The first repeated hike of the project.
Sharon & I high above Pasadena on Echo Mountain
I now have twenty five hikes under my belt. One quarter of the way to my goal. I didn’t need to think very long about where I should mark the occasion: I had decided on where to hike back in May. I wanted to see how far I’ve come physically by retracing the first hike of this project to see if I do any better. Oh, who am I kidding? If I didn’t do any better on this trail than my out-of-shape self did back on May 5th, I might as well throw in the towel and call it quits. I didn’t even get to Echo Mountain on my first hike. How could I possibly do any worse?
Long story short, I didn’t do any worse, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. My friend Sharon (hike #22 & hike #23) joined me and we started our hike around 4pm. It was a warm day in the San Gabriel Valley with highs in the mid 80s, but somehow it seemed a lot warmer on the trail. The first part of the journey I felt great, but as we climbed and the only shade seemed to be our own shadows, I began to overheat. I felt myself needing to stop every quarter of a mile or so or my blood would have most certainly boiled and my heart exploded.
I was determined to get to the top and my memories provided the motivation. At one time in my life, I could make it from the trailhead to the top in less than 30 minutes, even taking the two “shortcuts” straight up the mountain. In those days (2002), I used to go up to Echo Mountain 2-3 times a week. These memories made me more serious about making it to the top. Although I might have been speedy back in my slim days, but slow and steady wins in this race. No sense ending the day with a heat stroke!
Despite the long history I have with this trail, I kept pointing out to Sharon how I progressed on my previous trek here taken in May: “Here’s where I stopped, completely out of breath.” “Here’s where I took pictures of a cool beetle.” And one of the proudest moments of the hike: “Here’s where I turned around last time!” Sharon and I would pass my last benchmark and make it to the top. In fact, I ran the last 50 yards up the trail I was feeling so good.
About a century ago, Echo Mountain was a very popular tourist destination. A funicular train brought thousands of visitors a year up to the top of Echo Mountain where they could either explore the White City resort or jump on another train and head up further into the mountains to the the Mount Lowe Tavern, which operated from 1895 to 1936. I enjoy visiting Echo Mountains and looking around the ruins of the resort. The tracks are long gone as our the buildings, but the floorplan is still visible as is the train platform (see photo above), which jets out into the San Gabriel Valley.
After checking out the area, Sharon and I headed back down. With temperature dropped as fast as the sun, and by the time we got back to the car at the corner of Lake Avenue and East Alta Loma Drive, it was a bit chilly. Hot on the way up and cold on the way down. I hope that the next time I climb this trail (hike #50?), the temperature will be more comfortable going both ways.
Thoughts about the hike:
- I saw my first snake of the project! A mountain garter snake (Thamnophis elegans elegans) exited the trail as we approached, so no photos to show.
- I love hiking in the evening when the crickets come out. They sound like nature’s orchestra.
- On the way up, I spotted a tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) a beautiful little bird with shimmering bluish-green feathers.
Resources:
- Echo Mountain via the Sam Merrill Trail
- Hiking Echo Mountain and Inspiration Point
- Wikipedia: Echo Mountain
Hike #25 Trip GPS Stats:
- Date of hike: July 5th, 2009
- Location: Lower Arroyo Seco. (Gabrieleño Trail), La Cañada-Flintridge, California
- Length: 5.5 miles*
- Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes*
- Average speed: ±1.5 mph
- Altitude at start: 1,800 feet
- Altitude min.max: 1,800/3,207 feet
This map was made with the data my GPS captured on the hike.
For a more detailed trip report map, check this out.
Photos:
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Sharon taking a picture of me taking a picture of her.
A coastal whiptail lizard (Aspidoscelis tigris stejnegeri) on Echo Mountain.
Echo Mountain (facing north)
The Echo Phone!
San Gabriel Valley (Pasadena) from Echo Mountain.
Hike 25!
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