I love cloudy weekends, because then I can hike without having to reapply sunscreen! Yesterday I decided to try Mt. Calavera and Lake Calavera, and was it ever worth it!
Mt. Calavera is actually a volcanic plug, but you can hike up to the ridge. The view from both the bottom and the top are stunning, though obviously the caldera can only really be observed from the bottom.
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| Mt. Calavera quarry. People at the top! |
Getting to the top from the east is a real scramble in places, but I got up it (slowly). Here it was from the bottom looking up, and then the top looking down!
The top was well worth the climb.
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| Looking southwest towards Carlsbad and the Pacific Ocean |
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| Looking straaaaaight down (!) and northwest at Lake Calavera |
There were a couple of shrines to loved ones who have been lost. I imagine in wetter times, they look more like the "gardens" that they are purported to be. All that was in Lala's Garden was a prickly pear cactus.
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| Lala's Garden |
What goes up must come down, and coming down on the west side was as much a scramble as it was on the east side. Sliding looked like a good option! Here are pictures from the top looking down, and the bottom looking up.
That erosion, though. I imagine that when it rains, this is treacherous.
I finally got back onto flat ground and hiked around Lake Calavera, which is dammed and very tranquil. There were a few trail runners, bikers, and walkers, and I got to say hi to some cute doggies.
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| Lake Calavera, looking northeast from the dam |
It was only 2 miles, but it was a great workout, especially because of all the unsteady climbing! I earned a pho lunch after that. I'd love to come back at different times of the year, especially once the rain and plant life start to pick up a little in the winter.
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| Mission accomplished! |
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