A group of 16 was forewarned at the La Cañada carpool point that the hike would be longer than the advertised eight miles because the firebreak shortcut was overgrown and impassable. (This piece of information had been learned on a scouting trip to the bottom of the lower firebreak the week before.) Undeterred by this news, all 16 later reappeared at the modest sized trailhead parking area 5.2 miles up the Angeles Crest Hwy. The group signed in, exchanged amenities, and started up the Dark Canyon Trail by 8:05 am. At a point just below a grove of coulter pines, the trail met an infrequently used road. We turned left on this road and followed it to the ridge where it intercepted the Grizzly Flat Road. We then followed the Grizzly Flat Road to the summit, reaching the top at 10:40.
Impatient to return to civilization and presumably eager to do their Sunday chores, four members of the group signed out at the summit and scurried down to their cars. The rest of us enjoyed a leisurely lunch among the radio antennae and started down at 11:30. As it turned out, although aggressive Scotch broom had filled in the lower firebreak, the upper firebreak was still open and hikeable (but steep). We took the upper firebreak on the way down, which cut out nearly a mile and were back at our cars by 1:50 pm. Then we too went home to our Sunday chores. The total distance and elapsed time for this enjoyable stroll above the smog was 10 miles in 5-3/4 hours.
