This past Sunday I headed out to Henry Coe again for a bit of day hiking while the GF spent the day with her mother. As summer is approaching, temps are steadily rising there - boy did I sweat this weekend. I still had a blast though, and the day was perfectly clear. I did a loop out to Mt. Sizer, the highest point in the park. Here are a few pics from the outing:
Didn't get to start as early as I had wanted, not getting to sleep as early as I had planned to the night before. I wanted to hit the hardest climb before the sun shone on it, but that didn't happen this time around. Oh well, it was still a beautiful morning.
The acorn woodpeckers have been busy on the Ponderosa Pines.
Backside view of the Lick Observatory up on Mount Hamilton.
Anna's hummingbirds (I think) abound.
This black-tailed jackrabbit kept me company for a while, scampering in front of me along the fire road and checking on my progress until it got bored and bounded away into the brush.
After climbing up over Middle Ridge, it was time to drop down into a valley, and then climb to the next ridge. I'm heading to the top of Blue Ridge:
A little zoom gives you a glimpse of "The Shortcut", about 1mi of fire road that takes you up about 1.5k' to the top of Blue Ridge. Quite fun with the near-summer sun up and at it.
Deerhorn Spring, passed along the way down to the Middle Fork Coyote Creek. I'd have to be pretty f-ed to drink this.
As you get closer to the valley floor and Coyote Creek, the growth livens up.
Mariposa Lily, pretty.
Dandy dans.
Ithuriel's Spear
Middle Fork Coyote Creek
Good thing it's flowing. I finished off the remaining 1 of 2L I carried, and tanked up on two more liters. The next section is "The Shortcut", and I wouldn't have water until rejoining Coyote Creek a ways downstream, after following Blue Ridge for a few miles before coming back down.
After watering, it was time to climb again. Not many pics from this section, since I just wanted to get up top. Did snap this one along the way, checking out where I came from.
You are rewarded with some nice views as you gain. Plus you manage to catch a little ridge breeze.
Here we are, up on Blue Ridge, looking back towards HQ beyond the second ridge in this pic.
From Blue Ridge, you get some great views east as you meander along the ridge.
Took advantage of the ridge breeze and stopped for lunch on Mt. Sizer
Mt. Sizer isn't very prominent, it's just a bump along Blue Ridge.
Took the temp while I ate. I think the bottom display is closer to the true air temp (reading of remote probe), but the entire unit is sitting on the ground, so *shrug*. My guess is it's pretty close; I checked weather.com when I got home and it reported 96*F at an hour later.
More ridge views. This area burned in the
Lick Fire in 2007, a wildfire that got nearly 48k acres before containment (good! :thumbup
.
Check out some pretty awesome time-lapse panoramas
here.
Views back southwest as I continue along the ridge.
More views east.
Heading down (generally) now on the Jackass Trail to rejoin Middle Fork Coyote Creek near its confluence with Little Coyote Creek.
Very pretty area, in the midst of recovery and rejuvenation.
View south.
I was a bit parched by the time I reached Coyote Creek again. Filtered and downed 2L, then took two more for the road.
Side note here, I tried my new HPG Kit Bag for the first time on this hike, and I love that thing. I look like a dork, but man, you can't argue with the utility. Illustrated in this pic in particular: I love this shelf feature, and the fact that a gallon size ziploc (containing my nav stuff) fits perfectly in the back CCW compartment.
Leaving the oasis to climb back up to HQ again.
Ran into this butterfly along the way, it had lost half a wing somewhere and thus earthbound.
Interesting terrain of bark.
Afternoon lighting on the way back.
More acorn woodpecker work ethic.
Getting closer to civilization again.
Yellow Mariposa Lily, with bug (very specific, I know
)
You know it's a great hike when you get back to the trailhead and your car is the last one there, if you had company at all. Almost forgot to take a pic of the HPG Kit bag, remembered when I hit up the HQ restroom.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the pics! I definitely enjoyed the outing. 16mi, a little over 4.5k' climbed, over mid 90s heat... makes for a decent kit test. The HPG did very well, I foresee lots of use ahead :thumbup:
I'm planning to do some nice cool coast or redwoods trip next...
Parting HDR shot from the phone:
