Black Mountain (Ramona)
(photo credit: Linda) The forecast this morning was 30% chance of rain showers so my friends and I decided to go. We were going to hike Black Mountain Truck Trail from its junction with the Upper Santa Ysabel Truck Trail. My friends offered to give me a ride in their 4WD, since it was questionable whether my car could navigate the USYTT. We started shortly after dawn and immediately met a hunter in a bright international-orange jacket and a matching cap. He advised us that there were many hunters in the area. We briefly considered his warning and decided to hike. As it turned out, we never heard a shot or saw another hunter.
At sunrise we could see a bit of color over the hills, but, unfortunately, because we were about 1000-2000 feet below the peaks, couldn’t get a good view of the actual sunrise. We continued up the road, periodically looking over Pamo Valley. Soon it began misting and shortly thereafter we decided to put on our ponchos. I’d never before used one, but it was perfect for this situation. It was an “emergency” poncho that I have always carried made from what I believe is thin polyethylene and fit well over my daypack. It would not have worked well on a narrow trail with foliage or in a strong wind. It kept me warm and dry. I had been thinking of purchasing a rain jacket, but since this worked so well and also covers the daypack, I will now purchase a durable poncho plus a replacement “emergency” poncho.
We continued in the rain/mist to within a mile of the peak when we saw that Brandy’s friend, Ruca, was shivering. We stopped, deciding whether to continue or return. Ruca huddled shivering, curled into a ball against some foliage, thus we decided to return. My friend had a pouch for Ruca so he put her in the pouch and we returned, hiking in the wet clay, sometimes slipping, sometimes lifting gobs of clay on our boots. We were thrilled at times to be walking on decomposed granite. Brandy didn’t appear cold and was exploring along the trail as we descended. However, I will also purchase a rain jacket for her to protect her in colder weather, in case she needs it.
It had quit raining by the time we got to the 4WD. The parking area that was dry when we started was now a mud field. We cleaned our gear, dogs and shoes as best we could and got into the vehicle. I found another use for the poncho – a floor mat that would keep the water dripping from my pant legs, mud from my boots and mud from Brandy’s feet off the floor. We returned to Pamo Road on USYTT, periodically slipping on the mud as though it were ice, staying away from the steep dropoff along the road.
This is our second uncompleted trip. We will schedule both El Capitan (El Cajon Mountain) and Black Mountain (Ramona) again this fall.