Devil's Peak

For his birthday, Chris wanted to go on a long dayhike. And so I humored him.

First, there was about 3 hours of trailwork he felt he needed to do along the hidden way from our cabin into the wilderness. Yes, those are poison oak roots in his hands. He actually likes doing this kind of stuff.

And then we came to the public Turner Creek Trail, which has just been groomed (just like I like it) because the VWA obtained a grant from the Monterey Regional Parks District and coordinated the trailwork with the Forest Service, a hired trail crew, and private volunteers.

Of course, I wasn't just humoring Chris by going along on this hike for his birthday. I had a hidden agenda of my own...

...these wildflowers.

Aren't they beautiful?

I'll just be quiet now, and you can enjoy them on your own.

Our goal was the heights,

...and the wildflowers all along the way.

Chris says that when "devil" appears in a place-name, it often means that homesteaders knew the place was used as a refuge by native people and for ceremonies. When you stand on Devil's Peak and look out across the Ventana range, you can see why.

We stayed up on Devil's Peak until nearly sundown, which meant that we walked home by moonlight with our flashlights off. I was humoring him all the way.

And he says it's one of the best birthdays he's ever had.