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Adventure Pass
Difficulty: Easy
This was a training hike to get some cardio at higher elevation. We drove the Angeles Crest Highway (highway 2) to Islip Saddle, one of my favorite areas of the Angeles National Forest. On a warm sunny day, most of the parking areas along ACH were packed, including Islip Saddle. Because of the restrooms and benches, an Adventure Pass was required for parking. We met several PCT through hikers milling around and on the trail. One we had a conversation with sported an unknown European accent. He had very much enjoyed the first 390 miles of his trip.
We hiked up the PCT from the west side of the parking lot on a steady, moderate grade. The smell of big pines filled the air. The trail cut long switchbacks across the south face of Williamson. At 7950', the summit trail broke away from the PCT and continued up the ridge. The final few steps to the USGS summit required a turn to the east. Views were excellent into the back range and down thousands of feet to the high desert. Since it was a clear day, the towers on Mt. Wilson were visible. After a few quick photos, we continued on the use trail to Peak 8244' where the Sierra Club keeps their register. As we passed below a rock cluster on the ridge, we heard a noise above. To me, it sounded like a rock sliding, possibly dislodged by an animal. Leisa had me take the lead at that point and I continued along the trail, glancing back occasionally. She told me later she thought it was a growl instead of a rock slide, but we never saw anything.
Leaving the parking lot
Fallen giant
Williamson ahead
Leisa on the final ridge
Mt. Hawkins and Baden-Powell behind
Desert
At 8244', we signed the register and took a short break. We soaked in views of Twin Peaks, Waterman, and Triplet Ridge, then continued over Peak 8248 to a view point along Pleasant View Ridge. We could see plane wreckage from a C-119 below a connecting ridge less than a mile away. We thought about continuing, but Leisa had work to do because of the Aliso Fire the day before. School was cancelled for the next morning at Top of the World Elementary and she needed to get home to get the announcements out. We descended the trail quickly, completing the round trip in well under 3 hours. While we were hiking, there was some kind of horrific auto accident near Dawson Saddle that closed the ACH. We had to take the long southern route to get out of the mountains. The silver lining was that I got to see parts of the ACH I had never traveled -- the section between Cloudburst Summit and Red Box.
Sierra Club summit at 8244'
(Left to right) Triplet Ridge, Twin Peaks, and Waterman
Plane wreck debris in the gully
Snow plant!
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