I finally managed to remember to bring my camera during my latest run up Mt. Woodson this past weekend. It was perfect weather for an assault on the hill, and my time of 85 minutes was acceptable, though I could have hit the middle section of the uphill a bit harder.
Hey, they finally got around to filling up the potholes that litter the paved section of this trail. I was wondering how the guys who staff the relay towers at the peak were able to navigate around and through this mess.
The sign at the base of the peak after leaving the paved section and moving on to the dirt.
Excellent! This old Fry Koegel trail is now marked with a brand spankin’ new sign. Upkeep on this trail has picked up a bit with a new stair section, several dips have been filled with scree, and one of the hairier slippery bits has been mellowed out. My ankles thank the people who continue to clean up this trail.
Looking up the mountain at the base of trail I spotted a nifty sign that points out all of the converging trails. There’s no way you’re going to get lost now.
So…what are you waiting for? Get out on the trail and get dirty! 
NOTE: Link to my original Mt. Woodson post (with map to trail head) can be found here.
I finally received my Mt. Whitney permit for this year. Seems the original copy either got lost in the mail or an unscrupulous neighbor absconded with my letter. I became fed up with waiting and gave a call to the Whitney permit office, where they verified that my permit request had been accepted and that a replacement letter would be sent right away.
And whatdoyaknow…it arrived!
This year I’ll be taking altitude sickness medication, which I hope will help me cut two hours from my time last year.
See you on the mountain in September!
It looks like my previous theory that a parking lot was under construction at Iron Mountain proved to be true.
Pulling up to IM this past weekend I was greeted with a nice right turn only lane which fed directly into a brand spanking new dirt parking lot complete with bathrooms:
No longer will you have park along side the freeway, hoping that a careless driver doesn’t decide to take you out as you exit your vehicle.
A nice touch to this new lot is the bride that leads you to the trail head. And…as you exit the parking lot there’s a new stop light that will allow you to safely cross the freeway. No more jumping into 80MPH traffic!
Kudos to whomever made this possible!
Managed to break away from baby duties long enough this afternoon to finally squeeze in a nice trail run. I decided to hit up Iron Mountain and run Ellie Lane. It’s been nearly a month since I last visited this trail, and let me tell ya it felt great to finally feel dust under my heels after so long an absence.
Parking here has always been a bit sketchy. There is no parking lot, so you’re forced to park along Highway 67, which can be a bit daunting if you’re uncomfortable with cars traveling 70 mph rocketing past you with just a couple of feet to spare (watch out for those big rigs!). I think the city of Poway has finally taken notice of this danger because I saw quite a bit of work being done next to the trail, which I can only assume is going to be a small parking lot.
Very cool.
Also noted was the damage done to the trail from our recent rains. I guess this is natural progression of the geology, but it’s a shame nonetheless. Ah well…
Along with the work being done on the upcoming parking lot, I believe a few new signs have been posted. It’s nice to see that the sign at the peak of Ellie Lane has been replaced:
After weeks of running around our local lake and attacking the hills near our home, it was nice to be able to stretch my legs on a fun run on such a beautiful day.
Oh, and a belated “Congrats!” to my friend James for putting in his application for the Mt. Whitney lottery! I hope to either see you up there this year or find some time to share our combined experiences. Keep an eye out for that permit to show up in the mail in April (fingers crossed!).
It’s amazing how quickly January flew by. It’s now February 1st, and that can mean only one thing; it’s time to send out your application to enter the Mt. Whitney lottery.
If you want to have a chance at securing a spot on the mountain this year, you need to get your application in before the end of this month. If your envelope does not have a February postmark, then you’re just out of luck. There is the off-chance that you can pick up an unclaimed permit in April, but I wouldn’t count on it. As always, read the fine print.
Inyo National Forest Lottery Page
Be sure to put down as many alternate dates as possible. This will increase your odds of securing a permit.
Pro Tip: If you happen to secure a permit, remember to show up a day before your planned ascent, and pick up your permit before noon. If you show up after 12pm, your permit is null and void. There’s zero chance that you’ll get a replacement (unless you’re attempting a single day assault, then you might get a replacement day use pass).
To get you excited about Mt. Whitney 2010, check out my post from last year’s ascent.
Last year I completed the round trip in 10 hours. I’m hoping to cut 2 hours from that time. I think this year I’m going to talk to my doctor about altitude sickness medication. If I can negate the effects of altitude sickness (which really killed my time last year), I’m confident I can complete this run in 8 hours. I’d like to get the medication early and test it out on a Mt. Baldy (Mt. San Antonio) training run.
Man…I’m getting the butterflies just thinking about this run. Can’t wait!
See you on the trail!
