Category: Exploring

Hiking a Superbloom: Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

@serafinahikes

The poppy fields near Lancaster, California, our place that I've wanted to visit for sometime. They are open from Dan until desk and there are several hundred acres to explore. Some parts of the reserve are accessible by OHV, along unpaved sandy roads. The best parts of the park are supposed to be down these roads. It was a 3 hour drive to get here, and I left just before sunrise. It was a Monday morning, and not the peak time for visitors. Poppies are not a morning flower and need full sun to open up. That is one reason I did not come earlier, at sunrise. Late morning was decidedly the best time to see wildflowers, when the sun was up. Around 10:30 am I began my hike. I was greeted by a small Painted Lady Butterfly. After making my way halfway up the hill, there were yellow blooms all around, mostly of  poppies, tiny yellow daisy’s, and sky blue lupines.

A forgotten desert peak

@serafinahikes

Indianhead Peak is a desert peak in every sense of the word. It is a place you go to get away from it all, going off the beaten path, and hopefully not get lost in the process. Lost and forgotten, are themes that re-occur throughout this adventure. What is lost is found. All is not lost. Most importantly, all make it back to the trailhead. There is a reason few people hike to Indianhead Peak. There is not actually even a trail. That is the first part of the story...of 8.4 miles with 3700 feet of gain, with 2700 feet of the gain, over the course of a mile. This one is steep in every sense imaginable.

2 Peaks in a day: El Cajon Mountain and El Capitan

@serafinahikes

My hike to El Cajon Mountain (ECM summit) and El Capitan, was a long time coming. I had wanted to hike to these two San Diego foothill peaks for a couple of years. I was waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. The weather and conditions were right, it was the right season, and I was finally feeling up for the challenge, fitness wise.

Many Water Crossings Through an LA Burn Area: The Bridge to Nowhere

@serafinahikes

The Bridge to Nowhere is one of the iconic hikes in Southern California that everyone talks about, so I felt it was something I needed to see. The bridge was built in the depression era in 1937, to connect Wrightwood with the San Gabriel Valley. I arrived at the trailhead for Heaton Flats and set out for the Bridge just before 9am. The sun was just starting to rise as I continued down the wide trail, heading towards the Sheep Mountain Wilderness.

Stonewall Peak and Cuyamaca Rancho in Fall

@serafinahikes

So this would be my second hike in this beautiful historic wilderness park, and former rancho, with habitation dating back over 9,000 years. It was the home of the Kumeyaay tribe, and seven villages were located here. It would be my second time hiking here. I was coming on a busy weekend in fall. I drove up Hwy-79 and parked at Trout Pond trailhead, not noticing any indication of a need to display a parking pass here. There were about 5 cars parked here, and across the road. I exited my car and was just in awe of the fall colors. It had been unknown to me in planning this hike that the fall colors would be at their peak. I began hiking along the Marty Minshall Trail, heading towards the forest, which was glowing in shades of bright yellow.