This was probably my favorite hike so far. There was non-stop beautiful scenery and breathtaking views. And, at an average elevation close to 6000 feet, the weather stayed nice and cool the whole day. It's easily a 30-45 minute drive east of San Diego, but it means you get almost completely away from significant civilization.







Dangling my feet off Garnett Peak


Sadly, much of the beautiful mountain pine forest that once blanketed the area was destroyed during the cedar fire of 2003, and again during the 2007 wildfires. There are still burned out trunks of large pines standing like a forest of tomb stones.



It saddened me to see so many dead trees. I counted the rings in one fallen tree that had been sawed apart to allow the trail to pass through, and it had been 57 years old.
But there was still plenty of life to be seen.







The little critters seem to be fond of these purple flowers.










Check this out, a Horned Toad!!


I would greatly recommend this park, or any part of the Cleveland National Forest for a nice "Daycation" getaway from San Diego. It's a short drive, and you really have no signs of the city left.

After our hike, we stopped in Pine Valley, a tiny eastern San Diego town, for lunch. Remember in the Bob 8 trip blog how I talked about little hole-in-the-wall restaurants that unexpectedly have the best (insert food variety here) you've ever tried? Well, Major's Diner, on old Highway 80 not far from I-8, had what may be the best chicken quesadilla I've ever had. It was also huge. It was easily twice the size of your usual sit-down restaurant quesadilla. We got it as an appetizer, but it also was my lunch the following day. Yum. The burgers were good, as well. They made extensive use of Ortega chilis. I recommend it. Especially after a day of nice hiking in the mountains.