DAY ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR
There are some days I just don't really feel like hiking. Today was one of them. It was my first real day off in a while, a day without plans or obligations, a day to sleep in and be lazy. The day went past slowly with a little housecleaning and a bit of doing laundry and a lot of lying around. By the time my wife got home from work I was ready for a nap. I overcame the urge so I could watch the Angel game. As the game got into the eighth inning I knew I was going to have to leave to go on a hike. I guess it's a good thing, too, because the Angels lost in the tenth.
As I set out, it is so windy even the doves don't fly away as I approach them. Of course, it could be the hawk circling above that grounds them. If they take off, they're toast.
The clouds blow quickly past and diminish in the wind. It's cool out and I embrace the cool breeze. Usually I hate hiking in the wind but today it's blowing me uphill and I like it.
I'm sure this mountain biker likes it even more than I do.
I get to where the trail I want to take heads off. I haven't done this trail before and I have no idea where it goes.
As I get up the trail a ways, it looks like it goes up to this little saddle.
It's not long until I get to this little sign that tells me where I'm going. It is a mystery to me who built this trail or the sign. Today I'll take the easier trail to the Quarry Overlook. That'll give me something to do on another day, a day I'm not feeling so lazy.
As I'm thinking about taking my hat off to the mystery trail builder, the wind does it for me. My hat blows about 75 feet up the hill and lands in a little wash area. The sun's going down so I don't need to wear it anymore. I hold it tightly in my hand.
The trail toward the top is steep and rocky. I wonder what the non-gentle "risky" trail is like.
From the top, you get a nice view of the Quarry. I have to hold on tight or I'm afraid the wind will blow me down there. My hat goes into my pocket at this point.
The Quarry isn't the only view I get from here.
On the way down, I spot another trail heading down but I don't have time to explore it today. Looks like I have two trails to do next time up.
2 comments:
Hi Hal,
I am very familiar with that trail, have hiked it several times with my friends, the signs were put there by a Dr Dean McCandless(not sure about the spelling), of La Quinta, anytime you see any "unofficial" signs, they were made and put there by Dr McCandless, he is in his eighties now but still walks the trails in the Cove on a regular basis. If you ever run into him he always wears a crisp clean dress shirt without tie. He also did a lot of trail work over the years moving rocks and make some trails more passable. My friends and I hike the trails in the cove everyday, except when it rains. You are right it is not much fun when it is windy, but we go anyway.
We sofar have discovered about 12 trails in the Cove, dry river beds, one ancient dry waterfall that you can walk up etc.
Hopefully we will run into you one of these days
Helene Novak
La Quinta
Thank you for the information! I certainly hope to run into you on the trails as well. It's been a joy discovering all these trails out here and if there are TWELVE it looks like I have a few more to discover.
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