Saguaro National Park

Nov 1 & 2, 2008 :- Saguaro (Sa-wah-roh) National Park is located close to Tucson Arizona. It is split into two distinct parts, the Tucson Mountain District (West of Tucson) and the Rincon Mountain District (East of Tucson). Both areas are a short drive from the airport. The park itself is characterized by the Giant Saguaro cacti, a National symbol of the American West but Arizona in particular. This area is a part of the Sonoran Desert, usually a hot and dry place that does experience ocassional snow in the cold winter months. Some of these giants may grow to a height of 45 ft, can have a girth of 10 ft, may live for about 150 years and weight about 5-8 tons.

The screen at the amphitheater at the Tucson Mountain District rolls up and provides a splendid view of the cacti behind the Visitor Center. Short hikes (less than a mile each) on the Hohokam Loop Road allows one to walk among these towering cacti and view other flora of this desert. The hot conditions did not inspire me to go along one of the longer trails. Sendero Esperanza trail takes one to Amole Peak after a short walk of 1.5 miles. Instead, I preferred the short walk in the Cactus Garden, and others like the Desert Discovery Trail, Valley View Overlook Trail and the Signal Petroglyphs Trail.

Don't miss the 52 minute video shown at 1pm at the visitor center in the Rincon Mountain District. It is exclusively about the Saguaro giants and the life that it supports. This area has short trails like the Desert Ecology Trail, Freeman Homestead Trail and Cactus Forest Trail. These are accessible along the 8 mile Cactus Forest Loop Drive. The Freeman Homestead Trail takes you closer to an area with the largest concentration of massive saguaros. It supposedly has one with 30 arms jutting around the main trunk (I couldn't locate it).

Drive along the Catalina Highway through the nearby Coronado National Forest to experience beautiful valley vistas and sunset views. It is a 25 mile drive that takes you from a height of 3000 ft to 9000 ft.

Visit Colossal Cave close to the park in the Rincon Mountain district. It is a cavern that was formed 12-20 million years ago but now is dry or dormant. Complete lack of water results in the formations not growing anymore. It is different from most other caves since it always is at or around 70 degrees F, no matter what the season. Take the 50 minute tour through the cave to see formations of the stalactites, stalagmites and helictities.
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Lassen Peak in Lassen Volcanic National Park

Sept 20th 2008 - On the last trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park a hike to the top of Lassen Peak had to be dropped. The thought of hiking to the top of Lassen Peak that rises to a height of 10457 feet above sea level was too much to resist. We had noticed snow on the mountain top on the last trip in early September last year. We were eager to gather conclusive photographic evidence to negate the lack of belief shown by a few. A year later it was time to accomplish scaling the peak that rises from a base height of 8500 feet above sea level.

Ashish agreed to accompany me on what was the last weekend of summer. We reached the parking lot at the base at around 9:45 am and began the hike at 10:05 am. The temperature was in the high 50's and one had to dress appropriately knowing it gets colder and possibly windier at the top.

We had set on a hike of 2.5 miles one way and were told that it takes between 3 to 5 hours to make it back. We had heard about air being rarer at an altitude and we experienced it within the first quarter mile. Although the slopes were not very steep it took a while to adjust to the air while ascending the slopes. Frequent stops to catch ones breath, enjoy the nature around you, click some photographs and shoot some video helped get accustomed to challenge at hand. The first level had high coniferous trees on a small plateau. The trees thereafter flatten out as one goes on further up. A group of four hikers talked about the impending proposition and preferred to have a quick brunch just before the ridge had to be scaled. The incline is continuous for approximately 60 % of the entire length. Continuous switchbacks along the the ridge make the hike easier and also improves the views. A view of Lake Helen and the valley towards the south gets prettier as one keeps ascending. At one point one gets to see the glacial slope at few other locations are plaques describing formation of the volcanic mountains in the park and general geology of the area. The second half of the hike is on a barren mountain side with plenty of loose gravel and rock. Ashish was on his first hike to a mountain peak and was going along with relative ease. He used the video camera to good effect describing our progress and clicking photographs all along, at every spot where we encountered something new. The second half of the ascent resulted in rising clouds taking away views towards the north, west and east. We reached a sign that indicated 0.5 miles to go to get to the top. We continued with renewed vigor and made it to the false top. Here is the crater than forced the lava out in 1914 when there was the last eruption. The true top is about a couple of hundred feet higher. the ascent to this small hill is through very loose soil, gravel and rock .

Soon we were at the very top where one can see the survey mark and a communication station that is marked as a high voltage spot. We reached the top in 2 hours without having stretched ourselves and going at a steady pace with short halts along the way up. The first five minutes offered obstructed views with only the south being clearly visible. Visibility got poorer as the clouds shrouded the mountain top leaving a small area towards the south. The devastated area towards the east was clearly visible giving an idea of what could have happened at the time of the eruption in 1914.

It was time to much onto snack while enjoying the good but relatively disappointing views. More and more hikers kept reaching the top compared to the ones we had seen go downhill. It was getting crowded at the top making clicking an unobstructed photograph a difficult proposition. It was getting colder too with the wind catching a bit and the couds getting denser. It was time to head down and make way for the ever increasing hikers. Hikers seemed to range from the young age of 15 to a aging 70 year old. Many seemed challenged but kept trudging along the slopes.

The hike down was more enjoyable and obviously more comfortable and quick. The clouds cleared a bit and so did our minds with the satisfaction of having scaled our first 10000+ ft high peak. We observed the trees closely on the second half down and noticed that these were flatter possibly due to the yearly snow melt along the slopes and earlier destruction by the volcano.

We reached the parking lot at the base in about 1 hr 15 minutes. This concluded a moderate hike in distinct topography . Ashish enjoyed his first hike and is certainly in for more.

Half Dome, Mount San Jacinto and Mount Whitney beckon next. Anybody going? You have one confirmed participant .....

StoneWall Peak in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park

It was a cloudy day when we began in San Diego. A light drizzle was followed by rain in some areas as we drove along towards Cuyamaca Rancho State Park.

It was a easy hike along gentle switchbacks. The fires in the last 5 years have charred most of the age old oak trees. As expected the trail is well maintained with bushes having grown to heights taller than most humans. The cloud cover did not allow a view of the top of the peak as we hiked up. A light drizzle gave way to steady rain and we were forced to take shelter among some rocks by the path. There was no thunder as forewarned, just steady rain. We made the distance of 2 miles within an hour, despite the 5 to 10 minute stop due to rain.

The ascent to the top on this day was interesting due to the guard rails on the granite top and the mist and clouds in the area. It brought back some fond memories of hikes in the Sahyadris that usually bring this kind of experience in this month. The ascent here was about 813 feet with the peak being recorded at 5726 feet and the base at 4913 feet. This makes it taller than Kalsubai (5400 feet) the highest peak of the Sahyadris in Maharashtra but definitely is not as much of a challenge (not been to the latter though). What a difference latitude makes? It always amazes me, this region has snow at altitudes of 5000 feet in winter months, despite being close to the ocean.

The top offered good views of Cuyamaca lake and some other mountains in the distance in all directions. There was quite some greenery despite the fires but the mark of fire will persist for years to come.

The descent was as comfortable as one would expect. We were back to the Paso Pichacho Campground in just over two hours.

It was a short drive to the base, followed by quick ascent/descent, thereby making it an enjoyable half day hike.

Cowles Mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park, San Diego

Having been twice to Iron Mountain and Mt Woodson, I was looking at other hiking options in and around San Diego city limits. I then read about Cowles Mountain (pronounced as "Cow-ellz"), the highest point within San Diego city limits standing 1591 feet above sea level.

I began the trail at the visitor center located beside Golfcrest Drive at 4:21 pm on July 20th, 2008. The elevation change to get to the top is 950 feet and it is a distance of 1.5 miles to get to the top. This is a rather easy hike suitable for all ages (small kids to grand parents) and is well populated. In exactly 37 minutes, I made it to the top along a wide and dirt filled trail. Views in all directions were hazy in the distance but as expected they were unobstructed. Lake Murray reservoir appears close from the top and one can also recognize Mt Soledad, Black Mountain and other landmarks along the coast.

After a 15 minute break looking at the views and hydrating myself, it was time to get down. Getting down was not as fast as expected. It took 27 minutes of brisk walking to get to the parking lot. There were quite a few people jogging up and down. Infact a group of three, beat me on the way to the top by about 5 minutes.

The hike from Lake Poway to the top of Mt Woodson is tougher than this one, although there are other approaches to the top of Cowles Mountain in this area. A 360 degree panoramic view, proximity to the city and the fact its the tallest one around are three things I liked about this short easy hike.