Читать книгу 101 Hikes in Northern California. Exploring Mountains, Valleys, and Seashore онлайн

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As the trail begins its long coastside traverse to approach the peak from the west, the devastation of recent fires is evident in the bare hillsides. Fires sweep through the dry chaparral about once every 20 years as part of a natural process of plant regeneration. Known as the Kirk Creek Fires, the 1999 blaze began during a dry lightning storm in September and eventually consumed 90,000 acres—more than half the area of Ventana Wilderness.

Only a few scraggly oaks survived the blaze and Coulter pine snags still protrude from the slopes like old burnt matchsticks. The exposed trail traverses below the summit cliffs before beginning a tightly switchbacking ascent along a steep and rocky spur ridgeline. A small patch of unburned forest grows below the trail as it climbs to a junction with the Gamboa Trail immediately below the summit (1.8/4,830').

The walkway surrounding the lookout is usually open to the public, though the views are equally tremendous on the summit itself. Looking southwest, the scale of land and sea is distorted by your elevation—notice the tiny bridge of Hwy. 1 at Limekiln State Park far below. Turning northeast, the tall rise of 5,862-foot Junipero Serra Peak is one of the few distinguishing peaks in this land of sheer, naked topography. Southeast, the broad valley of Fort Hunter Liggett can be distinguished beyond the low nearby ridges. Heading downhill, you return the way you came.