The 2008 fire opened up views that wouldn't have existed before, such as the view of the ocean below, and no coastal fog Saturday made those views impressive. On the bad side, the loss of virtually all shaded spots on the 1200 ft. climb from Church Creek saddle to the 4800' point where the trail tops out made the return climb brutal, particularly for someone like me who really doesn't handle heat at all. Fortunately I had water to spare and could occasionally splash some over myself.
Someone heading along that route Wednesday would probably get impressive California Poppy/Lupine displays in the normal locations, they were largely closed up Saturday and some were opening up nicely Sunday.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/29/2012 08:00PM by ttilley.
