Even though they blocked off the entry to Dawn mine–to prevent my getting lost?–and because the newly re-worked trail to Tom Sloane saddle is nearly complete, and beautiful, a great shout out to the crews who’ve moved rocks, dirt, boulders, pipes, and hoed, hacked, sawed, dug and re-engineered this fun trail.

By the way, can you spot the trail worker in the video?

I visited these parts a little less than a year ago, and nearly got lost in a dense fog. Today, that deep blue Socal sky is open and bright, an invitation to go beyond the saddle, to Mt Lowe where I knew I’d find more telescopes, like the ones at Inspiration point that help you ‘locate’ a spot in the landscape through a cast iron pipe, which brings me to a truth about much of the ‘tramping’ I do in these and other mountains: nothing like a good view to make you feel like you’re “On top of the world Ma!” That’s what peak-bagging is all about right? the view. But, and this is a big but, it, the view, has to be earned.

Walking Project 109_return to the mine, and beyond from chris worland on Vimeo.