Many Trails To Travel, Many Tales To Tell

By Barbara B. Baker, Event & Volunteer Coordinator

On The Trail Again

           

Okay, I admit it’s been a while since I’ve been out on the trail.   Back in March or April I thought about getting out and hiking one or two trails and soaking up our balmy breezes, but I got busy doing other things; and then the weather was no longer pleasantly warm and the hot miserable months of summer dragged on. By the time I decided to get out on the trail I was ready to celebrate the official end of this has-it-ever-been-this-brutal summer by taking the last hike listed on the quarterly schedule. It was even billed as “Enjoy the last hike of summer atop Volcan Mountain on September 30th” – I should know because I penned the description back in May! Well, it was still too hot, never mind that Fall began the previous week (I should’ve said “endure” instead of “enjoy”) and nine people canceled out (I wanted to be the tenth but my ride was with the guide) and I thought I was going to die (heart attacks run in my family); but somewhere along the trail up to the summit I realized how much I’d missed.   As the scenery unfolded before me I became less aware of my sweat-soaked shirt and rasping breath and more attuned to my surroundings.

Looking out at Banner Grade from Volcan Summit (above)
Looking west to the foggy ocean from Volcan Summit (below)

            Taking hikes with a guide has pros and cons.   You don’t get to establish the pace and decide that you’ll just stop here or rest there (in that spot he just pointed out as a pit of poison oak). You don’t get to be first but you might be last and if you’re competitive (I am) that bothers you; especially the snide (only because I’ve fallen behind and am feeling sensitive) comments about whether you’re still with the group!   You can’t get lost in thought or the moment because someone might be speaking to you (more likely warning you).   And of course you get to see all the accessories other hikers have that would be really useful to you today even though you have to act like who-needs-that-anyway!   For all these reasons I sometimes prefer to hike on my own!   But the pros of taking a guided hike are equally numerous:   guides can point out plants and their uses, historical or archaeologically significant information, interesting trivia, and share their experiences and stories first-hand.   They can also point out what you just tripped over, including those animal tracks that were made not long before your falling gear (I did say gear) nearly obliterated the prints!

            “Those are bobcat tracks” River Valley Guide and Quintessential Authority on the Great Outdoors, Mike Thacker says.   “If a large animal approaches you stand perfectly still and loom larger.”   On the way up Volcan Mountain I found that advice amusing.   I was moving so slowly that I was already on the verge of standing still.   But on the way down, when the shadows of dusk were falling and I could see and hear everything including what wasn’t there, I picked up the pace.   This is a place after all where I’m the visitor.   And I’m glad that there are still such places like the Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve to visit.   The gateway entrance commemorates the acquisition of the first 220 acres but the area covers over 25,000 acres rising to an elevation of about 5300 feet.   On this hike I was glad that there were individuals taking photographs of the sights – Volcan is home to one of the few remaining ancient forests in Southern California – as Mike pointed out Engleman oak, incense cedar, and Douglas fir.   They took pictures of the rattlesnake, the Red Tailed Hawk, the warring ants (Mike even knows their story!) and of course the vistas and panoramas.  

Cedar Trees (above) and Oak Tree (below)

            Over the next few months there are six guided hikes listed on the River Park Activity Calendar.   The weather is cooler and each trail and parcel of open space is unique.   I guess what I’m saying is Don’t Wait.   In nature there’s only Now.   If it always seems too hot, too cold, too wet, and too dry remember that now is as close to the perfect temperature to get out on the trails as we’re going to get.   And as I look over the pictures of what I saw on the last hike of summer, I’m wondering how it just gets better!

Below, looking east to S2, Borrego

All the beautiful photos on this page were taken by Rick Wickland.

  If you have a favorite trail or story please contact me at Barbara@sdrp.org.   History isn’t always in the books; sometimes it’s in the stories!   Share your history with the San Dieguito River Park.