Jun 17, 2017
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Etymology |
Story | Photos / Slideshow | Maps: 1 2 | GPXs: 1 2 | Profiles: 1 2 | |
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I was in the San Luis Obispo area for my nephew's graduation this afternoon. Always looking for an angle to get some hiking in, I had two hikes in mind for the morning that would take in a couple of summits I've had my eye on for years now. Temperatures in the area were expected to be quite high despite the proximity of the Pacific Ocean and it would be good get these done earlier rather than later.
It was 9a when I pulled onto the monastary property where a sign indicates vistors are welcome. I parked where two other cars were found adjacent to the chapel and immediately headed uphill past the private residence and onto a rough trail with a sign that said Please enjoy the trail at your own risk. This was just the sort of indication I was looking for to make this legit, but the trail ends all too soon at a concrete water tank half-buried in the hillside. I did a bit of flailing at this point trying to find the connecting trail to the Camp SLO one. There is a great deal of poison oak among the brush surrounding the summit so a direct effort up the west side is akin to self-inflicted pain and suffering, almost guaranteed. I eventually realized the only practical route drops down a short distance after crossing a fence onto a neighboring ranch property, then heading northwest over a saddle and another barbed-wire fence to a water tank that is signed as owned by the state prison. The water tank is on Camp SLO property and a use trail leads northeast to connect to the regular trail. Voices could be heard down below - groups of men and women shouting loudly in unison in some sort of training exercises taking place on the fields far below. I was much too high to be noticeable and I happily went about hiking the trail up towards the summit. Even with the decent trail there is much encroaching poison oak to watch out for, all the way to the summit rocks which I reached after about 40min's effort. I took a few pictures of the other morros looking east and west, Camp SLO and the prison to the north, and a poorly spelled reference mark (couldn't find the benchmark) before starting back down. It took only 20min to make the return now that I had the route dialed in. The same two cars were there in the parking lot when I returned. Unlike the last monastary I visited at Mt. Hannah a few months ago, I saw no one stirring about the grounds either coming or going. Time to clean up and go join the graduation fun...
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