Corte Madera Hike (10 photos)

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.

Heavy — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Mexico — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Mountain Chaparral — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Fade — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Clouds Descending — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Jumbo — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Transparency — Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Coulter Pines in Fog as the clouds come down, Corte Madera Trail, near Campo, California. November 2011.

The Dream That Had You — Espinosa Trail, near Campo, California, USA

Sycamore leaves, along the Espinosa Trail, near Campo, California, November 2011.

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.

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