6.04 Valencia Peak followed by Oats Peak, Montana de Oro Park
Valancia Peak coming into view as we approach Oats Peak--Valley filled with cloud and mist-west view Oats Peak-east view Two snakes, one fox, a fortune of lizards but no grizzlies . That counts as a ‘win’ for us, especially our dear editor. When growing up, she obviously never got to know Winnie the Pooh intimately. We set off in deep mist wondering what we would be able to view along the way and particularly, at the peaks. ‘Mist,’ our editor informed us. What would we do without her well-rounded knowledge and information. Mountain tops protruding above mist The hike was amazing. The weather was cool. The visibility was limited in the beginning. However, we were invigorated. We moved up to the first peak of some 1400 feet quite quickly. Thereafter, it was on to the next two peaks, which involved a drop of 500 feet and of course, a climb again to a higher altitude. All in all, we gained well over 2,000 feet in our eight-mile round-trip. The clouds, the mist, the sheer beauty—...