Friday morning (April 4th) we all met at the Alano Club parking lot at 8:30 to carpool up the Poway Grade for our group hike.
Fritz had suggested earlier we hike IronMountain and we had all agreed.
It was a nice cool morning with enough overcast that we couldn’t see the top of the mountain at first. There wereseven of us plus Meka the wonder dog and we were on the trail by about 9:00 am.
GPS at the start of the hike
Water Break
Trail guide books show this trail as about a 6 mile round trip with 1000 foot elevation climb.
It was an easy climb compared to Mt Woodson from the week earlier but still seemed steep & long. But the spring flowers in the sun, the ferns along the shady damp areas, the vistas at each switchback on the upper trail made it worth the effort. The camaraderie and humor helped to keep my mind off my aching legs as we climbed the last few hundred yards to the crest.
We always pack plenty of water & emergency suplies with us.
This sign is for real. We have lots of Mountain Lions here in San Diego county and they can be a serious problem.
The view from the top was beautiful and would have been better had it not been for the haze. Once here we all snacked on trail mix & a sandwich or two. There is a telescope mounted at the top for public viewing & someone suggested to Bobby G he might want to look at his Jeep being stripped in the parking area below.
GPS reading at the top. Note the altitude & the milage.
After eating & a group photo we headed back down. I had the chance to get to know a fellow that is fairly new back at the club.
We got to talking to the point that we had some catching up to do with the rest of the group.
We regrouped at the end & carpooled up to head back to the club in time for a noon meeting.
This is a beautiful hike for the spring time. Summer months on this trail often see temperatures in the triple digits.
It is also essential even in the spring to keep an eye out for rattlesnakes. They are VERY common on this trail.
