Gary-Summer: January 15, 2025

Title: January 15, 2025 - Montana de Oro

Hike Info : Description : Background : Menu : Extra Photo's : Animals : Flowers and Plants

Hike Info:

Type: Walking

Trail head: Campsite #16

Trail: Oats Peak, Valencia, Road

Destination: Short Morning Hike ¹

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Campsite #16

Trail: Oats Peak, Valencia, Rattlesnake Flat, Deer, Bluffs Trail

Destination: Loop

Distance: 3.36 mile ²

Type: Hiking

Trail head: Campsite #16

Trail: Oats Peak, Valencia, Rattlesnake Flat, Deer, Bluffs Trail

Destination: Loop

Distance: 3.36 miles 2

Elevation Rise: 516'

Descent: 515‘

Maximum Elevation: 342'

GPS Tracks

¹No GPS on walk. Walk was to keep warm.

²GPS turned off after a third of a mile. Used route plotted on Google Earth

Sunrise

Description:

It turned out that it was a cold night last night. There is a natural downhill slope to the tent and when I wiggled close to the bottom side of the tent, my feet got cold. So I went back up to the top. Then repeated this throughout the night. I should have gotten up when Sherri went to the bathroom. When I got up at 7:30, I really needed to go.

To get myself warmed up, I did a short ¾ mile walk up the Oats Peak trail to the Valencia Peak

View from Environmental Camp #3

trail and then down to the road. I was warmer after that. When I got back, Sherri was just getting up. So I got set up for breakfast-french toast. By this time it is 9:30. While eating breakfast, I noticed that my hand is turning a bright pink. Apparently an insect bit me. It is not bothersome, just a bit concerning.

Steven said he was leaving about 10. We see a school group going up towards Oats Peak. Turns out that they are with the Kern County Schools. We do not get our hike started until 11:15.

Some of the delay in getting started was that Sherri’s pack was soaking wet. When she tried to figure out why, she did not have a resolution. So her pack gets left behind. A bit later as we are walking along, I start to feel something hit on my back. While I wait for Sherri at a junction, I look and see why. The lid on my bladder was loose. When I tighten it up. The water stops spilling out of the bladder, but there is enough water in the pack that I feel it for awhile

Surf from Bluffs Trail

We started off retracing my steps from this morning. The first part of our trek is going up the Oats Peak Trail for a short way until we branch off onto the Valencia Peak Trail. This shortly brings us to the “real” Valencia Peak Trail. Now we have a choice to make. Sherri thinks she is up to the climb, but I reflect on that this is a thousand foot plus climb and can we do that by the time Steven comes?

Grotto Rock

So we take the other way which would lead us down to the road. But we turn off at the junction with the Rattlesnake Flats Trail. This trail roughly parallels the road to the east side of it. Also because it is higher, we get some views of the coast. Sherri hears a fog horn, but does not see where it is coming from. I suspect it is someplace on Point Buchon.

We came to a road to an environmental camp. These camps are campsites where people need to walk in a short ways, carrying all of their stuff, including water. In the case of the campsite we came to, #3, it is a pretty steep uphill. I am glad we do not need to carry our camping equipment up that hill.

Sure footed hawk

But after examining the topo map, I concluded that is where the Rattlesnake Flat trail goes, so up we went. A little beyond the campsite is the trail junction and we continue on our way. The trail continues above for a little ways, until it dips into a ravine and comes to the Deer Flats Trail Junction. Sherri is willing to go on to where our trail picks up the Bluffs Trail, but we are starting to move a bit slow. So we just follow the Deer Flats Trail down to the Bluffs.

Once we get to the Bluffs, it is almost 1 and I said that I need to take a break. So Sherri says lets eat lunch. The place where we stop gives a good view of Grotto Rock and a shelf which periodically gets a wave which gives it a wash. It is a good place to stop.

After I get my rest stop, we head north along the Bluffs Trail. There are a lot more people than the one person we met on the Rattlesnake Flat Trail. It is an accessibility trail, gently graded and very scenic. The ocean in these parts must be close to high tide, so we get to enjoy lots of waves with their white caps.

Sherri spots some sort of raptor on a trail sign and we pause to take pictures of it. Then onward we go. We meet up with more of the Kern County kids, which are a good combination of exuberance and courtesy.

Cormorants

on rock

A short time later we came to our campsite. Korra and Steven are already there and Steven is putting the finishing touches on his portable hammock stand. The discussion is now what to do this afternoon? Sherri raises up the possibility of climbing Bishop Peak. I shot that down as during the last hour we have been traveling slowly on level ground. Also I need to rest for half an hour before we do anything. I fell asleep while Sherri and Steven discussed this.

When I woke up, it was because of a noise. One of the stakes holding Steven’s hammock had come out, collapsing the hammock. While he had the stake deep in the ground, the ground, as we discovered last night, is very uneven. Part of that is because some of the ground is solid and other parts are pretty loose. Evidently below the surface, the stake was in loose ground. Nobody was hurt.

The half an hour which it took to break down the hammock and mount his old, stable one decided what we were going to do. After everything was settled, Steven drove us to Avila Beach where there is a dog friendly beach. There, Korra can run around without a leash to her heart's content, and she does. It is nice there for about 30-45 minutes until the sun goes down and a chill enters the air.

Moon about to rise

When we leave, we go to one of the highlights of the trip-Sylvester's. When we come to this area, we try to make it here. The hamburgers are really good. I have the Desperado; Sherri has a California burger and Steven a Hanna-sort of a Hawaiian style burger. I do not hear any complaints and I for one is very filled and satisfied. Hint: The basic burger is a third of a pound and moves on up from there.

By this time, it is dark when we get to camp. We do a few things to get set up for the time when we eventually go to bed. We then reenter the car. I was the last because I tried to get a shot of the three planets lined up before the moon rose And then looking over, I saw Orion and his belt. At the lower end of the constellation, there looks like a dirty smudge-not on my glasses, but under the constellation. When I consulted my star app, it says this is the Orion Nebula. It is good seeing that.

By the way, the insect bite I talked about earlier did not get any worse.

Then into the car I go to do some reading and writing. It is much warmer tonight in the car with four bodies-I will take it. By about 9:30, I was ready for bed. I did go on a short walk around the campground loop before turning in. Sherri finished up her movie she had downloaded and came to bed about the time I was nodding off

Background

Sylvester's. When we go to the Los Osos area, we always try to hit Sylvester's. Why? Their burgers are just sooo good. To start with, their basic burger is a third of a pound. Size goes up to a pound. Then there are the types of burgers. My wife has a California-needs no explanation; my son has a Hana-Hawaiian type of toppings; and I have a Desperado. This is similar to a Western Bacon Cheeseburger, only more subtle in taste and much better cooked than most. If you are looking for a local place, this is it. In Los Osos, it can be hard to find, but well worth the search.