W6/CT-030 Mt Lukens

 Back in SoCal meant more SOTA. This time I decided to start with Mt Lukens, the highest point in the City of Los Angeles. It appears the most common hiking route is to start at the Deukmejian Wilderness Park in Glendale, so I started there. Near the parking lot there is a maze of trails, but there are two that go all the way to the summit. I did the loop in the clockwise direction.

Near the parking lot. Still a long way to go up.

I was glad to have the maps on my phone, so I could use the GPS to verify I was on the correct trail. Once you get a short distance away from the trailhead, there are signs, but there are also lots of unsigned use trails. My route climbed over a small spur, dropped into a canyon, the started the long climb up.

Yucca plant with a view to the north.

The trail is well graded, with lots of switchbacks. Some local hiking club has sure put a lot of effort into building and maintaining the trail on such a steep hillside. There were sections that were starting to wash out, but everything seemed like it sees regular maintenance.

Looking over at the Verdugo Mountains.

As you climb, the views get better. After a few miles, the trail ends and joins a fire road. However, the relentless climb continues. It was warm and getting hotter, but some clouds blew over and at least blocked the direct sun. Eventually I made it up to the summit area. There are a million towers on top, so I found a spot with a nice view to set up. 

There was no cell service on top, so I had to rely on RBN. I started on 17m, but didn't get anyone. I thought that the band might be closed, so I switched to 40m where I only got one. This was concerning, but a call on 2m quickly resulted in a pileup. Nothing like VHF while overlooking a big city. Once I had gotten everyone, I asked one of the chasers to spot me on 30m, where I made a few more contacts.

Worn out flag on the way down.

By this point the sun had come out, I was hot, and beginning to worry about running out of water on the descent, so I packed up. I took the other trail down, and it was a long way down. About halfway down there is a flagpole that needs a new flag. I was surprised to pass a few people heading up at such a late time. I had forgotten my snacks at home, so I only had one clif bar. However, I found an unopened bar on the trail as I descended. It was ambrosia. Back at the car I cranked the AC and headed over to my hotel for the week.

Trailhead: Deukmejian Wilderness Park, Glendale.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: I took Rim of the Valley Trail up and Crescenta View Trail down.
Red Tape: None. 
Video: ham_bitious YouTube