mt. woodson (2/23)

yesterday, my cousin and i decided to hike mount woodson, in poway. it's a nice hike, a little over 7 miles, with about 2500(?) feet of vertical gain. we are planning on climbing mt. whitney next year, and this was an initial step toward getting in shape. we were figuring out where we were physically, so that we'd know how much work we need to put in.


cool weather and recent rains made for a beautiful hike. fresh shoots sprouted out of every crevice on the boulder strewn mountain. the charred skeletons of manzanitas and scrub oaks were bursting at ground level with new life, nourished by rain water and nutrients released by past fires. the whole mountain was a granite wonderland, full of oddly shaped monoliths. weird holes, bored into the rocks by countless years of erosion by rain and wind were a constant source of wonderment. the sight of house sized boulders, split in half, and rearranged by gravity allowed us to play amateur geologists, pointing out the paths of fallen giants and theorizing as to how and when such a thing could have happened. it was also my first experience with that sqishy death trap of the movies: quick sand. all in all a very physically and mentally enlightening experience.

though it wasn't the primary reason for my trip, thanks to my cousins recommendation that i bring my binos, i was able to do some birding. i added three new year birds (new year total: 140) on the hike: ROCK WREN, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, and CLIFF SWALLOW.

CLIFF SWALLOW: