Pasadena, the town I've lived in, off and on for  the last 50 or so years, lies nestled at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains. One of the high points in the range is Mount Wilson. It was named for Benamin Davis Wilson, a local rancher who built the first modern trail to the top in 1864. Wilson was also the grandfather of General George Patton, a bloke you might have heard of.

Last Sunday I finally ran out of excuses not to walk up the mountain.

I started early. It was an overcast morning.

Here are some pictures I made along the way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, breaking through the clouds...

 

At the top of the mountain is the Observatory, started in about 1900. This is the 100 inch telescope...

 

 

Heading back down. The remenants of a fire that nearly destroyed the observatory a couple of years ago are still evident...

 

 

 

 

Back down to the San Gabriel Valley.

 

 

A good days walk.

Elevation gain: 5,710 feet

Distance covered: 16.5 miles

A leasurly 10 hours walk.

 

I hope you enjoyed the ride. Thanks for looking.