Hiked: 10/14/2023
Distance: 17 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5106' (Caliente), 4425' (Ridge)
Prominence: 2206' (Caliente)
Elevation Gain: 2200'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.7
Round trip time: 6 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 80 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Caliente Ridge Trailhed (unnamed road)
Difficulty: Moderate (distance)
Adam Walker contacted me about an upcoming trip he had near the Central Coast. We identified a P2K new to both of us and I met him the night before in Solvang. Caliente rises above the Carrizo Plains, famous for spring superblooms. There was no bloom in the fall, but the weather was great for a long ridge walk. Adam set a brisk pace just before 8 AM along Caliente Mountain Road. From the ridge, we had great views on both sides, including the giant white blob of Soda Lake. From Wikipedia, Soda Lake is an alkali lake with a salt crust up to 20 cm thick. After 2.5 miles, we passed the lesser Caliente Ridge Peak with a small metal tower enclosed in barbed wire. We continued on the gently rolling ridge until we saw Caliente at the end. A few sandstone formations burst from the plains, and farmlands dotted the valley to the south. The final ridge revealed some sandstone uncovered by erosion. The summit lookout tower had collapsed into a pile of wood. There were multiple registers in a plastic container and a geocache. We signed in a took a 20 minute lunch break. The only mark we found was strange. It it wasn't a traditional USGS mark but had an LGO stamp. We kept the brisk pace on the way back and finished faster than expected. With only a few sections of deep sand, it probably would have been more fun as a mountain bike trip. Without the bloom, it wasn't very interesting.
Strong work! Thanks for a good day in the mountains, and thanks for all the driving.
ReplyDeleteGimpilator,
DeleteGreat seeing you again. Big fun even if the hike wasn't too exciting. I read on summitpost that someone else tried to get to the trailhead from the 166 and hit a locked gate. We made the right call going around to the north.