Hawkins Peak Hike
	Trip Date:  06/13/2014 Distance: 7.1 Miles Vertical Gain: 2000' Group Size: 5 Hike Rating:  Easy   Moderate    Hard    Strenuous	GPX for this trip
	Start Coordinates:   N 38 43.942  W 119 54.159     End Coordinates:   Same as Start Coordinates   Car Shuttle Req'd:   No Parking Directions:   Take Highway 88 to Burnside Lake Road.  Drive about 4 miles up this dirt road which can be navigated carefully with a high clearance 2WD vehicle to the parking coordinates.  Hazards of Note:   Significant elevation gain on the road up from the parking area.   Access the summit from the eastern side, following use trails to the top.  Some easy rock climbing may be required to access the summit. Crowd Factor:   Limited.  This is a relatively remote peak in Alpine County.  You probably won't run into anyone on the trail. General Notes: This is one of the 'easier' summits of 10K feet or more to climb in the area.  Depending on where you park, it appeared that many people had driven around the locked gate a half mile further on Burnside Road up to the summit.   Most of the trek is on dirt road with fantastic views in every direction of the Mokelumne Wilderness area, and even the Desolation Wilderness area to the north. Continue on the road around the north side of the peak to a communications power station on the eastern side of the mountain, and then scale from here to the top.  Very windy, but the views are amazing.
	Our group eager to set out on the hike.
	Mark and Tracey on a sample of the early section of trail.
	The trail comes out of the forested area and meanders up the mountain in full sunlight the last couple of miles to the peak.
	Looking up at our destination, still a good 1500 feet of elevation above this point.
	Briefly considered taking a use double-track trail up the west side of toward the peak, but didn't and found a little later on that we would have had to climb this pass to get even close to the top.  A good call not to go that way and to stick to the road.
	Looking west from the top of the mountain toward Round Top and Mokelumne.  Two of our hiking mates can be seen scaling the non-as-advisable western side far below.
	Below the summit on the eastern side is a communications station for Alpine County that the primary assembly was placed to keep it from being an eyesore at the summit.  Offered fantastic cell service.  Horsethief Canyon is behind it to the left, below Freel Peak in the distance.
	Our teammates on their final ascent to the top of the peak.
	The communications equipment at the peak.
	Myself at the peak with the southern mountains far behind.
	Checking out the summit register.
	Engraving at the summit made by the mountain's namesake in 1869.
	Heading back down from the summit on the eastern side.
	Pickett Peak looming to the north, a destination that we saved for another day.
	View to the north toward Pickett Peak, second from the right and Waterhouse Peak, furthest to the left.
	An old mining shack we found just about 1/10th of a mile east of where we parked.
	GPS Track of the full hike.