Tecuya Mountain

Los Padres National Forest

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For my second demonstration of how not to approach ice in a car, I entered an iced over corner with an uphill slant in third gear. This is too fast. So after it started to spin one way and I managed, through great "skill", to get it spinning faster the other way, but still headed right into the snow bank, there was the "joy" of trying to remove it from said snow bank. The delay probably doesn't mean too much. This is a short hike. I think I'll follow the motorcycle trail to the road and the road up past to Tecuya Ridge area, then back up to the mountain and down a ridge to the motorcycle trail again. Or maybe the other way around. Either way, I'm heading up Cold Springs Trail first. It is currently closed to motorcycles.

Lock on Cold Springs Trail for the winter season. Still fine to hike.

There's a couple people walking their dogs back down as I head up. The initial impression of the trail is one of no snow, but that is quickly called out as a lie. There is plenty of snow, but it has a fair number of footprints stomping it down already. At first it comes and goes, but as the trail begins to climb an east facing slope, it gets constant.

There's plenty of dry land just off to the right.

Still able to have a view even when down in the bottom of a ditch.

Across the way is another old road. It doesn't go up to the ridge, but I'm still pondering if it might be part of my route down.

The footprints stop at the ridge line below Tecuya Mountain. Everyone so far has come up to here and looked around, then gone down again. I admit, it's a nice view. It isn't the peak. I look at the snow covered trail heading down again before it climbs to the road and start up the illegal motorcycle trail instead. Besides being much more direct, it has a lot less snow on it.

Up on the ridge line and getting a look at Frazier Mountain. That's what I really wanted.

Interesting build of clouds hovering out there over the Grapevine in the east.

Getting a view out west over Cuddy Valley now, too.

Plenty of patches of snow along the way, but most isn't so deep. Someone has been following the trail before me, but it looks like a rabbit up close.

The wind is harsh as I get near the top and bitter when I get to it. I need my puffy, wind proof mittens. I have little woolly knit half mittens. The windbreaker helps, but it is insufficient.

Bears of a couple different sizes crossed the trail and popped over the top of the mountain.

The top of Tecuya Mountain.

There's a ridge over there somewhere.

Not all that much to see to the west either.

The register is a can off to the side of the flat top and I grab it and huddle behind a tree more than 4 feet in diameter. The thing is crazy massive, but does nothing to stop the wind from biting at me. My hands are screaming in excruciating pain. I no longer have any desire to do anything but run back down the mountain the fastest way. Ridges and loopy trails will just have to wait. I put the register back and scramble down until I find some real relief from the wind on a bit of warm dirt.

Just go down. Quickly down.

I'm a little more sedate, but just as determined, as I continue down to the trail and then down to the car. My feet are getting soggy, but at least I'm out of the wind.

Down the switchbacks of snow. The clouds are moving slowly, but coming in.

Tecuya Ridge disappearing in clouds.

Oh, wait. I meant to save this one for my final as my old and most visited camp is named for it. I hadn't meant to just use it as a way to try to scope out how much snow was on Frazier Mountain. Whoops. Guess it wasn't so important after all. It's true that I've never really set on getting all the Hundred Peaks Section listed peaks.




©2020 Valerie Norton
Written 27 Jan 2020