Still glowing from my visit to the Santa Susana Field Laboratory, I hiked the fourth (or sixth) highest peak in the Santa Susana Mountains.
I'd been to the park this is in for the Las Llajas Canyon hike but didn't go to the peak due to time. Before that, I'd been there with a Meetup group someone else was leading and I'd looked longingly at the fireroad when the leader announced that that was the way to the peak but we won't be going there (it was a boulder-hopping trip). I was in the area so, despite heavy fog, I decided today was the day.
Maybe I should have done something else because it was even foggier up top than it was down below and there was no summit view to be had. OTOH, I'll probably come back to do the peak again and also to get some of the unnamed peaks indicated on the map. I may be able to combine that with visits to the unnamed peaks (3329, 3120, etc) that round out the Santa Susana highpoints list (I have Oat Mountain and Mission Peak). Hey, it's a list.
As for the hike, I was making good time on the wide fireroad that comprises much of the route, but then I got bogged down in the maze of use trails or rabbit trails in the summit area. It didn't help that I only saw the actual summit when I was close to it.
While it had been all Class 1 until the summit area, there is a little scramble at the end. Given that I have a broken rib I was a little hesitant lest I angry that up, but I was there so I did it. There is a register at the top, but it looks like someone has to change the book a lot.
If you're wondering about the bug, that's not a Murder Hornet. It's actually a jolly feel good look alike, the Jerusalem cricket aka potato bug.
