Denk Tank Mountain - Carlsbad, California

One wonders why there's a need for fireworks displays, light shows and other man-made illumination of the
night skies when all one has to do is raise one's eyes, at least twice a day. Of course, should one be able
to attain height, the views become even more spectacular.


Shimmering on the ocean surface

This has been a tough week. We find that two ways to cope with stress and difficulty is to climb to high
places and obtain a different perspective. Should the clouds and sun cooperate, then so much the better.
The other method is to surround oneself with young children. They have the means to change one's perspective
for the better.

Last week, a man we did not know that well but sufficiently to realize he was a gentleman, a scholar and above
all else, a 'mensch', left this world. To put it bluntly, they don't make them like that anymore. Modern societies,
in our opinion, are far worse for not placing importance on honor, 'face' and gentle strength. We'll miss you, Hymie;
unfortunately, there is no one to fill your shoes.


Orange and pink clouds in a blue sky.


Sun lowering itself as it prepares to sink into 'bed'.




Sun taking the gap, sky fighting for the blues.


Sun close to dipping below the horizon.


A haunting giant, a couple of hours distant. We visited that peak last December.


And now for an orange sky.


We enjoyed a late afternoon, early evening hike in Carlsbad, the northern part of the county. Most of our
hiking within the county usually occurs on the eastern side. Although a relatively short hike, the
800-1,000 feet elevation gain over rough terrain is a good stretch. The views of the setting sun need
no explanation. We hope you enjoy:



Another set of colors, this time silver, before a golden sunset.


The wind blows in colorful clouds.


Some of the county's peaks bathing in the late afternoon's winter sun.


Another fiery sky as we descend quickly.

Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey

El Capitan trail to El Cajon Peak, San Diego’s toughest

Hard to beat sunrises and sunsets in San Diego.


Jenni peaks after 6 miles.


Layers of mountains viewed from El Cajon Peak.


We undertook a few hikes this week, a wonderful one with son, Robbie and friend, Sean. However, there
isn’t a hike in the county, in our opinion, that matches the challenge of El Cajon Mountain. At 12 miles
round-trip, 4,000 feet cumulative gain and wonderful views, it is tough, rugged in places, involves some
scrambling and has many ups-and-downs. One climbs towards four peaks and then down again before the final
ascent, adding in the extra altitude gain.

In near perfect weather, we were thankful for the enthusiasm we felt about hiking early, grateful in facing
the challenge and even more appreciative returning to car feeling strong. It is always a boon when the car
starts, too. What a great Thanksgiving Day!


Sitting at the peak of El Cajon Mountain


Finding the gap.


A day of ups and downs, literally.


With permission of our editor, we are pleased to let our friends and family know of the publication
of our third book, “Terror on the Cliffs”. It is a very exciting time as well as a little nerve-racking
as we expose ourselves in the public domain. Of course, we are fully clothed…you know what we mean.
Although this blog is not the forum for self-promotion, every now and again we allow the discipline
to slack. We will provide more information of the release in the next blog. In the meantime, set out
below is a little verbiage from the cover and an extract.



Early morning clouds shade us.


This is what's termed,"Scared of his own shadow," as we try the 'Look Mom, no hands' concept.


Sunset at another hike


Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey



A view from near the peak of El Cajon.


Set out below is a little information of the book just published.

Terror on the Cliffs

Synopsis:

Two couples undertake a hiking adventure up Angels Landing in Zion National Park. Although four climb
the steep peak, not all return. Missing, an accident or something sinister?

The reader is kept guessing until the last pages as the plot takes many unexpected twists and turns along
hiking trails in the western part of the USA. The supposedly ‘good guys’ place themselves in a ‘no-win’
situation towards the climax when it appears that evil will triumph over good. Left to the authorities,
it might just be the case. With a dubious hero jailed, an elderly attorney is left fighting for justice.
The odds of success remain extremely bleak…


Extract:

They stood around in random fashion, the sheriff and his officers, a few park rangers, two civilians and a
helicopter pilot. Many of the faces, particularly the eyes, aimed a little off to the side of the subject.
Their work was partly complete. The body before them was female—unfortunately, the remains of a woman.
The clue regarding gender revealed itself in the clothing. Although the khakis she wore were unisex, usually
making it more difficult to differentiate, parts not soaked in blood revealed a woman’s curves and style.
Even hardened officers approached reluctantly. Limbs protruded at all angles, twisted, bent and broken.
The smashed head looked like a papier-mâché model. Brain matter continued to leak, to drip slowly from the
large hole in the cranium, adding to the pools of congealed blood that formed under and around the body.
The head had twisted so that the face hung pathetically, chin resting on the left shoulder, not unlike a
puppet put through its motions. It amounted to a pile of broken, no, make that smashed bones, torn flesh
and hair colored mostly red, blood red. It was a disastrous and cruel ending for the poor woman. Dare it
be asked: Another failure of mankind?

Death is harsh, tragic and final. At least, one could expect, even in a cruel world, death with some dignity.
This woman was not afforded that. She died without a shred of dignity and alone, increasing the pain and shame
of it all. If it could be considered somewhat of a consolation, the flesh-eaters had yet to arrive.

The civilian woman observing the scene with the rest of the males reached out and embraced the man standing next
to her. Her sobs, emanating from somewhere deep inside the soul, filled the space with the only sound in this
vast open and attractive terrain, save for the occasional croaking frog and buzz of crickets. The uniformed men
seemed relieved to divert attention from the former human form to the heart-broken, living woman.

Accidents of this nature were not uncommon, although not occurring frequently, thankfully. Accident or foul play,
nobody knew, but the next few days might reveal the truth. Whatever the cause, the horrific result would not change.
The woman was broken, broken beyond repair—dead.

Further details to follow...

Local beauty: Three hikes in Del Mar and Poway

Birds of a feather, spaced evenly at the horizon on way 'home'.


A palm sky at sunset.


"We've got the sun in the morning and the moon at night", apparently in the morning, too—6.05am.

We're back in California, enjoying summer weather as winter approaches. Apparently, autumn or fall won't
be making its annual appearance. Go Figure! The good news is that the editor is back to fine form after
explaining that until recently, she did not want to see or be seen on mountains. We understood her
situation very well. We are not without feelings. We offered to purchase a disguise for her so she
could remain incognito. Suffice to say, we apparently missed the real meaning behind her confusing words.
Instead, we settled on a couple of beach hikes with a little excursion onto the cliffs. The latter hike
on a treacherous cliff provided nearly as much excitement as a month in Peru. Who needed to leave San Diego?


A mist attempts to shield La Jolla, taken from cliffs of Del Mar.


The 'Potato Chip', an old favorite at Woodson...heavy dew created slippery conditions some 2,300 feet
above the ground. Have to admit, confidence eased somewhat after failing to gain reasonable traction.
Jenni captures hiker doing some soul searching.

We returned to Mount Woodson in Poway, which is, in our opinion, a good workout in a very attractive
environment. The eight-mile roundtrip with a 2,300 feet elevation gain is ideal. We are not alone with
this view because once again, on our way down, the trail was crowded. The secret is to hike early, as
we did, arriving at the peak in second position. We regret to say that a youngster overtook us close
to the top. If there's one thing we despise, is a 'showoff'. In order to harbor no ill feelings,
we jogged down to lake level, not allowing him to pass us. We hope he learns a lesson.


Reflections during late afternoon.


More reflections: Conversing on the shore with 'identical' mates from down under.


'Jenni don't be a litterbug' but can't reach the trash bin with dry feet.

We are often asked what is the most beautiful sight we've seen or the best hike undertaken? After one of us
has been made to eat his words often enough, we try not to provide answers to such questions.
We would offer that there are some beautiful places in San Diego County, particularly when the sun and
clouds cooperate. Expressed differently, it's not always the place; it often depends on the time.


Fishing looks to be a most 'stressful' pastime, at Lake Poway below MT. Woodson. The peak is well beyond
and above the mountain shown in picture.


A yellow sky?

We trust the selection of photographs provides support for our contention that there are very attractive
scenes in this region.

Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey

15.12 St. John, a hike to a high point

Standing on one of the highpoints on the island looking down at an exclusive resort. That's the closest
we are allowed to the 'exclusives'. Love their colors, though.


A view of St. Thomas from St. John on a dull day.

All good things come to an end eventually; the idea is to replace or fill the gap with something
equal or better. That's the theory and we'll give it a good try.

Our pace slowed considerably, Mon, when we arrived on the islands. As Jen mentioned, "If shopping and
dining-out isn't a high priority, one should search diligently for other activities, mostly fishing,
water sports and some exploring or the old standby, sleep. In the past, we loved the eastern islands but
somehow, the fascination has dimmed a little. Whereas we have enjoyed being here very much, the challenges
and excitement of our main activities put things in perspective.

The first thing one notices on St Thomas, obviously American owned and controlled, yet one drives on the
left side of the road. We wondered about that and think perhaps the Islanders show their independence in
that way. The cars are all left-hand drives so it makes motoring a little trickier especially on the narrow,
winding, hilly roads. Another thing that is prominent is the pricing. A trip to the supermarket is at least
double but closer to triple mainland costs. Transport too, is very expensive.


The port at St John, quaint from above, a little less quaint from close by.

The weather is interesting. One can bank on having rain every day, sometimes, a few downpours in a day.
However, they are usually short in duration and within minutes of the ending, a person would not have
thought it had rained. We are in the hurricane season, albeit past the peak, but would like to hurry away
in case of a last minute twister. It's not surprising that these acts of nature would be prevalent in this
region—water, water everywhere.


Colors of the islands.

We have noticed the older members of the community are friendly whereas the younger adults tend to show a lot
of 'attitude'. Perhaps we are being too sensitive but it sure feels that way. There are expensive, well-kept
areas on the islands, often where the resorts tend to be. However, after walking in some parts, we notice
quite a few slum districts, too. Not dissimilar from our stay in Cusco, Peru, when one looks down on the island
from height or under cover of darkness, it looks far more attractive. Nevertheless, the untouched parts such
as the ocean and bays, look spectacular from any angle.

We took a walk to Red Hook, a town somewhere below our resort. Unfortunately, the lack of sidewalks makes it
quite an ordeal. While sitting and watching the world go by, we noticed a beer and spirits truck making deliveries.
Walking back home, it crossed our path a few times. By the time we reached our place, the truck turned into the grounds
to make another delivery. We spoke to the driver, mentioning that business seemed brisk. "Mon, this island runs on alcohol,"
came the reply. We don't think he was referring to ethanol in the vehicles.


Jen reaches the end of the hike, oxygen not much of an issue over here.

Should anyone have a special order for jewellery, please let us know as there are at least a million stores over
here seeking your business.

Finally, we have included a few pictures from our hike on the sister island, actually that should be brother,
St. John. Although it was a dull day, the colors were still spectacular. We commenced at the harbor, traipsed
through the rainforest, eventually arriving at one of the highpoints of the island. The views were terrific.
On the way back, we diverted to Honeymoon Beach, a little bit of paradise which included a pristine beach and
clear water.


In Peru, we were at the edge of the Amazon jungle but this is the closest we have been to jungle-like
conditions for a while.

In addition, we have included a slideshow of random photographs from our trip to Peru. Scroll down for a peek.

We look forward to seeing you either in person or on hike-about 16.

Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey


Peru slideshow below:

Highlights from hike-about 12, California to Washington, a slideshow