Daley Ranch

Man, it's been a really long time since I was out in the great outdoors. Work, several illnesses and sheer laziness got in my way.

For my birthday, friends at work got me a gift voucher to REI, so I excitedly headed off to buy some gear. I ended up with an REI Flash 30 lightweight pack, a 3L Camelbak reservoir and REI Traverse poles.

To try the gear out, yesterday Kristina and I went out to Daley Ranch, north-east of Escondido. We had intended to do a nice 3 mile loop, since I am still recovering from a bad back and she from a bad knee. Unfortunately the initial steep incline and heat (even at 4pm) caught us out. I realized just how overweight and unfit I had become. We reduced the hike to a mere 1.5 miles. Yeah, I'm a total wuss!

So my plan now is to lose 40 lbs and get a lot fitter. Watch this space!

Back to Batiquitos

Yesterday we went back to Batiquitos Lagoon, a walk from earlier in the year, in an effort to get our fat, lazy butts off the couch and back into shape. It was a pleasant walk to get us started on hiking again.

Next summer we need to make sure that we don't take several months off from hiking like we did this year. It allowed us to get out of shape again.

No activity

Hello All, well the summer turned out to be so hot (see my last adventures on Iron Mountain) that we decided not to do any more hiking for a while. Now the weather is turning cooler and I am looking forward to getting my big, fat and lazy self out and about again. We are out of shape again so will have to go back to something a little more gentle for a bit.

On other news, check the blog roll (at right) for a link to a fascinating site about The British perspective on Mt. Everest. Well worth a visit, and hopefully the author will expand it in the future.

Iron Mountain

A couple of days ago, myself, Kristina and a bunch of other folks from work, set out at 9:30 am to climb Iron Mountain. Tamara chose not to join me. Iron Mountain is just down the road from Mt. Woodson, east of Poway, and although it is a couple of hundred feet less in altitude, it looks much more impressive than Mt. Woodson from the trailhead.

We set out, and unfortunately the others were far fitter and more accomplished hikers than I, and they set a fast pace. I dropped behind, quite happy to go at my own pace, and soon they were all out of sight.

It was another scorching day and I was soon suffering from the heat. At 1.5 miles, halfway along the trail, I took a rest. The second photo is my view of the peak from my resting place, perched in the miserly shade of a bush. As you can see, there is precious little shade.

I watched others work their way up the switchbacks toward the peak, and eventually I set out to get further. At the 2 mile mark, and with a mile to go (the steepest mile), I called a halt. I phoned Kristina and found that they were all on the summit! I informed them that due to the heat, if I made it to the summit, I would never get down again, and so I started back down. I had reached my own summit.

As it was, I barely made it back to the trailhead, serious overheated. In the last quarter mile I was basically willing myself on step by step. The lesson I have learned from this is no more serious hikes in the summer heat. I either need a shaded trail or one that is cooler at altitude.

Never the less it was a fun trail, and one day I will go back and summit. Afterward, most of us went to the Stones Brewery and drank lots of good beer and had lunch.

"The Way Up"

This morning we did the rather unimaginatively named "Way Up" trail. This wonderful trail is nestled in the hills west of Escondido, in the Harmony Grove/Elfin Forest area.

The condition of the trail is excellent and the signposting obviates the need for a map. From the parking lot we crossed a lovely little creek and started up the switchbacks. Overall, it wasn't as steep as Mt. Woodson, since the trail climbed 600-700' elevation in the same distance of 1.3 miles. We began to wonder when the switchbacks would ever end, as we went back and forth up the side of a rocky hill, but eventually we turned a corner and came across a little outlook.

The outlook consisted of a pair of wooden benches covered with a shady wooden roof, and we spent some time looking out across Escondido to the eastern mountains.

Since it was so hot, Tamara decided to wait at the outlook and I continued up the trail to try to find the top of the hill, not far above. After a couple of rocky switchbacks it opened out into more level ground and I came to the highest point. I could have continued another 0.25 miles to a picnic area and a view over the new reservoir, but instead I opted to return. Enough climbing for the day.

A great trail and one of the busiest we have been on with lots of hikers and mountain bikers.

Lake Poway

This last weekend, we returned to the "scene of the crime" of our last hike, gluttons for further punishment. This time the weather was milder and a beautiful day for hiking.

Our original intention was to hike the supposed 2 miles around Lake Poway, but we quickly learned that the trail across the dam itself was closed. This meant we had to descend the switchbacks that had almost killed me on the last hike, to the base of the dam and then hike back up on the other side.

Once back up to the level of the dam again, we continued around the base of the lake, for a total of 3 miles. We saw some interesting wildlife in the form of endless caterpillars crawling across the trail, a blue heron and a huge buzzard that sat in the tree right above us.

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve

This weekend we went out to the Blue Sky Ecological Reserve, east of Poway, at the foot of Mount Woodson. It was a scorchingly hot day, mid nineties, and had we any sense we would have abandoned our hike.

The first mile was a very easy hike down an excellent fire trail, partially shaded by trees, and luckily a stiff breeze took the edge of the heat.

Then we turned right toward Lake Poway. We knew there was a dam and I wa

s expecting a vertical, concrete dam, so I was surprised when we came over a rise to find a steep sloped dam composed of rocks.

As you can see there was very little shelter, because most of the trees had been destroyed by last year's wildfires. There was a wonderfully shady copse at the foot of the dam, however, with a little camp site, but we elected to ignore it and forge on.

The trail ran up to the side of the dam via a series of switchbacks. Halfway up I was already becoming nauseous from the heat - pouring water over my head and neck to cool myself.

 Tamara was making better progress than I was, despite her troubles on Mt. Woodson earlier in the year.

We eventually made it to the top, to be rewarded by a wonderful view of the Lake and the Blue Sky valley. Within moments I was ready to descend - I knew that I had to get to the shady camp ground before heat exhaustion hit me.

So we set off back down the switchbacks at a rate of knots, pausing only to soak myself every few turns, and eventually we sat down in the shade at took a well deserved break.

 

The return to the trailhead was a grueling one, and I have definitely learned my lesson not to hike in 90 degree temperatures again.

All in all it was a very scenic 4.5 mile hike with a nice hill climb up the dam, which I would have enjoyed considerably more if I hadn't been feeling sick. It would also have been nice to extend the hike around the lake.

One fascinating part of the hike, back on the main Blue Sky trail, was to see how the trees were recovering after the wildfires. Blackened trees and dead branches were coated in wispy growths of new leaves. In some cases the tree had a definite cut off line when it had burned in the lower half and the canopy had escaped.