Pine

On the north shore of Clear Lake, at the edge of the Mendocino National Forest, a series of low hills rise above the lakeside highway. The walk up to Pine Mountain, just above Lucerne, starts at a water tank and follows a grassy slope to some small rocky outcrops. It’s an easy hike, and as you go higher you get a clear view of the peaks of Mount Konocti in the distance. Here the dry grasses and varieties of lichen on the rock complement the colors of the late afternoon sky.