Santa Barbara Foothills Hikes: The Rock Garden Part Two

Filed in archive on January 29, 2006

"Bobcats, coyotes and deer!" I thought to myself as I scrambled up a sheer face on all fours to get low enough to avoid the scrub brush that enclosed the trail like the sides of a subway tube. Those guys have it made in those situations because quadruped mammals can really shoot through these narrow sections of the trail without hesitation or fear of decapitating yourself on the sharp brush!

I was over an hour and a half into the hike and I had consumed nearly half my water, just as I sweated the fluid straight back out of my pores. My elevation gain was substantial, over three thousand feet, as I could actually look down upon Cathedral Peak which sits at that milestone.

When I broke free of the overhanging, tunnel-like upper section of the trail I knew I was almost there. This place was holy ground! Wizened pine trees stood tall at the top intermeshed with sandy fields of boulders and sagebrush. The wind played music literally right through these odd structures of pastel orange and yellow. Holes carved in the rocks themselves portioned off by their exposure to the northwest prevailing winds.

I spent many minutes at this incredible garden of rocks crawling through chasms, scrambling across boulder fields, and climbing up and into natural carved caves of water and wind. The eagle's nest tiptop oblong boulders provided a crested outlook upon the land that I live. My community was stretched out before me, unwavering in its scope of infrastructure and vehicular movement.

Can this be what I was looking for when my day started? Peaceful moments of solitude, well earned after pumping the cardiovascular system to a heart rate just below the red line of a pulse tachometer. Clouds passed across my fellow inanimate objects of plant and stone. Reflections of myself wandered through the sky as I let the hum of mountain wind guide my breath.

The Rock Garden! It must have been a place where druids met to send their elixirs off to all four corners of the world. I felt so blessed that I am able-bodied enough to transport myself to these high places. There is something about making it to the top of a peak and looking at the majestic view that is more satisfying than observing that same view from a photograph in a book or on a weblog such as this.

I want all my readers to know that I urge you to read these entries here, but don't stop! No! Don't just let the images and words get you there, muster the gumption to do it yourself! Get out off the couch and make a pack with apple, trail mix, water and a warm layer. Find your closest mountain, and walk up that thing! Take those boots made for walking and see these vistas for yourself. Take care, make appropriate considerations and consultations before you go, but don't stop with words and photos - make these stories reality in your own way, in your own natural setting!

ER Harris