Stretching Our Legs on Mt Lowe

On the spur of the moment, Mary and I headed for Mt. Lowe (in the San Gabriel Mountains above Altadena*) on sunny Saturday morning. This was a sort of warm-up as Mary will be leading her famous Seven SoCal Summits for the Angeles Chapter in the spring. It proved to be a great mid-winter stretch with a little bit of elevation for us flatlanders. The whole day was a reminder of how lucky we are to live in paradise.

With the unseasonable weather we've been enjoying, Mary thought we might see some early wildflowers. The manzanita and ceanothus were blooming but for wildflowers, we saw only one little red Indian Paintbrush. We'll have to keep looking I guess!

The San Gabriels are green and lush at the moment so you probably want to get out there and hike around. You'll be happy you did. The views are marvelous as the hillsides have been opened up by the Station Fire and the ground plants are waking up.Speaking of which...

Beware! Poodledog bush is everywhere since it was activated by the fire. It is not blooming yet so it looks like a shrub with long droopy leaves on tall stalks. It can be just the right height to brush your uncovered arm as you skirt by on a narrow slopping trail. I wish I had taken a picture because the ones I've seen on the web show the plant in bloom - which isn't due for weeks.

*The Angeles Chapter's Hundred Peaks Section describes the hike here.