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| Hiking | 2.70 Miles |
2,858 AEG |
| | Hiking | 2.70 Miles | 3 Hrs 20 Mns | | 0.81 mph |
| 2,858 ft AEG | | 10 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | I hiked this trail with my husband as an alternate to Miller Canyon as access to Miller Peak. We hiked Miller Canyon to the Crest last year in an aborted attempt to gain Miller Peak with my then 76 year-old mother - just about killed her.  Last year's trip took 12 hours from Miller Canyon TH to Crest Trail and down to Coronado where we had parked one of the cars.
This year, we opted to leave Mom behind and try a different assent. We arrived at the Lutz Canyon TH at 9 AM, cool morning, broken clouds with a forecast to be breezy, but warm (-ish) - the weatherman didn't lie. My husband and I are marginally experienced hikers (although last year's adventure getting off the Crest at Coronado in pitch dark with aforesaid Mom did qualify as an extreme learning experience) and even though Lutz is remarkably well-cairned, we managed to miss a key swichback above the mining equipment which resulted in a 30 minute detour up to the abandoned mine shaft. So the 3 hr 20 min climb time could justafiably be reduced to just under 3 hours to the Crest Trail. Not too bad for Flatlanders who are 58 and 59 years old!
By taking Lutz, we shaved off 1.5 miles of the previous years' trip, but I do believe I would opt for Miller Canyon would I do this again (and I'd like to!). Lutz is very rocky and part of the 1.5 mile reduction is due to it being steeper than the Miller Canyon trail. At least it sure felt that way. The bonus though, was the mining equipment encountered. Very cool big engine and compresser - I cannot imaging how they wrangled those things up there.
As mentioned before, the trail has cairns all over the place - at nearly every switchback and creekbed crossing. The full realization of our missed swichback was evident when we stepped over the three burnt timbers lying across the 'wrong' path and saw the cairn. The intent of the three timbers all of a sudden was apparent (duh - Boy Scouts 101, but not having been a boy or a scout, I think I deserve a pass, eh?).
After we got on the right trail, the switchbacking began in earnest, leading to the Black Bear Mine. Although the trail was remarkably tidy (one water bottle cap and one tuna fish can pop-top lid the whole way), it was clear that the mine was used often for an illegal stopover. Lots of back packs, jackets and gallon water jugs littered the floor for about 20 yards. It's a large, high opening that doesn't immediately drop into the shaft and you can see quite a ways in without having to go in.
After the mine it's a few more switchbacks and along the headwall of the canyon through the oaks and then, voila - you've made the Crest Trail. It was windy as advertised, so we headed up the Crest a few yards and took a little side path to the leeward side of a big outcrop and had lunch. It took another hour to follow the Crest to Miller Peak including ascending Miller Peak Trail to the top. Boy, the view was worth it but it was dang windy - like to blow us right off the top! We took some photos, checked in to Facebook and then skedaddled. The rest of the trip was as experienced the year before but with the added pleasure of doing it in daylight. From the Peak to the parking lot at Coronado, it took us three hours - we were packed up in the car by 4:45. That's one more hike off my bucket list! |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Alpines |
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