It has been about 3 years since I hiked in Hellhole Canyon. I lived in Fresno back then and was visiting San Diego over the holidays. For some reason, I thought I remembered the hike, but I guess things change, and Paradise Mountain Loop appeared to be only somewhat familiar.
Firstly, I was hiking in late May when the temperatures were already in the high 70s. It was cool in the morning with a good cloud coverage, but as the day progressed, it warmed up quite a bit. The trail starts out with a decent for the first mile, then flat for a mile or so and the remaining 2 miles straight up.
With the pandemic just starting to wind down, this was probably the second or third weekend the park was open. Several months of no human activity resulted in somewhat overgrown trails, especially if you choose to start the loop clockwise. I was glad to have been wearing pants, that's for sure! There were only a few people starting out with me, the trail did not appear to attract a large crowd. Most people selected the traditional counter-clockwise direction so for most of the hike I was by myself. The wildflowers were still blooming everywhere, even in late spring.
As the climb began around a two-mile mark, the views unfolded. You could see for miles in all directions. The trail's "peak" is Paradise Mountain, but many people stop at the one right before that if you choose the traditional direction. This allowed me to have the peak to myself, so I sat down and had my Kind bar. Most of the time during the hike I was listening to podcasts, but at the peak I simply wanted to observe and listen. The distant sound of traffic, birds chirping, wind gently blowing, an occasional lizard passing by (they were pretty large there!) - total peace. I could see this being a good meditation point.
I continued the hike, reached the second peak where a group of people were having their snacks, passed by and started my decent. The trail became wider and more passable. I guess some people just hike this train in-and-out instead of completing the loop. Again, I saw only a few more people, officially declaring this trail the hidden gem of COVID-19 pandemic!
Firstly, I was hiking in late May when the temperatures were already in the high 70s. It was cool in the morning with a good cloud coverage, but as the day progressed, it warmed up quite a bit. The trail starts out with a decent for the first mile, then flat for a mile or so and the remaining 2 miles straight up.
With the pandemic just starting to wind down, this was probably the second or third weekend the park was open. Several months of no human activity resulted in somewhat overgrown trails, especially if you choose to start the loop clockwise. I was glad to have been wearing pants, that's for sure! There were only a few people starting out with me, the trail did not appear to attract a large crowd. Most people selected the traditional counter-clockwise direction so for most of the hike I was by myself. The wildflowers were still blooming everywhere, even in late spring.
As the climb began around a two-mile mark, the views unfolded. You could see for miles in all directions. The trail's "peak" is Paradise Mountain, but many people stop at the one right before that if you choose the traditional direction. This allowed me to have the peak to myself, so I sat down and had my Kind bar. Most of the time during the hike I was listening to podcasts, but at the peak I simply wanted to observe and listen. The distant sound of traffic, birds chirping, wind gently blowing, an occasional lizard passing by (they were pretty large there!) - total peace. I could see this being a good meditation point.
I continued the hike, reached the second peak where a group of people were having their snacks, passed by and started my decent. The trail became wider and more passable. I guess some people just hike this train in-and-out instead of completing the loop. Again, I saw only a few more people, officially declaring this trail the hidden gem of COVID-19 pandemic!
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