MOUNT WOODSON Photos & Article by Bobby Gee & Fred F 3/28/08
Five club members met after the morning meeting on this Friday & headed for Lake Poway. The trail head is located in the north east corner of the paved lake parking on the upper level. Plenty of patrolled parking available at the upper level near the trail head and facilities available on the way to the trail. The younger members left us old folks in the dust but we were able to blame it on smelling the wild flowers and taking a lot of pictures. Besides that we had a 5 month old Shephard/Husky Pup to slow us down. Enough excuses.
This is another one of those hikes that you can push for fitness or slow down and just enjoy the views taking your time. According to Fred's GPS it is 2881' at the top. Expect about a 6 degree drop in temperature from the lake to the top but leaving in the morning meant that it was warmer at the top than when we left.
Lots of other hikers along the way but not enough to ruin the feeling of solitude that is so enjoyable in the wild. Some toilet facilities along the early going but not as you start the mountain switchbacks. Dogs are OK but must be on a leash. Mika the mutt enjoyed the trip and discovered lizards. She couldn't catch any within the 20' leash length but did score a tail. She also scored a few butterflies and chased critters of unknown type in the bushes. This will be serious rattle snake country in the warmer days and I was pretty careful to not let her get into heavy brush along the trail. We did see evidence of big cats along the trail and coyote scat on the trail.
This is between a 3 and 5 hour round trip depending upon you conditioning. Like any other hike you should be prepared with the usual stuff and water, water,water. It also doesn't hurt to take an emergency pancho if there is an overcast or clouds at the summit. It can get really chilly in those conditions and a pancho or large trash bag used like one can make a difference by blocking the wind and moisture.
