Day 6 was the last “real” day of hiking. We went to the top of Vulcan mountain and then walked down around the loop, and then we got picked up and taken to a different part of the trail. The top of the mountain was pretty incredible. I could see the mountain that is across the street from my home in Ramona. On the way up the mountain, we walked by more native american grinding sites. I learned that if you spot cactus near a bunch of holes in rocks, it’s one of the larger sites. The natives would use the cacti as a water source for making their maize.
After the mountain we walked through a cattle ranch. The cows were probably the most dangerous part of the trip. The baby calves would walk about three feets close to us, and no more. I saw one person move closer, and the cow retreated. During the classes in Biology before the hike, I learned about the Rule of 10.. rule. Basically, every animal only gets 10% of the energy of what it eats. The Rule of 10 helps give us a good idea of how much land it takes to sustain an animal. I saw a few cows on that hike, but the cow to acre ratio was a lot higher than I anticipated. Hearing about the rule of 10 in class was ok, but I didn’t actually believe before I saw it. After that, we walked down the hill and back to the cars. Again, I was one of the lucky ones that got to stay behind and wait for a shuttle. However, I was getting a ride to my dad’s house from my teacher, which eliminated hours off of my commute. I waited there for about 30 minutes, and nothing notable really happened between then. After that, I was driven home by Dr. Patton.
What happens next isn’t exactly a part of the hike, but it’s still an interesting part of my day so bear with me. To show my gratitude for getting a ride home from Dr. P, I wanted to give him some of my homemade beef jerky. It’s really good. I don’t have a key to my house, so I went in through the dog area. After I exited the dog area, I forgot to close the dog door all the way. As I opened the garage door, Lars, my greyhound, bolted out the door and made a run for it. I quickly set my bags down and sprint after him. We were both at full speed in the beginning, but he was able to get some distance between us. I was chasing him through the orange grove near my house. I had to run in between rows to see which row he was in. I finally saw him, and he was walking now. I sprint as fast as I can toward him, screaming “Lars! Lars! Get back here now”. He thought this was all just a fun game, so he gives me a cocky dog smile and runs off again. This time, he was running through one of my neighbor’s garden, and it was a nice one so I felt bad if I were to run through it and destroy all the plants. I double time it around the garden on their sidewalk while hoping they didn’t think I was an intruder. I chased Lars down the street after I got out of the garden. The street ran out and then I was chasing him through the chaparral near my house. Instead of defensive neighbors, I now had to worry about snakes. Lars was panting now, and I was nowhere near exhausted. I chase him around for a few more minutes and finally he gives up. I grabbed him by the collar and called my dad to let him know that I caught the dog. He told me to wait where I was so he could give me a leash. My dad finally gets over to where I am and he drops my little brother off with me. At this point we were all walking, but because I’m a bit of a psychopath I decided to run with the leash. Lars was thinking, “Really, I have to run some more”. I yell out, “Come on Lars, what’s the big deal? You wanted to go for a run.” For a while, Lars decided he was too tired to walk, so I pick him up and carry him for a little bit before I got tired of carrying him. I set him down and he was ready to walk again. After that, I was practically home and I put him back in the dog cage.
Austin Simpson
After the mountain we walked through a cattle ranch. The cows were probably the most dangerous part of the trip. The baby calves would walk about three feets close to us, and no more. I saw one person move closer, and the cow retreated. During the classes in Biology before the hike, I learned about the Rule of 10.. rule. Basically, every animal only gets 10% of the energy of what it eats. The Rule of 10 helps give us a good idea of how much land it takes to sustain an animal. I saw a few cows on that hike, but the cow to acre ratio was a lot higher than I anticipated. Hearing about the rule of 10 in class was ok, but I didn’t actually believe before I saw it. After that, we walked down the hill and back to the cars. Again, I was one of the lucky ones that got to stay behind and wait for a shuttle. However, I was getting a ride to my dad’s house from my teacher, which eliminated hours off of my commute. I waited there for about 30 minutes, and nothing notable really happened between then. After that, I was driven home by Dr. Patton.
What happens next isn’t exactly a part of the hike, but it’s still an interesting part of my day so bear with me. To show my gratitude for getting a ride home from Dr. P, I wanted to give him some of my homemade beef jerky. It’s really good. I don’t have a key to my house, so I went in through the dog area. After I exited the dog area, I forgot to close the dog door all the way. As I opened the garage door, Lars, my greyhound, bolted out the door and made a run for it. I quickly set my bags down and sprint after him. We were both at full speed in the beginning, but he was able to get some distance between us. I was chasing him through the orange grove near my house. I had to run in between rows to see which row he was in. I finally saw him, and he was walking now. I sprint as fast as I can toward him, screaming “Lars! Lars! Get back here now”. He thought this was all just a fun game, so he gives me a cocky dog smile and runs off again. This time, he was running through one of my neighbor’s garden, and it was a nice one so I felt bad if I were to run through it and destroy all the plants. I double time it around the garden on their sidewalk while hoping they didn’t think I was an intruder. I chased Lars down the street after I got out of the garden. The street ran out and then I was chasing him through the chaparral near my house. Instead of defensive neighbors, I now had to worry about snakes. Lars was panting now, and I was nowhere near exhausted. I chase him around for a few more minutes and finally he gives up. I grabbed him by the collar and called my dad to let him know that I caught the dog. He told me to wait where I was so he could give me a leash. My dad finally gets over to where I am and he drops my little brother off with me. At this point we were all walking, but because I’m a bit of a psychopath I decided to run with the leash. Lars was thinking, “Really, I have to run some more”. I yell out, “Come on Lars, what’s the big deal? You wanted to go for a run.” For a while, Lars decided he was too tired to walk, so I pick him up and carry him for a little bit before I got tired of carrying him. I set him down and he was ready to walk again. After that, I was practically home and I put him back in the dog cage.
Austin Simpson