Alamo Mountain

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Los Padres National Forest



The second Hundred Peaks Section peak of the day is Alamo Mountain. It is the tall one for the weekend, but not much more work that the last peak to actually stand on the top. There is plenty of room for all the vehicles near a turn that seems to be chosen at random. We could start from anywhere around the road that loops the top, as long as there is parking. I have always walked up from Twin Pines on the other side before. This route starts higher for an easier climb.

gentle hillside
The gentle hillside on the way to the peak.

Well, it might be an easier climb except for the Day Fire in 2006. This area was hard hit and after 10 years, most the trees have fallen. We have a lot of trees to climb over on our way up.

logs on the hillside
Clambering over the logs.



standing dead trees
More fallen trees to the side.

more logs and trees
More logs to clamber over, but there are trees ahead.

We manage to get over all the logs and enter the forest at the top. The other side of the mountain did not get so hard hit and there are still plenty of trees there. We head off to a clump of rocks that are marked as the peak on peakbagger.

rocky top
Nice pile of rocks, but not the peak.

It is not actually the peak, though. We head off for something a little higher and slightly more open for views.

top of Alamo Mountain
A wider pile of rocks is the peak.

from the top
The view is a little better than the shorter peak, but the trees block quite a bit of it still.

Frazier Mountain
Frazier Mountain behind a tall tree.

We grab a bite to eat on this peak before wandering down again. It is surprising to see Santa Cruz out in the ocean glistening in the early afternoon sun, but we are on the tallest mountain in the area.

trees and rocks
Trees at the top.

Santa Cruz Island
A distant Santa Cruz Island sitting in a distant ocean.

We manage to get over all the logs without injury again on the way back, then off to find somewhere to camp on this very busy weekend.

*photo album*


©2016 Valerie Norton
Posted 10 November 2016
location: Alamo Mountain, California 93252, USA

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