Chantry Flat to Mt. Zion
January 3, 2010
Sonya and I went back to Chantry Flat on the Angeles National Forest on Sunday - this is a wonderful area to explore in the winter when the higher elevations are covered with snow. This time we took the Upper Winter Creek Trail to Mt. Zion - thus staying above the canyon we explored last time. This is a great trail - it hugs the countours of the hill and alternates between sunny bluffs where wildflowers are starting to bloom and shady ferny bubbly creeks. It was about 4.2 miles and 1,400' up to Mt. Zion, with most of the elevation gain being in the last mile, plus we took a short side trip to see Hoegee's Camp. This is a very nice campsite and would make for a good overnighter or two-nighter for those wanting to explore all the trails in the area.
The weather for our hike was fantastic - in the 60's and probably nearing 70 degrees. And with a sunny blue sky to highlight it all. It was a pleasant adventure, or at least it was until towards the end of the hike I decided to drop my camera and it rolled down off the trail into a brushy area. I don't know what happened, I had just taken a photo and it slipped out of my fingers! So I started cussing and Sonya turned around and asked me what happened. I had already started taking off my pack in preparation to go down after it. But she started down before me and basically slid her way down to my camera. Fortunately it dropped in an area that wasn't rocky but rather leafy so it didn't sustain any serious damage. Neither did Sonya, who was able to haul herself out fairly easily, thank goodness! After we got back to the trailhead I treated her to a well-deserved late lunch - a "world famous hotdog" at the Pack Station :)
The last 1/8 mile up to Mt. Zion...
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We made it :) Views stretch all the way to the ocean
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That's Mt. Wilson behind me, someday I'll make the longer trek to there
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Hiking back down from Mt. Zion
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Manzanita "Little Apples"
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Purple Nightshade
Solanum xanti
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Unknown plants, above and below
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This is the picture I took right before I dropped my camera :p
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That's where it went, down there in the brush and downed branches
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Sonya made it back up okay, but I think I owe her big time!
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Can you spot Sonya in the above photo? She blends in pretty well!
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Huge old gnarly Big Leaf Maple tree
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