Volcan Mountain Storm Hiking
My friend Alex Kunz and I decided a storm was the perfect time to get out and make some images. This time, we picked Volcan Mountain outside of Julian, California. We hiked in from the fire road to the Five Oaks Trail before reaching the summit. This is a collection of images from the hike.
As always, clicking on any of the images will launch a slideshow.
While making images in the fog is always a lot of fun, there were other highlights. The manzanitas looked amazing in the rain, with a beautiful sheen from the precipitation. It was a unique look.
We also experienced “tree rain.” For the most part, it wasn’t raining while we were hiking. However, there was an immense amount of water in the trees, so every time the wind kicked up, rain dropped on us from above.
While the wildflower season is over in the lower elevations, we were pleasantly surprised to find beautiful wildflowers in the 4,000 to 5,200 elevations on Volcan Mountain. The lupine were huge, if not sparse. And as luck would have it, Alex wanted to check out a side trail on the top and wondered what the source of the orange was in the distance. I immediately knew we were looking at California Poppies. I had no idea they could be found in San Diego County, but it was perfect habitat. On the wet side of the mountain, on an undisturbed hillside, it reminded me of the poppies that grown on Figureroa Mountain where I had been only weeks before. This was an excellent treat.
T.M. Schultze is a San Diego-based photographer, traveller, and writer. He writes, photographs, and draws things of the outdoors that have inspired humans for thousands of years. He co-authored the Photographer’s Guide to Joshua Tree Park which can be purchased here.