Cowles Mountain (#42)

December 30, 2010 -      It seems like Wilson and I keep on finding our way back to Mission Trails Regional Park. While I have hiked to the top of Cowles  Mountain once in the past, that was before I started photo-journaling our hikes on this here bloggy-thingy. Cowles is a rocky, switch-backy, uphill all the way kind of trail that really gets your heart pumping. We started our way up the hill at precisely 10:00 a.m. on this beautiful blue-sky day.  A mile and a half to the top, this trail is never a lonely one. In fact it is quite popular and all sorts of people make their way here. Fortunately, today being a Tuesday, it wasn't too crowded. Some portions of the trail are a bit rocky, as you can see, which actually makes it a bit more interesting the way I see it. When you look to the south, Lake Murray stands out. Wilson and I visited there back in July (see hike #24). The distant views looking off to the north and east are better if you cut off the nearby civilization and highways and the such. Wilson and I enjoyed hanging out at the top. The views toward the ocean were incredible. It was clear enough that we could see not only San Clemente Island, but Catalina Island as well. Bad news though! The shots I took of the good ol' Pacific did not come out. Bummer! Back up plan: a photo of a handy-dandy nearby placard displaying what you would have seen if my photos did come out. Lame, I know. If you look carefully you will see a few little bumps on the horizon and those would be the Coronado Islands. The final leg of the return trip had the visual effect of coming in for a landing in a small aircraft. Back to reality! Another Great Hike! MAP

Trailhead Large Gravel View of Lake Murray East North Top of the Mountain The Trail Back Down Coronado Islands off in the Distance Coming in for a Landing