BlogHide Resteemstekewin (38)in hike • 6 years agoHiking to Diablo BenchmarkThe early morning hours in the desert are magical. My destination is actually behind me. These are the Tierra Blanca Mountains.tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoBobcat photosThis amazing bobcat was active hunting and getting water in this area over a couple of days. The ear striping looks just like you might see on a tiger. There's plenty of food and she looks strong…tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoCoyotesHere is a collection of coyote photos, doing their coyote thing. They are active day and night.tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoMountain Lion trailcam shotOver the last six months, I've been experimenting with a trailcam in the local mountains. I am an avid explorer, including off trail wilderness areas. I've had some success, but recently found the…tekewin (38)in hiking • 7 years agoFonts PointFonts Point is a popular overlook above the Borrego badlands in Anza-Borrego State Park, CA. It is about a 4-mile dirt road trip from highway S22 outside Borrego Springs. We took a family weekend…tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoTrailcam snapsI've had some small success with my trailcam recently. Last month, I moved it to a watering hole close to home. The watering hole attracted a coyote, some ravens, and a bobcat.tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoEastern Vallecito Mountains High PointThe Vallecito Mountains are in eastern San Diego county and spread over a large area. The west part of the range is dominated by Whale Mountain, but the goal today was the eastern high point at…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoCurled trees on Pine MountainThere were several strangely curled trees on Pine Mountain in the Angeles National Forest. The mountain is appropriately named since only pine trees were growing on it.tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoPyramid-Villager Loop, Santa Rosa MountainsA 5-peak traverse of the southern half of the Santa Rosa mountain range in southern California. Started and finished in the dark. Total trip was 19.2 miles with 7107' of gain. It took over 14 hours…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoSilverdome, San Diego CountySilverdome is the largest granitic structure in San Diego County. No trails lead to the top but it's only about 0.3 miles of cross country to climb it.tekewin (38)in photography • 7 years agoRusted water tower in Escondido, CAThis abandoned water tower was rusted and left to the elements. It's a few miles away from any road but has a trail to it.tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoView from Mount WhitneyHere are a couple of my favorite photos from a hike to Mount Whitney in 2013. Whitney is the highest mountain in the continental U.S. Hitchcock Lake and Guitar Lake from Trail Crest Wales Laketekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoDevil Gulch FallsDevil Gulch is a deep gash in the San Gabriel Mountains north of L.A. There are no trails to get in or out. The gulch ends in the San Gabriel River, but a 90' waterfall blocks the entrance to it. We…tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoBighorn Sheep of San YsidroI met these fine specimens in the winter of 2015 in the San Ysidro Mountains. They were not overly concerned with me or my hiking buddies. It is always a rare treat to get close to these animals in…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoSanta Rosa mini-traverseThe weather was favorable for a partial traverse of the Santa Rosa range crossing five summits. I planned a loop in this order: Pyramid Peak Marble Peak Rosa Point Mile High Mountain Villager…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoTravelers PeakI continued my desert peakbagging last weekend with Travelers Peak at the southern tip of the Santa Rosa Mountains. I drove a mile up the rough Calcite Mine Road to a turnaround point before I…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoIndianhead PeakThis was one of the first desert peaks I soloed back in 2013. The name comes from the profile of the mountain at certain angles. There is a popular palm oasis in the canyon below it and a good trail…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoSierra Peak burn zoneI hiked to Sierra Peak today, the northern most peak in the Santa Ana Mountains. Last September, the Canyon Fire burned 2600 acres including this peak. The fire swept over it and burned quite a bit…tekewin (38)in hike • 7 years agoMt. JurupaRiverside, CA is surrounded by several small urban mountains that provide great hiking and mountain biking options. I drove up to Martin Tudor Regional Park for the short 2.5 mile round trip hike to…tekewin (38)in animals • 7 years agoAnother Speckled RattlesnakeThis was the second rattlesnake I encountered hiking to Eagle Crag. This one was just on the edge of the trail. I was jogging down and only saw him out of the corner of my eye. I sensed danger and…