The eyes of the world were on Mount Wilson as the Eaton Fire roared some 5,715 feet above Pasadena and Sierra Madre, threatening the most iconic symbol of the foothills as well as the crucial fixture of emergency communications for Los Angeles. Mount Wilson is the historical, scientific, and technological heart of the San Gabriel Valley, where some of the most important discoveries about our place in the universe were made. It has also been the recreational apex of the community for over a century, and the Eaton Fire’s catastrophic damage to much of the mountain’s trailways has been another loss to local outdoor enthusiasts.
Moreover, the disruption to one of the largest and longest-running community events, the 117 year-old Mount Wilson Trail Race, left a hole in the hearts of many, including two of my children who looked forward to running in their fourth and second kids’ races. But Saturday, October 4, brought a “once-in-a-lifetime” alternative to raise awareness and funds for the Mount Wilson Trail’s fire recovery: the Mount Wilson Trail 5K Recovery Run, through the relatively flatter streets of Sierra Madre.
Mount Wilson, named for the grandfather of General George S. Patton, Benjamin Davis Wilson, was home to the Gabrielino-Tongva Indians until the arrival of Spanish settlers in the mid-1700s. The Indians cut the precursor to the Mount Wilson Trail during construction of the San Gabriel Mission in 1771, and in 1864, Wilson built upon their work, expanding the route. The next 50 years brought rapid expansion to the area and Wilson’s trail became a vital passage.
By 1906, thousands of Californians were journeying to hike the famous Mount Wilson Trail and intrepid climbers from around the world joined them. Serious athletes began publishing their ascent times during what became known as “the Great Hiking Era.” A public and heated competition between climbers was brewing and in 1908, New York publisher Richard F. Fox arranged the first Mount Wilson Train Race. Nine men, including famed climbers from Austria and Switzerland, competed in the inaugural race as hundreds lined the trail to cheer them on. Thousands more have run the race over the 117 years since and while fires, earthquakes, mudslides, and other factors have converged to alter the route some from year to year, the Mount Wilson Trail remains roughly 8.6 miles long, with an elevation gain of 2,100 feet.
The Mount Wilson Trail Race even continued through the pandemic, but the ferocity of the Eaton Fire outmatched local tradition. To the greater Los Angeles area, Mount Wilson’s scars from the Eaton Fire are the most visible reminder of our community’s destruction. The far-off charred bleakness of our mountains are all most Angelenos have seen or will see, given the National Forest Service’s strictly enforced closures of much of the mountain, including the Mount Wilson Trail. Only a small handful of trail maintenance volunteers have seen the destruction up close, led by former Sierra Madre Fire Department EMT Bob Spears.
Bob is no stranger to fire damage on the mountain— just five years ago, Bob and his team of local volunteers worked tirelessly to repair the damage sustained by the Bobcat Fire. The Bobcat Fire delivered its worst damage to nearby Chantry Flats, which stunningly only reopened last fall. Bob cautions that only the National Forest Service will decide when their work is sufficient: “Our goal is to have the trail ready when the USFS opens up the forest… but remember that Chantry was closed for three years after the Bobcat fire. Our fingers are crossed that they will open our trails on Dec 31.”
However, the recent experience of the Bobcat Fire did not fully prepare Bob and his team for the scale of the Eaton Fire’s devastation. “The damage is so great that to secure, re-engineer, and replace sections of the Mount Wilson Trail will require an even greater amount of additional equipment, materials, supplies, and tools, well beyond what has been used in the past.” Per volunteer Shumin Gao, as much as 70% of the trail is life-threateningly impassable. Mount Wilson Trail Race Chair Pete Siberell compares the damage to a “moonscape.”
The proceeds from the Mount Wilson Trail Recovery Run are essential for funding these needs (which are not aided by the National Forest Service) so that the more than 180 trail maintenance volunteers can reopen the trail in the future. Neither local governments nor the federal government fund Mount Wilson’s trail maintenance. The annual Mount Wilson Trail Race has become the biggest fundraising effort for the volunteers, benefitting the volunteers’ Fletcher Trail Maintenance Fund.
Taking advantage of the flatter terrain, more than 600 runners registered for the Mount Wilson Trail Recovery Run through Sierra Madre on Oct. 4, and race officials had to cap registration in the week before the event. So many more adults and kids as young as three years old still showed up to run that race organizers ran out of participant bags and ribbons!
Thousands of local residents from Sierra Madre, Altadena, Pasadena, and beyond packed the streets of Sierra Madre to cheer on runners young and old, easily more than double the attendance from recent years. The kids’ race t-shirts prominently featured a drawing of the Eaton Fire blazing across Mount Wilson, with the words “YOU GOT THIS” cheering on every fire impacted youth. In total, there were 492 5k finishers and more than 100 pre-registered children ages three and up (with others joining in, including smaller siblings in jogging strollers).
The incredible turnout will allow the trail maintenance volunteers to expand their efforts in the coming months. While final fundraising amounts are still being tallied, Bob says “I am VERY hopeful” that the Recovery Run will have netted his team what it needs to restore the Foothills’ beloved trail.
Though the historic Mount Wilson Trail will remain closed through January at least, there are areas of the mountain that have been safely reopened by the National Forest Service. Given the immense danger posed by the fire’s destruction of the Mount Wilson Trail, it is incredibly important to heed the National Forest Service closure and allow the trail maintenance volunteers to safely continue their precarious work. Until the trail work is completed, hikers can access these approved trails instead:
- Switzer Picnic Site
- Chantry Flat Recreation Area
- Upper and Lower Winter Creek trails
- Sturtevant Trail
- Sturtevant Loop
- Gabrielino National Recreation Trail
- Gould Mesa Campground
Tax-deductible to support the Mount Wilson Trail restoration project can be made through the following QR code:
Disclaimer: The content shared in our blog is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal, medical, or financial advice. Please consult with a qualified professional for guidance specific to your situation.
