Sun, Feb 23, 2020
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Etymology Black Rock |
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Having spent the night further south near US101, it had dropped below freezing
during the night and was 28F when I awoke around 6a. It was a little warmer,
about 34F when I started out shortly before 7a but I would have little chance
to get cold. The all cross-country route starts off very steep, climbing
1,200ft in about 2/3mi, and I warmed up nicely despite seeing so little sun that
I never bothered with a hat the whole outing. The
forest understory is
not clear, but it is not a real hindrance, either. By favoring the north sides
of the ridges the route follows, heavier brush can be avoided. Above 2,800ft the
gradient relents some and a few
open areas appear on the ridge with some
classic views of the
fog-filled valleys among folded ridgelines
so typical of CA's northern coastal ranges. Old
logging roads appear as
one passes through the private property section, logging at one time taking
place extensively, though
it seems to have fallen into disuse now. One can make some use of the old roads
and bulldozer paths, but they aren't a significant advantage. The route turns
steep once again for the final 300-foot climb to the summit. One breaks out of
the forest after going over a false summit with the highpoint found another
400ft to
the southeast atop an
open, sunny knob. With more
than 1,800ft of prominence, it has a
commanding view in all directions.
It had taken an hour and three-quarters to reach the top, only a tad faster than
I had expected. Now after 8:30a, the pervasive fog was beginning to
burn off and would be gone completely within an hour. It was chilly at
the summit with a light but cold breeze blowing. The remains of a survey tower
were
scattered about but I was unable to locate the benchmark (I didn't
look very hard for it). Not finding a register, I
left one with an
extra entry for Sean before starting back down. I don't think I was there more
than two or three minutes, not wanting to cool down and get cold.
On the way down from the summit I followed a clipped trail through the
manzanita, ascertaining that it was heading the wrong way down the south side
of the ridge before leaving it to return to the original route. Someone had
spent some time building and maintaining the trail so I suspect the summit gets
semi-regular visits. They might be surprised to find the register on their next
visit. Will they take it as a affront and throw it in the trash? Perhaps. Not
surprising, the return went a good deal faster, taking about an hour. That last
1,000-foot descent down the steep slopes was particularly enjoyable, with
gravity-assisted slipping and sliding down leaf-laden, loose dirt slopes.
Overall, I found the route and summit very agreeable, one I could easily
recommend. The private property issues seem to be no real problem - I saw no
evidence that there was any regular visits there and the chances of encountering
anyone has to be close to zero (hunting season might be another story).
This page last updated: Mon Jun 7 21:31:23 2021
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