Black Canyon Road to Upper Santa Ysabel Truck Trail
Our class gathered along a rarely traveled road in Santa Ysabel, surrounded by trees, fields, mountains, animals, and other plants. Under the bright sun, we began our hike that would pass through several mountain sides and valleys. I am happy to say that each new day of hiking, is my best day- no less for today.
The brilliant sun enhanced the scenes along our hike. I took almost double the number of photos and video than normal! As we traveled from oak woodland to chaparral, we came across a wide variety of plants and animals, all interacting so gracefully. This interaction (animals to nature, nature to humans, humans to animals), cannot be described merely through textbooks. These hikes have proven that to myself and my classmates.
Today's hike almost entirely traveled along the sides and valleys of large mountains. We could almost always see the trail before us, winding along the mountainside, and the the thick mass of plants below us in the mountain's valleys. We dipped through both of these often, admiring the different plants, animals, and sloping sides as we walked. We spotted many animals such as red tailed hawks, rabbits, squirrels, spiders, fire ants, and gnats. We also saw several rare and interesting plants! These include poison oak, engelman oak, agaves, several flowers and brushes, and more. This trail, in my opinion, has been the most beautiful so far.
As I prepare for tommorow's hike, full of unmapped trails, I hope that our class' efforts will someday help the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy build trails for these areas. The scenes I witnessed today were gorgeous, and I hope that more will be encouraged to visit it through our efforts.
- Erina Chavez
Student of the Adventure Team
The brilliant sun enhanced the scenes along our hike. I took almost double the number of photos and video than normal! As we traveled from oak woodland to chaparral, we came across a wide variety of plants and animals, all interacting so gracefully. This interaction (animals to nature, nature to humans, humans to animals), cannot be described merely through textbooks. These hikes have proven that to myself and my classmates.
Today's hike almost entirely traveled along the sides and valleys of large mountains. We could almost always see the trail before us, winding along the mountainside, and the the thick mass of plants below us in the mountain's valleys. We dipped through both of these often, admiring the different plants, animals, and sloping sides as we walked. We spotted many animals such as red tailed hawks, rabbits, squirrels, spiders, fire ants, and gnats. We also saw several rare and interesting plants! These include poison oak, engelman oak, agaves, several flowers and brushes, and more. This trail, in my opinion, has been the most beautiful so far.
As I prepare for tommorow's hike, full of unmapped trails, I hope that our class' efforts will someday help the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy build trails for these areas. The scenes I witnessed today were gorgeous, and I hope that more will be encouraged to visit it through our efforts.
- Erina Chavez
Student of the Adventure Team