sbrobert
By Robert Bernstein
Last month Robert led the Sierra Club hike from Rattlesnake trailhead up to Gibraltar Rock. This time we started at Gibraltar Rock and hiked up to Flores Peak on a very primitive, steep and slippery trail. The Wednesday night Sierra Club group pioneered doing this whole hike at once, but that is a bit much for me! Here are all of my photos from this outing.
Here the group gathered near the hidden trailhead across Gibraltar Road from Gibraltar Rock:
We were soon ascending rapidly above Gibraltar Road:
On my previous hike, former NASA geologist Tom Farr educated us about how some of these rocks became polished as they moved past each other. Here was another example:
Once again we were greeted by Indian Paintbrush flowers which I misnamed in my previous article:
Perhaps the most enjoyable part of this hike is the middle section after the steep climb at the beginning. The middle section has a more gentle, steady climb with beautiful views up and down the coast:
Sizhuang posed dramatically on this viewpoint rock:
If you attend the Santa Barbara Symphony, you have experienced the bassoon music of Andy Radford who joined our little outing! Here he posed nearby!
And the group gathered for this magnificent view toward Montecito and Carpinteria:
Next came the final push up a very steep and slippery climb to the top. One of the hikers very wisely decided to skip this final bit. I am always grateful for hikers who know to stay within their comfort limit and not take unnecessary risks. My co-worker friend James took this wonderful photo of this final climb that included me!
Up on top we relaxed and had snacks. And marveled at the endless dance of the paragliders and occasional hang gliders.
Conditions seemed exceptionally good for the pilots to stay aloft. I made this long video of the ones below us. I kept waiting for one to land, but every time one seemed to be about to land it would soar up again!
Here is a short video of the ones above us:
Eventually we started to make our way down. Going up that final steep section is a workout. But coming down is when things can be dangerous. It helps to have a pole or walking stick. And to be prepared to fall back on your butt rather than to fall forward if you start to slide. Thankfully, everyone made it down OK!
The lower descent is very beautiful, through a rock garden.
After landing safely at the bottom, we crossed the street and climbed onto Gibraltar Rock. We peeked over the edge and watched some young climbers prepare to ascend to our location the harder way!
And we took one final rest to take in the views on Gibraltar Rock.
You can see the schedule of all of our local Sierra Club Santa Barbara Group hikes through Meetup here. Everyone is welcome! If you are a member of Meetup you can receive free notifications of future hikes! My next hike will be a totally new hike to a “secret” overlook above Montecito on Saturday April 23!
https://www.meetup.com/SierraClub-SantaBarbara/
