Wednesday Burro Hike - Moon & Sun Mountain Peaks

About this event

PLEASE NOTE 8:30 START TIME. I'M HOPING WE'LL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE HIKING UP & DOWN MOON BEFORE TEMPS GET TOO HIGH; WE CAN THEN DECIDE HOW WE FEEL ABOUT HIKING SUN. My plan is to first & maybe only hike up Moon Mountain, it's more of a challenge & fun for me, & I need to perfect my navigational skill in route finding! So, we'll start with Moon, & then decide if some or all of us want to climb Sun afterwards, it's more straightforward & shorter. Moon is a tricky climb up, footing requires attention both up & down, & I always find the descent a skittish one. Moon includes bouldering around large rocks, maneuvering one's body through its route, which is not straightforward. Most of us think it's fun, but you should be a sturdy, experienced hiker. We park at St. John's College, either in a marked visitor's parking spot in the lot or along the road next to the lot. We start at the TH for Atalaya, walk through the arroyo, bearing right towards the saddle between Sun & Moon. After hiking up & down Moon, we return to the saddle where all who wish can then the hike up & down Sun, which is strenuous, but not so tricky in footing. Total mileage will be about 5+ miles, less if we only hike Moon. This will be a Moderate PLUS difficulty hike. I will need to look up total elevation gain, but it should be significant. ONLY STURDY HIKERS SHOULD SIGN UP FOR THIS ONE! Burro Hikes are for experienced hikers, acclimated to altitude here; they are considered moderate by our standards, usually 4-7 miles in distance, on designated trails, unless otherwise specified. Newcomers are welcome; prior to signing up for your first hike with my Group, please test your fitness by timing yourself hiking up and down Atalaya, which you should be able to comfortably do in 3 1/2 hours or less (starting from Wilderness Gate or staircase, using Steep Route option). This will help to ensure that you are a good fit for this Group regarding pace and strenuousness of hike routes. If you have any questions…