We hiked to Corte Madera peak in San Diego’s back country. Out of nostalgia, I brought my “old” Fuji S5pro along to make photos (and I still think it’s a wonderful and unique DSLR camera). It was a cloudy and overcast day, and just as we reached the summit (sometimes referred to as “San Diego’s Half-Dome” because of its shape and popularity among rock climbers), clouds moved in and the landscape began to disappear – in other words: magic unfolded. As we hiked back down we passed the cloud layer – and of course got rained upon.
The landscape is beautiful, and the trail offers nice diversity: it begins on an oak-shaded dirt road, then enters mountain chaparral, and in the higher portions huge granite rocks and Coulter Pines appear before you reach the sheer granite face of the summit. A black & white rendition of the photographic impressions appeared to be most suitable to transport the feeling of quiet solitude on the trail. I hope you like the images.
If you are interested, the hike is described in the Jerry Schad’s book “Afoot & Afield in San Diego County”, often referred to as the “hiking bible” of San Diego.