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| Sierra View in the Inyo Mountains |
During the month of October, I hiked 112.8 miles and gained 19,410’ of elevation, making this the second time I have hiked more than 100 miles in a month this year. I took 20 separate hikes this month, spending approximately 49:25 hours on the trails. My average hike was 5.9 miles with 1,021 feet of elevation gain.
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| Quaking aspen at Convict Lake |
This October features some of the best variety I’ve had during any month of hiking. I hiked through groves of aspen whose leaves were turned every fiery shade imaginable. I walked through a grove of the world’s older trees. I hiked in snow. I hiked in the desert. I hiked through forests and across riverbeds; past alpine lakes and coastal sagebrush. I hiked in the rain, and I hiked in the heat. I camped at two campgrounds that I had completely to myself. I reached my highest elevation of the year (11,760’ at Kearsarge Pass), and I hiked 17 miles of the PCT through Anza-Borrego desert.
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| On the trail to Manzanita Flat |
Here’s the breakdown of what I did:
10/1/2013 Piedras Pintadas/Bernardo Bay 5.5
10/3/2013 Blue Lake 7.7
10/3/2013 Convict Lake 3.3
10/4/2013 Methesulah Walk 4.5
10/4/2013 Kearsarge Pass 9.2
10/7/2013 Highland Valley Trail 4.8
10/11/2013 Manzanita Flat 8.8 2400
10/11/2013 Monserate Mountain 3.9
10/14/2013 Sycamore Canyon/Goodan Ranch 5.2
10/18/2013 Palomar Full Loop 8.5
10/21/2013 Black Mountain 3.6
10/21/2013 Knott Grove 3
10/24/2013 PCT: fage’s monument to scissors crossing 17
10/25/2013 Nature Trail, Heise Park 0.6
10/25/2013 Cuyamaca Resevoir 3
10/25/2013 Kelley’s Ditch Trail 6.2
10/25/2013 Inaja trail 0.5
10/28/2013 Stanley Peak 5.5
10/31/2013 Trabuco Canyon, 12
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| Blue Lake |
Coming up in November, I’ll be taking on more of the PCT during a camping trip to the Laguna Mountains. I’ll also visit a remote corner of Anza Borrego to wander through Split Mountain to find the Wind Caves and Elephant Knees. I’ll take my now-traditional Thanksgiving hike through Santa Anita canyon. I’ll wander around the San Mateo Wilderness, traipse through Mt. Gower preserve, and sweat my way through Mission Trails and Crystal Cove State Park. The world will not run out of beautiful places any time soon.
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| Highland Valley Trail |
scott turner hikes 