Hiking – Page 6 – Paint Your Landscape

Get High ~ Sequoia National Park (Part 2)

June 10, 2012June 10, 2012LuAnn

“When I entered this sublime wilderness the day was nearly done, the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful… and one naturally walked softly and awestricken among them.” ~ John Muir

Time to get high, as in “natural high” or elevation gain, not like some of you are thinking. Temps are starting to creep up so hiking in the higher elevations just makes more sense. For our first high- elevation hike in Sequoia National Park, we opted for part of the High Sierra Trail. I say part because you could traipse all the way to Mt. Whitney if you were so inclined. Our trek for the day was to be 11 miles, versus 60 to the highest point in the lower 48.

flashy little lizard — I’m quite the flashy little guy, don’t you think?

This is rated as a moderate hike, with some longish steady uphill slogs. Probably rated more this because of the distance versus the uphill exertion. On our way out to the trailhead, which began in the Giant Forest, a black bear sow and cinnamon yearling sprinted across the road, both evading our camera. We had heard there were bears in the area, but this was to be our first sighting.

terry headin' on down the trail — Terry headin’ on down the trail.

Beginning at an elevation of ~7000 feet, which I was still acclimatizing to since we lived at sea level for the past four months, the air was crisp and fresh, fresh, fresh. Part of the trail winds through the quiet, lush green forests, with the trilling of many songbirds, the sweet scents of unknown plants (did recognize sage and what I thought smelled like grape hyacinth) and the deep, rich fragrance of pine wafted up as we hiked across the spongy carpet of needles.

Where the forest opened up, many varieties of wildflowers were beginning to pop along the trail, adding to the sensual pleasure.

Besides the quiet beauty of the forest and the wildflowers that greeted us along the path, gurgling brooks and waterfalls appeared around many bends.

We enjoyed our lunch next to a small cascading waterfall, created from the snow-melt above. Vistas opened through the forest to remind us of how high we were and how much further our feet could carry us.

We were continually amazed at the size of the trees on this trail, sending out cones almost the length of my arm in some cases.

One big pinecone, and nope, not from a sequoia. — One big pine cone, and nope, not from a sequoia.

This is definitely a hike worth taking if you like high elevations and grand vistas (and don’t mind a little uphill trekking).

Our next hike (and with a day’s rest between the two, thank you) was to Eagle Lake, out the Mineral King road. The drive out is 25 miles on an old logging road, narrow and not terribly well-maintained. There are 698 twists and turns to get to Mineral King, the teeny town near the trailhead (yes, someone actually counted them) so it becomes a 90-minute drive at an average speed of 15-20 mph.

Historic 1923 Kaweah River Bridge on drive out to Mineral King.

Given the views, I would say it is worth the time, even if winding roads make you a little “green around the gills” as they can me. Elevations at the trailheads out in these parts are the highest anywhere in the park.

We stopped at the Ranger Station a couple of miles from the trails to get some information and check out which trail seemed most to our liking. Both were rated as strenuous and Eagle Lake was a little longer, but with the lake as our destination, that did it for us.

We had heard that the marmots here liked to munch on wiring and cables in vehicles (something about lacking needed minerals when they crawled out of their den with their babes) so thought we would confirm this with the Ranger. He assured us that no marmots had bothered vehicles parked across from the Ranger Station but an unfortunate hiker who had parked at the trailhead had to have his car towed earlier in the week. Ok, decision made, even though it added another 4.5 miles to our hike for the day.

anise swallowtail — Anise swallowtail right at my feet!

The Eagle Lake Trail is an 8-mile hike (websites say a little less but I’m goin’ with our GPS reading) at a starting elevation of 7400 feet and an elevation gain of 2500 feet (the part that gave me pause). With what promised to be a beautiful lake at the end, I pushed aside my doubt of ever seeing it and off we headed.

view walking to the trailhead — view out to the trailhead

The views along the way were spectacular so if this is what we had to look forward to once on the trail, bring it on!

Gurgling snow-fed streams, lofty waterfalls, beautiful butterflies and gorgeous vistas almost made me forget about the relentless uphill climb (almost). Just when I thought we had hit a little smooth sailing (as in level terrain), around the next bend what should appear but a rather extensive boulder field that needed to be traversed.

boulder field — Seriously?! We’ve gotta cross this thing?

By now I’m thinking maybe I don’t need to see another lake after all! With a little cajoling from Terry and a wee bit of whining and sniveling on my part, we crossed over and prepared for the last leg of our journey up to the lake (sounds like I’m trekking Mt Everest, doesn’t it?).

Man, was it worth it! Eagle Lake is a cirque granite lake, crystal clear and looked so inviting. All we had time for was a quick lunch and a few photos, then back down the trail we went. I would have been so disappointed had I not gutted it out.

The hike out took less than half the time to get up to the lake. We both agreed it was one of the toughest hikes either of us had done but one of the most rewarding. Actually, once off the trail, the hike back to our truck seemed like the longest but it assured us that we wouldn’t have furry little hitchhikers on the way back, right? Well, what should we find when we approached our truck but a fat marmot scurrying under it. Terry yelled and raised the hood and who should be sitting on the engine staring back at him but our fat, furry friend wanting a lift back into town! He decided to scurry off instead and no damage done. We noticed as we passed through the parking lot at the trailhead that many cars had been encased in chicken wire and one ingenious hiker had laid down a large tarp, drove onto it, and wrapped it up like a Christmas present! Didn’t even think to take a photo, darn it.

It’s a great time of year to come up to Sequoia National Park and get high, as in a high elevation hike. You don’t know what you’re missing!

magic mushrooms? — Magic mushrooms anyone?

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Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve

April 22, 2012LuAnn

One of the things we have missed while in San Diego is hiking in the wilderness, without having to drive a great distance to do so. We have not been able to get to Mission Trails Regional Park yet so the next best thing was to head out to Torrey Pines State Reserve, about a 6 mile drive south for us. We heard the hiking was nice and read that this is one of the wildest stretches of land remaining on the southern California coast so we were counting on some pretty spectacular views.

torrey pine tree — The not-so-rare-looking Torrey pine

This day use only park is home to the nation’s rarest pine tree, the Torrey pine, named after the renown botanist Dr. John Torrey of New York, back in 1850. Ironically Dr. Torrey never set foot in this part of the country but instead was bestowed this honor by a colleague of his, Dr. Charles Christopher Parry, who did travel here and took action in 1855 to protect this species of pine. Where this rare pine once covered a large area, it now only grows here and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara.

You can park down at the beach in the day use parking lot and walk up to the top (which would afford you the most exercise) or drive up and park where the network of trails begin. There is a nice little visitor center and museum to peruse and interpretive nature walks are provided on the weekends. To keep the park pristine, no food or drink except water and no pets or bikes are allowed on the trails.

Eight miles of trails criss-cross the park, some hugging the sandstone cliffs, offering stunning 360º views.

sandstone cliffs with view of La Jolla beyond — Sandstone cliffs with views of Del Mar and Cardiff

Other trails take you through chaparral, prickly pear cactus and Mohave yucca, just beginning to bloom. You can catch a glimpse of the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course through this shrubbery.

The Beach Trail descends 300 feet to Torrey Pines beach and lagoon, an area vital to migrating birds, with views of Flat Rock. South of this rock is San Diego’s “unofficial” nude beach, Black Beach.

Flat Rock at Torrey Pines beach — View of Flat Rock on Torrey Pines beach

The Torrey Pines Park Road was once part of the main highway running between Los Angeles and San Diego. Originally a dirt road built in 1910, it was paved a few years later. Even paved, its steep grade posed a problem for the vehicles of that era. Because Model Ts used gravity to deliver gas to the engine that was set in front of the car, motorists had to climb the road in reverse! This road is now used by those wanting to enjoy the views while working up a sweat.

With the sound of the pounding surf and the salty smell of the ocean tantalizing the senses, you can forget that you were here for some exercise. If you are looking for a heart-pounding hike, this is probably not going to get you there but you definitely can’t beat the views!

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Anza-Borrego Desert State Park ~ Land of Slot Canyons and Prehistoric Creatures

April 6, 2012April 8, 2012LuAnn

We felt like parolees being given a short release so we decided to make the most of it and head inland for a very quick trip. This is not our preferred way to tour but I think we both feel a sense of urgency to see a few more sights before we leave the San Diego area. Time is flying and we have only three weeks remaining before we make our trek up north to Yellowstone.

We had heard about Anza-Borrego Desert State Park from friends Nina and Paul of Wheeling It. To be honest, our destination was to be The Slabs but the park was on our way so we decided to take a quick tour. Given that this is the largest state park in California and the second largest in the country, there was no way to do it justice as it covers over 600,000 acres, with 500 miles of dirt roads and 100 miles of hiking trails. It will just have to stay on our bucket list to explore in-depth at a later date but it seemed like a crime to bypass it altogether given how close we were.

Anza-Borrego was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Batista de Anza, known for his discovery of an overland trail across California, and the Spanish word borrego, meaning bighorn sheep, which inhabit the park but are rarely seen by visitors . The park sits in a bowl surrounded by the Santa Rosa and Vallecito Mountain ranges.

As is our normal custom when we visit parks, we stopped at the visitor center, which was small but very nice. A lovely volunteer from the state of Washington gave us some literature and the lay of the land. We wanted to see about taking a sunset/moonlight hike with an interpretive guide, given a nearly full-moon was forecast. As you might expect, this hike had been filled some time ago. We settled for a visit to one of the slot canyons instead, with the promise of seeing the moon rise over the desert. However, if you enjoy hiking as we do and have the time, the 6-mile Hellhole Canyon Trail, with some boulder-hopping and bushwhacking, looked interesting.

Hopes for seeing any wildflowers on our drive out were slim due to the lower than average rainfall this season and sadly we saw none. Not a huge disappointment as we had been desert rats for years, living in Arizona, and had seen these beautiful floral displays pushing up through the arid desert floors before. If you haven’t seen spring in the desert, when there is adequate rainfall and the floor is carpeted in vibrant colors among the prickly cacti, you really owe it to yourself to take a hike!

What we did see which was highly unusual and may not be seen anywhere else was a scattering of life-size and oversized metal art sculptures dotting the sandy desert. These works of art were the brainchild of Ricardo Breceda, of which the book Ricardo Breceda, Accidental Artist by Diana Lindsay, has been written. With over 500 plant and animal fossils having been uncovered in the park, Breceda set about to recreate some of these creatures that roamed this desert millions of years ago. Prehistoric mammals, wild horses and a 350′ long serpent (not seen but we had heard) have been deposited over three miles of this arid landscape. We glimpsed a giant scorpion and grasshopper staged for battle as we drove out to the slots.

We arrived at the Palm Slot late afternoon and if you didn’t have even a rudimentary map, as we did, I’m not sure you could find it. It was a short one mile trek to the mouth of the canyon and, as we approached, my heart rate quickened a bit. I must admit to being claustrophobic and I was having flashbacks to the slots in Utah we had traversed some years back. This was not nearly as intimidating, so piece of cake. The only worry at all was that of snakes, as we had been warned that several had been spotted recently.

Here’s Terry, appearing to hold up the archway near the entrance, beckoning me to join him. Hmm, do I really want to do this?

Terry in the slots — Come on Lu, no need to be afraid.

Ok, I can do this. Time to overcome my fear of tight spaces. The deeper into the slot I go the more I enjoy it. See, I’m even smiling.

Terry decides to jump right in and join me, not be to outdone by his wife.

This really was an easy slot canyon to negotiate, even if you are a teensy bit claustrophobic. And on our way out, we were rewarded with the rising moon. Although not the most spectacular we have seen, we were promised a moon and that’s what we got!

For those who like to boondock, there is such a wide expanse of desert, with broad sweeping vistas everywhere you look. No need to feel cramped out here. We are still weighing the whole solar panel issue ourselves and would love to hear from some of you who have elected to install them. Tell us what you think.

By the way, if you find yourself going through Julian to get to Anza-Borrego, we are told it is a must to stop at the Julian Pie Company. We did stop in, eyed the great-looking pies in the display cases, but resisted.

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Meditation and a Hike

January 27, 2012April 8, 2012LuAnn

For many, hiking is a form of meditation, getting in touch with nature. This is certainly true for Terry, and I love hiking myself, but I need a little more. That is what took me to the Tucson Community Meditation Center last night. It came highly recommended to me by our friend Kevin. A 30-minute Q&A, followed by a 45-minute sit and a Dharma talk about how to merge tranquility into your meditation practice rounded out the evening.

The speaker for the evening was Upasaka Culadasa, a lay-practitioner who has practiced Buddhist meditation for 35 years and is now devoted to helping students master meditation skills. It was a very welcoming group that I spent the evening with and I felt blessed to have had the opportunity to sit in the presence of this revered teacher. What I didn’t realize until this morning is how much his talk on serenity spoke to me.

You see, for the most part, I tend to see myself as a tranquil person but I have discovered that I have been anything but serene for the past week or so. What I have been is restless, with a somewhat uneasy feeling about me and not quite sure why. I think I may have gotten to the crux of the matter.

When I retired and started this blog, it was with the intent of keeping family and friends informed of our travels throughout Mexico, but also with the thought that I would now have time to pursue my spirituality and write with a more philosophical bent as well. After all, the front page of my blog does say a ‘Journey of Self-Discovery and Adventure” and in my post on Ringing in 2012 I said to be true to yourself, so I guess it is time I do just that.

I enjoy writing about our travels and will continue to do so, as I want to share another great hike we did today in the Santa Catalina Mountains, for those who might like hiking and find themselves in the Tucson area. Hopefully my occasional philosophical musings will not scare anyone off but if you think they might, hit the back button and get out while you can! Otherwise, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

The Santa Catalinas are so beautiful and so vast that we decided to do the Pima Canyon Trail, on the other side of the mountain. We completed 8 of the 14 miles of this trail before turning back, and with an elevation gain just shy of 2000 feet, we said “good enough”. Truthfully the literature warns that once beyond the 3-mile mark, the trail becomes noticeably more rugged and steep. For me that means treacherous on the way down. We did a lot of boulder-hopping after the 3-mile mark as well and had to stay alert to make sure we did not make a wrong turn, as the trail was not well-defined beyond this point.

I mastered the descent down the mountain, well almost. We always carry a first-aid kit with us, mostly for the benefit of Terry, as the standing joke is that he seems to take any opportunity he can to injure himself in some way. But today, this first-aid kit was to be all mine. I got through the worst of the loose, steep descent, stepped onto a granite boulder, and slid down the other side, whacking my forearm on the way down. I hit my funny bone (can someone remind me why they call it that?) and drew just enough blood to invoke sympathy from Terry, as he rounded the corner to see me laid out. Thank goodness for an ice pack in our lunch sack, to reduce the knots that began to appear on my arm. After a few minutes of easing the light-headedness I was feeling from where I hit the nerve in my elbow and my embarrassment, we were on our way once more.

Except for my minor mishap today, with enough trails under my belt, I think Terry may just make a hiker out of me after all. Now, if he could just teach me how to pee in the wilderness without getting my boots wet! Not happenin’.

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Wishing on a Star for a Hot Tub

January 21, 2012April 8, 2012LuAnn

This was my initial thought after the effects of our hike today settled in. Given the clouds moving into the Tucson area, seeing any stars tonight did not look promising and finding a hot tub in Catalina State Park was not going to happen. Settling for a nice hot shower seemed the most appealing alternative.

We enjoy staying at state parks when possible as they usually provide more wide open spaces and great views. Catalina State Park, located within Coronado National Forest, sits at the base of the majestic Santa Catalina Mountains.

Sitting at an elevation of 3000 feet, this 5500 acre park is a haven for desert plants, wildlife and nearly 5,000 saguaros. Miles of equestrian, birding, hiking, and biking trails wind through the park and on into the Coronado National Forest. Mount Lemmon is the highest peak in the Santa Catalinas, standing at 9157 feet.

We opted for the Romero Canyon Trail hike today, a moderately difficult hike. We did not make it out to Romero Pass at 7.2 miles, choosing instead to turn around at 5.5 miles. This round-trip 11 mile hike, with elevation gains of 2000 feet was enough for us.

Two Happy Hikers — Two happy hikers at the turn-around mark

It offered some stunning views, with lots of running water in the canyon. It would be interesting to see how fast the water is moving through the canyon after the spring run-offs.

Most of the hike out was up, so the good news was we could cruise downhill on the return trip, but admittedly a little harder on the knees, as I watch my husband gingerly walking around the rig tonight. If I am honest, my legs are protesting a bit tonight as well.

View towards Tucson hiking down off the Romero Canyon Trail

About 3/4 of the way back, we started to see paramedics and other rescue personnel hiking up past us. There were a total of eleven rescue workers pushing up the mountain, and two staged with a bucket/gurney nearby, as well as seven rescue vehicles standing by to assist. We never did learn what occurred, and watching the local news tonight did not provide any answers either. We can only hope that whatever happened in the canyon today, it was not serious.

As we crossed over the stream at the end of our hike, a little boy, clad only in a t-shire and Superman undies, came racing around the corner dragging a toy truck. He stopped abruptly right in front of us, dropped his undies, and proceeded to water the grass along the trail. Ah, the innocence of children!