The California Coast is much closer to mountains than back in ol’ VA. We drove less than an hour from sunny San Diego into the parched, hot desert hills of San Diego County. This County is gigantic, perhaps larger than many countries and states… We enjoyed a simple hike up a couple hundred feet to the summit of Iron Mountain, which had a great view of the surrounding hills.
With water being so scarce, the presence of lakes and reservoirs were immediately obvious in the expansive view. We carried a lot of water for our short hike, as we have heard of quick deaths from heat stroke out in the non-humid desert. Two shipmates from my new command were hiking nearby, and one died from heat stroke, even with water. So we knew that the absence of humidity was not to mean that we weren’t sweating, it was just evaporating quickly. I bought a new toy, a camel back, which is awesome and I felt like quite the outdoorsman.
At the summit was a trail book, which we signed Go Hokies!, and we were surprisingly not the only folks from East of the Mississippi, as there were many military signatures. We did not see any rattle snakes, but plenty of signs telling us of their presence. The West is harsh in nature, and we long for seasons, tall oaks, pines, and maples escorting us along an ancient mountain chain. Despite the lack of trees, there are numerous curious hikes out west for us to check out, so we are making the most of it. We love it out here, but have realized you can only truly enjoy the beauty and good people that live in South West VA until you leave it.
The California Coast is much closer to mountains than back in ol’ VA. We drove less than an hour from sunny San Diego into the parched, hot desert hills of San Diego County. This County is gigantic, perhaps larger than many countries and states… We enjoyed a simple hike up a couple hundred feet to the summit of Iron Mountain, which had a great view of the surrounding hills. 
With water being so scarce, the presence of lakes and reservoirs were immediately obvious in the expansive view. We carried a lot of water for our short hike, as we have heard of quick deaths from heat stroke out in the non-humid desert. Two shipmates from my new command were hiking nearby, and one died from heat stroke, even with water. So we knew that the absence of humidity was not to mean that we weren’t sweating, it was just evaporating quickly. I bought a new toy, a camel back, which is awesome and I felt like quite the outdoorsman. 
At the summit was a trail book, which we signed Go Hokies!, and we were surprisingly not the only folks from East of the Mississippi, as there were many military signatures. We did not see any rattle snakes, but plenty of signs telling us of their presence. The West is harsh in nature, and we long for seasons, tall oaks, pines, and maples escorting us along an ancient mountain chain. Despite the lack of trees, there are numerous curious hikes out west for us to check out, so we are making the most of it. We love it out here, but have realized you can only truly enjoy the beauty and good people that live in South West VA until you leave it. 
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2 comments:
James... nice touch with the camel back. It makes for a much more enjoyable hike. Also makes one feel and look more like a seasoned hiker!
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