Mt Wilson: A story of tarantulas, road rash, and a sick view.

Most people who live in LA know what the San Gabriels look like. Look north, and you'll see some massive mountains that separate the LA area from the Mojave desert. They're 68 miles long, and 22 miles wide, and happen to be one of my favorite places to play. These are a few pics from yesterday's Mt Wilson hike, for anyone curious what's on the other side of the mountain once you cross over that front peak.

 It actually starts off pretty smoothly.

Dat elevation gain.

 A few miles up and the trail gets smaller.

View toward LA (blocked by the mountains)

 Over the peak, view toward the inside of the range. Literally nothing but mountains and woods, any way you look :) This is what I came here for.

<3

Ran into this guy on the way back down. We both scared each other...I almost stepped on him (accident!) and he just froze there. The most massive tarantula I've seen that wasn't in a pet store.

I tried to jog down to beat the sun, tripped over a rock, flew forward and slid down the trail. (So graceful...lol) Not the smartest move with a pack on. And shorts. Still worth it :)