The Ascent of Fremont Peak

Like yesterday, it was another Spring Break day that had to be spent outdoors. Early in the week I had allowed work on my computer to occupy too much of my time. Now work was done and it was time to play. My friend Noella and I decided to explore Fremont Peak, a state park near San Juan Bautista. Neither of us had been there before, but I had heard that the views from atop the 3,169 peak were outstanding. My State Park Guide Book described a one mile trail to the top (that started after an 11 mile drive up) that seemed easy enough. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.In the beginning, the well marked trail was a gentle slope up, lined with wildflowers and commanding views of the valley.

Gradually the hillside became steeper,
the trail more narrow and rockier...

and the views more incredible.
(Click on this photo to see its full size.)

Just past this spot I stopped, sat down, leaned back against a rock, and just enjoyed the view. I was privileged to see three hawks soaring overhead, and a hummingbird hovered inches from my face. I had on a red sweatshirt and I think he flew away disappointed that I was not the mother lode of nectar. We continued on around the peak. The trail leveled off in a few places, but for the most part, we were now climbing, climbing, climbing. I was happy to stop again for a few moments to catch Noella's approach. Behind her, the darker blue at the horizon is the Pacific Ocean (Monterey Bay).

The climb was getting steeper, but the top seemed so deceptively near that we continued to push on. Click on this photo and you will see a flag pole, our ultimate destination.

I was ahead of Noella
and when I saw this sign (click the photo to read it),
I almost turned back.

Then I figured it didn't apply. I was going up, not down, so I sat and waited. (Noella is not a slower hiker. She stopped more often to photograph.) In this photo she is on a secondary rock shooting east toward Hollister.

From this point on there was no more trail, only rock.
We pushed and pulled and crawled our way up...

stopping often to rest and photograph.

It took awhile, and the final ascent wasn't pretty, but we made it to the top and we felt quite good about it. The views were as advertised... spectacular. (Click this photo to see a larger view. It is 4 photos merged into a panorama.)

I was on a natural high for the rest of the day.