Stonewall Peak (Pic Heavy)

[Juneboarder]

Hi Folks,

I've been swamped at work, but took some photos on a hike I did last month, in October, and wanted to share with all. I love getting out to our mountains; you'd be surprised what San Diego (County) has to offer! :)

This is a view of Mount Cuyamaca from the Stonewall Peak trail. It was about 7am, 40 degrees out and I was in shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt... very COLD! The distance between Stonewall Peak and Cuyamaca Peak is mabye a couple of miles, but it looks like a world apart with all this fog!


A shot of the constantly moving fog clouds with the sun behing them... it was so beautiful, as I was on the cusp of the clouds. To the west of me was Cuyamaca and the majority of San Diego County covered in a thick blanket of fog, and to the east was a great sunrise with blue skies and no clouds; simply amazing!


These are the steps (the final climb) up to Stonewall Peak


It gets really windy up here, hence the everchanging fog and landscape. At the peak the forest rangers put up poles so that you could hold on and not fall off!! If you look closely, you can see the forest floor below...


A view of Lake Cuyamaca from Stonewall Peak


The sun peeking through the clouds (on the peak)


Looking down the "stairs" and into the valley below


A peek-a-boo view of Lake Cuyamaca on the hike back down


The Cedar Fire ripped through here in 2007, causing everything to get charred to a crisp. You can see the vegetation is growing back, but the trees are a firm reminder of how quickly life can pull a fast one on ya!


Stonewall Peak's shadow cast upon Mount Cuyamaca


Death Surrounded By Life


Stonewall Peak (from about 1/2 way down the mountain)


And Finally... a View of Lake & Mount Cuyamaca from the road. It's amazing what pictures you can get from a cell phone (and to think I was super bummed out that I forgot my true camera at home that morning)

[Adsos Letter]

1. You have some very intriguing shots in there Juneboarder...

I find #s 1,2,4, and the last one most appealing. That first one has some real drama to it. :D

[Juneboarder]

2. Just an amateur with aspiration

I love hiking and I love taking pictures, so it's always fun to get out and enjoy nature... Thanks for taking the time to take a look :)

[Adsos Letter]

3. I enjoyed them! I am also an amateur at this.

But I like takin' pictures. :hi:

[Elfin Yeti]

4. Hey Juneboarder!

I'm sorry I missed the hike that day! You and Aiden got some really nice shots of my most favorite San Diego hike! Cell phone? Wow, if you hadn't said anything I surely would not have noticed! Stonewall Peak is a fabulous hike even though it burned so recently; it now has a different kind of beauty and is not diminished by it. We forget fire is a natural cycle (although arsonists seem to the culprits here) and the flower riots it brings in the spring are a dividend we don't get the pleasure of seeing often. Many seeds germinate only after a fire.

Thanks for sharing -- just take me with you next time! :bounce:

[Juneboarder]

7. Have you spotted the Yeti yet?

Going on a 11-12 miler this Sunday in Laguna. Two peaks (Monument and Garnet) and hike through the Big Laguna Trail and PCT. Leaving early... 5-5:30am. You should come!! :)

[Celebration]

5. Oh, love these

Awesome stairway entry, too! (if we ever have that theme)...

[Juneboarder]

6. Thank you

I often times go out hiking by myself and this is one way I get to share in the experience :)