Black Mt. /Idyllwild/ Rt.243 (11/20/21, 10:42:19AM)
Hiked w/Lark, my husky girl.
Trail: Took the Black Mt. Trail off of Rt. 243 / 2E35 parking lot, on the right side of Rt. 243 about 13 miles from Idyllwild. Not the first sign that you see, it is passed that!! It is easy to miss it. When you see the second brown & white sign "Black Mt. sign, it is just passed that, maybe 50 feet or so. Trail was in excellent condition! Someone trimmed the Manzanita Tree branches & is very helpful. Last time was harder to see Trail on some spots.
Weather: Sunny & clear skies, 62 at start of hike, around 10:45 am. Warmer the first 2 miles, then breeze come & was amazing.
Lots of shade. Trail goes through Manzanita canopy & Sugar pines.
Water Source: none today, it seems possible that in spring might be some.
Other Hikers: Met two hikers at the fork just before summit, they were descending. Met two other hikers at the summit, they were coming from hiking the dirt road. On descending, met two younger campers that were going up. Just before parking lot, a young family with few kids were hiking up the trail.
Wildlife Signtings: lizards, birds, deer footprints.
Highlight Of The Hike:
1) No injuries
2) Beautiful summit
Learning Points:
1) Hydration & Food
2) Trekking Poles & good hiking boots
3) GPS - I use Gaia
4) Safety first - Returning to your car is mandatory, reaching the summit is optional