This days hike went to the Angeles National Forest. You need a permit for parking the car so I first drove to the Los Angeles River Ranger District office to buy the permits. On my way I drove through area that was hit by the recent forest fire. It looks like a moon landscape. You realize that the warnings for the use of open fire are to be taken very serious.
In the Angeles National Forest I drove up the Angeles Crest Highway past Clear Creek junction in the hart of the San Gabriel Mountains. There the Colby Canyon trail starts. I must admit that the trail gives you the oppertunity to either climb Josephine Peak or Strawberry Peak but in the ascent to Josepehine Saddle I realized that the last few months the extra hours on the project didn't helped the stamina. I had two options: go on in a terrible slow pace and return to the car far after sunset or just enjoy the views at the Saddle and then return. The latter was the obvious choice.
To give an impression of the Colby Canyon:
No rattlesnakes yet but the fast amount of lizards can't be missed:
