WITM: Pleasants Ridge Trail

 

If I had to use one word to describe this hike, that word would be "up."  If I got to choose another, it would be "rocks."  I don't, however, believe I would choose the word pleasant.  However, this being a blog requires that I use more than one or even two words, so I'll expand on things a bit.  It is still sure to be short and sweet.  

 

Like this little guy!

 

For starters, the trail was without a doubt the steepest I have ever been on.  In one mile the trail climbs 1500 feet over dirt and large rocks.  It finally ends up at the top of a mountain.  That is where most of the photos were taken due to the simple fact that it was impossible to manipulate a camera while struggling to pull myself up the trail.  Yes, pull - we had to scramble on our hands and knees at some parts (okay, mostly me because I'm the one with short legs).  

This hike, although tough, did have a reward.  The view from the top was amazing.  We could see several peaks, Monticello Dam and Lake Berryessa, and a few valleys scattered in between.  As we sat on our mountain (I said our - for that bit of time it was ours - we'd earned it) we saw three military planes circling the area a few times, and a handful of vultures.  Had they not been flying lower down the mountain, we may have thought they were considering us, the way that we felt.  

The dam and the lake

A mountain we were happy not to climb

Another one we were content to just look at



And then the descent.  It was tricky heading down such a steep slope.  For the most part it wasn't too bad, so long as we went slow.  The dirt was loose and rocks the size of my fist would dislodge themselves on occasion and hurtle downhill, inspiring a feeling of foreboding within me.  I slowed down a bit more.  Someone as clumsy as I am shouldn't take chances.  

 

At one point I needed a breather so I stopped just as I hit some shade from an oak tree.  As I peered down the trail and glanced at the trees roots, one stood out and seemed different from the others.  When I realized that the difference was that one root was shiny, it dawned on me that it wasn't a root at all.  It was a snake.  A pretty good sized one at that.  And he was stretched out across our path.  Crap.    

Do you SEE that thing!?

Luckily I had decided to bring my walking stick for the first time and gently nudged the snake to move it out of our way.  Apparently he didn't take too kindly to that and doubled back toward his tail and hissed loudly and shook his tail.  It was our good fortune that he was not a rattlesnake but just a gopher snake pretending to be one.  After he gave us what-for, he decided we weren't worth the trouble and took off down a nearby hole and that was the end of him.   

No fish.  At least it was pretty.



Soon enough, we were back at the gate and hot-footing it to the car.  We did a little fishing before coming up empty and heading for home (along with some mac n' cheese and a nap).  

 

Not too worse for wear