Steeper than it looked

A few months ago I had climbed up to a scenic spot in Bulldog Canyon and when looking at the pictures later, thought I saw a way to get to the top of a ridge I've been trying to get to for a while. I went to check it out yesterday.

That rock face near the center of this picture doesn't look climbable from here.

From a little closer, it still doesn't look very climbable.

It was only 103 on the freeway as I drove home from work. That meant it would almost feel cool in Bulldog Canyon. It was 99 in my driveway. Looking better all the time. By the time I parked in Bulldog Canyon, it was down to 95. It's always cooler when you get away from the pavement. Heck, it was cool enough to hike in the sunlight, which was good because that's what I was planning to do.

When I looked at the cliff face I thought I was going to climb, it looked pretty steep. Maybe it would look different when I got closer, though. I meandered slowly in the direction of the cliff, savoring the beautiful views all around me. People say my pictures are good, but to me they are like pale, partial reflections of what I saw. They only hint at what is really there. I like them because they remind me of what it was like to be there, but if only you could go with me and know what it's like to look around and not be able to see something that isn't pretty, to smell the fresh fragrance of creosote bushes after a rain, to hear the birds calling all around and the coyotes howling in the distance, to feel the refreshing breeze at the top of a ridge or the cooler air at the bottom of a wash at the end of the day, you would understand why I keep going back and why it recharges me. Yes it's hot, and yes it's steep, but that keeps out the riffraff and that makes it special.

Up close, it looks like it might be possible.

There are too many opportunities to fall. I'm not going any higher.

It wasn't until I looked at that rock just right of center that I remembered being over there a few years ago.

I decided that the cliff was too steep to walk up. About a third of the way back to the truck, I looked back and saw what might be another way up. I'll have to check that out some day.

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