Hiking with Paul at Pinnacles Nat'l Monument, CA

Pinnacles National Monument is the western half of a volcano that was split by the tectonic movement along the San Andreas Fault. The eastern  half resides about 180 to 200 miles south near Ventura, CA.  

The Monument is accessible from both its eastern and western entrances.  It is a "Fee" park.  The roads to the park is well maintained so any vehicle can get there.  The weather in the summer is HOT HOT so wear appropriate clothing and carry lots of water.  Upon entering, you are warned of the possibility of encountering rattlesnakes, though Paul and I have never seen any.  But be forewarned.

Paul Rea and I have hiked the area many times.  These photos show one of our trips.  In this excursion, we hiked about 10 miles and gained an elevation of approximately 1800 to 2000 feet.  

Here we are starting off from the West entrance.

Here I encounter some wild flowers.  Paul would know the name of them, but I have forgotten what they are.

The Park Service has set up an observing telescope to show visitors the nest of a pair of California Condors.  On the cliff face in the distance there is a dark crack cutting across the face.  In the lower right area of the crack is where the nest is located.  

Here is a closer picture of the nesting area.  It is the right side of the lower crack.

The Park Service has naturalists who, when they know the pair has laid an egg, will rappel down the face of the cliff and go out along the crack to reach the nest.  When there, they will cautiously convince the parent condor to move off the egg.  Then they will replace the real egg with a wooden replica.  This is done because the shell of the egg is very fragile and might be broken by the parents during the nesting period.  Evidently the parents don't recognize the difference.  The real egg is taken to an incubation chamber where it is cared for until shortly before it is to hatch.  Then, the naturalists retrace their path and substitute the original egg for the wooden one.  The parents continue the hatching process as nature intended.

Later, crossing the Eastern face of the peak, Paul uses the provided accommodations.

Toward the end of our hike, we went through a talus cave.  A talus cave is formed when large boulders crash down in a narrow gap, leaving space below the falling rocks for clearance.  Unfortunately, I have only these pictures of the cave during this trip.  But, I have more from when Temi and I hiked the same trail about a week later.

There is a very nice camp area at the eastern entrance.  Paul and I have camped there once, and found it very well maintained.  During that trip, several raccoons visited our camp site at night and managed to get into some very delicious cheese Paul had brought.  I hope they enjoyed it.