El Capitan, San Diego County--A Wow!
Nature's phenomena--as we approach At a peak, a gaze at a protruding peak in the haze Looking towards the peak at 2 miles At one of the peaks of this wonderful reserve We set off from 'home' this morning with the temperature in the sixties and ended up at the peak of El Capitan in the nineties. That's the east county of San Diego for you, often 20 to 30 degrees hotter than at the coast. After being covered in the 'clouds of glory' (Succahs) over the last eight days, the reality of the outside world hit us hot...um... hard. The hike is a phenomenon in our opinion. It is not too difficult but strenuous with very steep inclines both ways, including slippery sections. Yes. On the way down one walks up very steep paths, too. Perhaps that should be rephrased on the 'return' instead. We hiked more than 10 miles, gaining over 4,000 feet with the ups and downs, lost a couple of pounds each and felt incredible. After the delightful meals enjoyed over th...