Gunmount Trail Hike
	Trip Date:  05/10/2018 Distance: 7.5 Miles   Vertical Gain: 500' Group Size: 3 Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate    Hard    Strenuous	GPX for this trip
	Start Coordinates:   N 38 50.570'  W 120 02.482'     End Coordinates:   Same as Start Coordinates   Car Shuttle Req'd:   No Parking Directions:   Take Highway 50 to the town of Meyers which is just on the eastern side of Echo Pass.   There is a small turnoff on the north side of the highway right next to the actual gunmount building, and the parking coordinates are just outside of a gate into the trail area.   There is room for two vehicles in this spot. Hazards of Note:   There are few hazards per-se on this trail.  The one thing to be aware of is that there are many forks in the trail all along this area, as it is popular with bikers and dog walkers.  Even if you get onto an incorrect trail, you will not be able to get too far out of the way with a housing tract to the east for most of the way and the Angora ridge to the west. Crowd Factor:   Moderate to High.  This is a popular area for mountain biking and local dog walkers. General Notes: From the start parking area, pass the gate and head north for as far as you would like to venture until you reach the end of the trail section where it hits the road heading up Angora Ridge to Fallen Leaf Lake about 7 miles distant.  There is a small swamp to your east just about a half mile into the hike, which you can access through an area which has been cleared of fallen timber over the past few years.  The trail wanders through the forest for the first couple miles, barely skirting a local housing development about a mile into the trek.  The trail then emerges from the forested section at almost exactly the 2 mile mark, offering stunning views of the back side of Flagpole and Echo Peaks to the west.  This section of trail is open due to the devastating 2007 Angora Ridge fire, which was caused by an illegal campfire and destroyed nearly 300 buildings.  From this point on the trail wanders through the burned forest for the rest of the time.
	This is the building you want to look for near the parking area.  Don't park in this lot, but down the dirt trail just to the left of this spot where you will see a forest service gate.
	A look across Oswald Swamp looking east from the shoreline.
	A wilderness repair job using bandages and duct tape.  Worked like a charm!
	The backside of Flag Pole peak from the Gunmount trail, a view that is very different from how it looks on the opposite (Echo Lake) side.
	Echo Peak is clearly visible from this section of trail which meanders through the devastation from the 2007 Angora Ridge fire.
	Greg B and Mark stopping to enjoy the unexpectedly outstanding views from early on.
	As we looked back at the forest we had just emerged from, we had a nice view all the way to Steven's Peak far to the south.
	Right in this spot we could see the difference between the section which burned and a section which was left untouched by the fire.
	Another look back at Echo Peak and the ridgeline south of it as the trail begins to bend a little further to the northeast.
	Mark and Greg B navigating through the thick thistle bushes which apparently loved the aftermath of the fire.
	Along the way we did stop to look for a few geocaches, including this one up in a rock formation that Mark quickly uncovered.
	Out in the middle of the area, off any of the trails was something reflecting from far off which we soon discovered to be an old car, probably dumped when this was a heavily forested area.  It was not in very good condition...
	This being in the mountains, we turned around in enough time to beat the quickly forming clouds, seen here gathering above Freel Peak in the distance.
	GPS Track of the full hike, from left to right and back.