April Fool's Day on Big Iron - 14mi/7200ft gain

UPDATE 2013-03-27: Let's keep an eye on the weather forecast for Mon. If the current foul forecast holds, we'll need to reschedule because rain/snow and Big Iron don't mesh well. Will let u know by Fri morn at latest.

Often billed as the toughest single day hike in the San Gabriels, the route from Heaton Flats to the summit of Iron Mountain #1 (aka "Big Iron") comprises 7200ft of gain over 7.1miles. It's great training for Skyline, C2C, Whitney, and other similar routes. Needless to say, this is an ADVANCED hike, and what better day to choose to endure such a masochistic leg-burner than on April Fool's day?

Distance: 14mi/23km r/t Elevation Gain/Loss: 7200ft/2200m Waitlist only for now. Once you have answered the RSVP question, I will bump you to the confirmed list. Hike Time: ~12 hours Trail Condition: Mix of maintained/unmaintained trail Weather: Click [here (http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=34.24558136692997&lon=-117.74580001831055)] Map to parking: Click [here (http://goo.gl/maps/MZDrl)] Route Map: Click [here (http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=955888)][more info (http://www.summitpost.org/heaton-flat-trail-and-south-ridge/264070)] Trail Sweeper: Yes (me) Gear: At least 6L water, headlamp/flashlight, snacks, trekking poles if you prefer, and 10 essentials (http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ten-essentials.html) Red Tape: Adventure Pass is required to park (I have one). We can grab self-issue Sheep Mountain Wilderness permits at the trailhead Our route takes us from Heaton Flats (aka San Gabriel River East Fork or just "East Fork") east into the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, up and up to Iron Mountain #1, topping out at 8007ft. I haven't done this trail yet, so I'm pretty stoked about it! Lastly, I will cross-post this meetup to a couple different groups; feel free to rsvp to any or all of them, and I'll sort it out.

I'll be coming from Santa Monica/West LA if anyone would like to carpool

Cheers!