Spring is always such a glorious time in the Bay Area. The hillsides are lush with green grasses and wildflowers and the scattered oak trees are transformed with bright new leaves. I’d had my eye on Childers Peak in Lake County for a few months, and once the rains stopped took the long trip north to hike it.
After crossing a small stream I headed uphill through fallen trees and poison oak (the lower portion of the mountain had burned in 2015) and emerged onto the upper green slopes, expecting to find a nice grassy summit. As it turns out the true summit was another 1/4 mile further on, a rocky basalt outcropping remnant of a volcanic flow from nearby Mount Konocti. Dropping down to a saddle I crossed over and up steep slope through fallen trees and thick brush and was soon on top.
It’s always a surprise with new peaks. Part of the joy is discovering that the real landscape is never at like the flimsy picture image we have before we sent out. Real life is always so much more than we can imagine.