"To view scenery and wildlife, it’s more enjoyable to hike a trail than to ride it"

DUH!

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/224/story/16506.html:

Today’s Focus: Hiking and Nature


Make your way to the top


Little Pine Mountain’s multi-use trails offer panoramic vistas


By R.W. Battles

Bikers at Little Pine Mountain.
GETTING THERE

Take Highway 101 south to Highway 154, about one hour from San Luis
Obispo. Drive southeast on 154 past Los Olivos and Lake Cachuma, then
turn left onto Paradise Road, which follows Santa Ynez Canyon. Just
past the U.S. Forest Service toll station ($5), turn left toward Upper
Osos Campground.

Park at the gate restricting access to two-wheeled vehicles. One-way
driving time is about 1 1/2 hours.

THE CLIMB

Two popular routes lead to Little Pine’s summit. By mountain bike, we
usually climb Pine Mountain jeep road past Camuesa Connector and
Buckeye Canyon trails, turning left at the water tower. The 11-mile
long bike climb takes about three hours. Hikers prefer going up Santa
Cruz Trail along the creek (the usual bike descent route), then past
19 Oaks Campground and along the steep ridge leading to chaparral and
meadow just below a cliff.

Good tread contours along the cliff; several hundred yards farther, a
right-hand junction leads steeply uphill and to the summit.

This route is about six miles one way; we did the round-trip in five
hours, including a leisurely lunch.

Watch for rattlesnakes, downhill mountain bikers and equestrians on
this multi-use trail.

“Mountain biker ahead,” I shouted to my hiking companions just below
me.

The helmet-less cyclist was walking his bike downhill; an obvious
mechanical problem had him out of the saddle. Our group of seven
paused to let him pass. He grinned as he said hello, then showed me
his flat tire. The irony was that I was carrying my usual backpack but
sans bike repair tools * I’d left them at home to save weight on this
outing.

It was a clear, cool Februar y morning and a slight breeze had us
dressed in layers. We were near 3,000 feet, about halfway up the Santa
Cruz Trail, heading for the summit of Little Pine Mountain, 1,500 feet
higher. We’d left San Luis Obispo three hours earlier and parked at
Upper Osos Campground, by the Pine Mountain jeep road gate.

Too early for spring wildflowers, we were still buoyed by the fresh
carpet of grass and new foliage in the chaparral. Pausing for a snack,
we gazed at Little Pine’s summit directly above.

“The overhanging switchbacks are just ahead,” I mentioned to the gang,
recalling how a Santa Barbara trails club had built several wood and
metal platforms to hold back the dirt of the continuously eroding
trail.

Several years earlier I had watched in fascination as my friend Steve
Hauser floated his bike across the platforms, oblivious to the cliff
on his right. That day I’d gingerly walked my bike over those same
sections, but today, with trekking poles in hand, we all hiked
comfortably across.

Above the hanging switchbacks the trail crossed a steeply sloping
meadow, the peak now out of sight above. The gentle breeze grew
colder, but our exertion kept us comfortable under light jackets. The
Channel Islands were gradually coming into view over the coastal ridge
southwest of us. Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa were gracing the horizon;
in the distance we could just make out San Miguel. Lake Cachuma was to
the west and far off we could pick out the village of Solvang.

The trail now edged along a steep chaparral slope, which became a
cliff several hundred yards farther. I recalled riding down it on my
mountain bike, always tense, uncomfortable with the exposure and the
obvious danger it presented. But today on foot, it was just an
interesting diversion.

At a rusty old hitching post, located on a small headland along the
cliff, our trail veered north and up a steep hill. Trail crews had
recently revised its route * a series of tight but well-graded
switchbacks brought our gang to the junction just below Little Pine’s
summit. Taking the right fork, the left would have led us to the jeep
road, a five-minute trudge brought us to our goal.

What a spot for a picnic. Four Channel Islands, including Anacapa,
stood out at arm’s length; Point Mugu was visible to the southeast;
and snowcapped Reyes Peak framed the northeast horizon. We enjoyed a
leisurely but chilly half-hour on the peak. Refreshed, my friends and
I began the downhill stroll back to Upper Osos Campground. And I had
learned a valuable lesson: To view scenery and wildlife, it’s more
enjoyable to hike a trail than to ride it.
===
I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)

Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!

http://home.pacbell.net/mjvande