Sunday Hike through Smoke

After eight years, I finally got a chance to go and hike Mount Pinos.
Mount Pinos is a mountain peak located in the Los Padres National Forest. It is the highest point in Ventura county at 8,831 ft (2,692 m). The goal was to reach the summit in order to enjoy a wonderful view. Who had thought it would end in a hike through smoke!

Unbelievable but true: We made it up to the trail head in the early afternoon on Sunday, August 19, 2007.
Everything seemed to be alright until someone in the group mentioned that a sign is up: Trail closed. ... After putting on hiking shoes and sunscreen we all went to read the message. Since people were coming down the trail, we decided to hike up anyway. We didn't know better...After a short walk we noticed the sky gets darker. The smell of smoke increased rapidly. A part of our small group wanted to turn around right away... we continued hiking up. But half way up we split into two groups: One part would proceed to the summit while the other part turned around and went downhill ... breathing in that air was definitely not healthy anymore.

Gallery [ pw required ]
Panorama View of the scenery [ click for large image ]
More Links:
Mount Pinos [ Wikipedia ]
Google Search Result [ all about Mt. Pinos ]