Friis Trail Hike - Black Mountain

This morning I hiked with my buddy Mike in the shadow of Black Mountain in the Santa Lucia District of the Los Padres National Forest near Pozo, California, in San Luis Obispo County. We carpooled in Mike's automobile and we took my little doggy Tequila along with us for protection from ground squirrels and small lizards. We drove out to Friis Camp and parked just beyond and around the corner from the actual campground. From there we hiked the entirety of Friis Trail from the lower end near Friis Campground to the upper end which terminates at the road that runs up to the top of Black Mountain (Forest Route 29S10) otherwise known as Black Mountain Road. The air was cold and windy and the sky mostly overcast for most of the hike up and only started to clear near the end of our ascent.We enjoyed a snack at the top and I started taking photos as the sun had come out and made doing so finally worthwhile.
I continued to take photos throughout the descent back down the hill.I'm embarrased to admit I don't know the names of most of the wildflower varieties in these photos which shall remain uncaptioned as a result. I hope you enjoy them in spite of that. Update: Be sure to check out my subsequent visit here nearly three years later in this posting.

Black Mountain repeater site as seen from Black Mountain Road.

Closer view of repeater site replete with lone pine tree.

Black Mt. Rd. with Friis Trail seen angling up to it from the distant left.

This area continues to show evidence of the 1996 Hwy. 58 Fire.

My hiking buddy Mike and my little dog Tequila.

There were numerous beautiful wildflowers along Black Mountain Road atop the saddle at the upper end of Friis Trail.

Upper Friis Trailhead

Shot-up Friis Trail sign.

Tequila tootling along.

Eastern rampart of Black Mountain.

White rock outcroppings on the east side of Black Mountain.

Huge white boulder that fell down from higher up Black Mountain.

More scars of the Hwy. 58 Fire which burned though here in August, 1996.

This Oak has nearly more trunk than leaves.

I wonder what lives up the center of this old oak?

Black Mountain

Evidence of the Hwy. 58 Fire is everywhere, but so is regrowth.

Yuccas do grow in this area.

Look at all the rock that got turned up when this tree fell over.

Lower Friis Trailhead

Dirt bike ding-dongs lift their bikes over this feature (scarred with rubber treadmarks) designed to keep them off Friis Trail which in turn is next to the sign telling them to stay off the trail.

Gun-toting neandertals have been "plinking" this water tank for some time.

It was nice to get back up to this hiking location for the first time this year with the previous time I visited this area being last year sometime.

It was a bummer to see what the shooting crowd has been doing in this area of late as well as the same thing regarding the motor bike crowd.

I sure wish it was legal to poach such people because I would if I could.

What these people have been doing is inconscionable and an insult to the rest of us who co-own these public lands.

I'm all for having the right to go out and shoot one's guns, but dadgummit, only shoot at stuff to which it is appropriate to shoot and clean up your shell casings when you're done.

As for the motor bikes which to begin with I utterly hate, you folks who drive them, STAY OFF trails to which you are not welcome to ride and enjoy all the trails out in this area to which you may ride. This is basic courtesy to your fellow citizens.

By the way, Friis Trail is about two miles long and the drive into to Friis Camp along Friis Camp Road from its intersection with Black Mountain Road is one and half miles along