MT. ST. HELENA (4,343') 16X March 12, 2000

While working on my computer Sunday morning, I received a phone call from Rex. He was wanting to hike on this beautiful day. I wished for a first peak ascent for the year, since I have had such poor opportunities recently, so I suggested this favorite mountain in the Coast Range. We had often done this peak as it is an easy hike, and no real problem should a rescue or evacuation become necessary. A dirt road leads to the summit, and in an emergency, a vehicle could be called.

We came to the trailhead a little after Noon, and began our hike at 12:35 p.m. We took the wet, damp, dirt trail to the State Park monument, then took the rough, partially washed-out trail onward to its junction with the dirt road. The parking lot had been nearly filled, with some overflow. I wondered where were all the hikers?

Climbers were practicing at Bubble Rock. There were a few groups with kids with backpacks, said to be getting ready for an overnight stay somewhere. We made the highest, northwest, summit after two hours and five minutes of hiking. There had been some snow on the road.

The views were about the same. Snow Mountain to the north had lots of white stuff on it. Lassen and the Sierra were visible over the Central Valley. The views west and southwest were a bit hazy, so San Francisco wasn't too clearly seen. The Napa Valley was good and green.

Rex spotted a lone hang glider circling about near us. The pilot played on the thermals, and stayed aloft without much effort. I took a picture, then we had to head back down. Due to our late start, we didn't have plenty of daylight left at 3:00 p.m.

Visiting the southeast summit with its observation deck, I had touched the indistinct pile of rocks that seemed to be the highpoint. We left shortly, and stopped briefly at Bubble Rock to watch the climbers. Someone had placed bolts since sometime I had last noticed.

Our return to the muddy parking was completed by 5:10 p.m. We loaded our gear, then took off for home. This was my sixteenth peak ascent on this summit. Our stats were roughly 11 miles and over 2,000 feet gain.

BACK TO PETE'S THOUSAND PEAKS HOME PAGE