This past Friday went out for a hike with my hiking friends, Chris, Myrna, Shake, and Mark. We had a lovely cool and partly cloudy day for this hike in Southeastern San Diego County.
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| A Different Angle of View |
After checking at the Ranger Station about a parking permit, and making a last rest stop, we were on the trail. The hike was in chaparral
with lots of granite boulders around. Lake Morena is a local reservoir which was at only 4% of capacity which highlights the drought conditions here in San Diego.
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| Lower end of Lake Morena |
The hike was not strenuous though there was a steep area with loose rocks and a narrow path that we thought might be an issue on the way down. After about 200 yards of this scrambling the trail leveled out a bit and was easy to follow and climb. There was also some scrambling up and around some of the large bolders that lay along the trail.
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| Manzanita Bark Threads |
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| Manzanita Limb and Bark |
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| Molded Granite |
When we reached the first of three "peaklets" we stopped and enjoyed the panoramic views, and the various sizes and shapes of the boulders strewn about the area.
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| ?Pregnant Gargoyle? |
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| Rocky Butte Top |
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| Gargoyle(?) and Second Peaklet |
Here we also enjoyed a trail lunch before starting back down the trail. We turned off the Pacific Crest Trail and joined a dirt old dirt road that eventually link up with the paved Lake Morena Shoreline Road.
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| Three Sisters |
It was good to be out in the countryside and enjoying a hike with good friends.
