After a trip to Denver in Mid-November we travelled on to New England to enjoy the holidays in Massachusetts. We returned to California on January 1, picked up the Airstream in Fairfield and have settled near Pinnacles National Park located in the heart of the Salinas Valley. Today was our inaugural 2017 hike and even though it was fairly short, it was a challenging one.
Rock spires, ramparts, and crags that bear no resemblance to the nearby foothills dominate the landscape in Pinnacle National Park. The spectacular remains of part of an ancient volcanic field, one third of this field lies 195 miles to the south-east.
It is part of the San Andreas Fault Zone, which runs just east of the park, and the heat, frost, water, and wind wearing away rock.
There are several talus caves, formed when boulders fell into deep, narrow gorges and lodged between the rock walls.
Today's trail required us to scramble through talus passages. We needed flashlights to find our way through Balconies Cave.
Today's hike:
Length - 2.95 miles
Duration - 1 hour, 52 minutes
Elevation gain - 410 feet (41 floors on the Fitbit)
We are currently staying at Yanks RV Resort, Greenfield, California. We will be here for 1 week planning for the upcoming year and exploring Pinnacles National Park.
Glad to see the blog again!
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