A Return to the Scene of the Climb...

...and Fall

I finally returned to the David Yetman Trail, a favorite hike that, while longish at around 13 miles, is not overly challenging or dangerous, and is well-trafficked enough to give a soloist some comfort. Plus, if one is really hoofing it, this hike can be completed in under 4 hours. My PeakFinder app shows both of the peaks on this hike I climbed last year: Bren Peak, on the right spurred me to hike Golden Gate on the left after a hiker on Bren said there was a direct—albeit unofficial—trail to the summit that makes short work of it. That was advice I decidedly should have ignored. 

Besides getting back in the saddle after being thrown by a mountain, I was also seeing if I could beat my previous solo hiking time from three years ago, which I did by 10 minutes. So I must be getting back in some sort of shape after my forced hiatus.

Perfect weather today in the low 70s. Quite a few hikers out on this Christmas day all of whom were doing shorter hikes from either trailhead as happens on a holiday outing.

The Bowen House, low hanging fruit and primary culprit in keeping the parking lot packed as it’s only a mile in from the trailhead.

These few clouds, leftovers from yesterday's rains, will shortly disappear.

Closed trail to Golden Gate Mountain. Next time I will take the hint.

My lunch of choice: Homemade peanut butter (chunky 

of course), homemade tart cherry jam from our own 

trees, Dave’s bread, and a bag of original Lays (thanks 

for the hiking hack, Misty!). 

I got too close to one of these chollas and a golf-ball size cluster broke off on my hand and proceeded to to do yet more damage as it rolled around while I tried to extricate it with a stick.

Hard to see, but it also caused some bruising. Chollas are pretty but best given wide berth.