Last Wednesday, Joy and I enjoyed an afternoon hike up to Stonewall Peak in the Cuyamaca State Park. Surprisingly, there will still several varieties of wildflowers blooming in late June. In one spot, there were dandelions gone to seed. The fluffy heads were ginormous, as wide as three-fingers!
We brought along plenty of water and snacks for a picnic in a field on the way down. After the Cedar Fires of 2003, many of the trees are still charred, but showing signs of coming back. It still has more of a ghost town feel than forest.
Coming from the Northeast, I still have to warm to the Southern California landscape. Lovely to look at, but walking the dusty eroded trail stirred up a lot of dust that found its way into my walking shoes. It's Teva sandals for next time!
From the California Parks website:
Paso Picacho, 5 miles north, sits at an elevation of 5,000 feet. The most popular hikes start from this camp, including the 2 mile hike up Stonewall Peak (elevation 5,700 feet), and the 3.5 mile hike up Cuyamaca Peak (elevation 6,512 feet), both which offer breathtaking views of the deserts to the east, the coast to the west, and Lake Cuyamaca at the bottom.
