Читать книгу 50 Best Short Hikes: San Diego - Jerry Schad - Страница 31

INLAND NORTH COUNTY

A wrinkled landscape of rock-ribbed hills, small mountains, and gently sloping valleys characterizes the inland North County region. From such quintessentially suburban communities as San Marcos, Escondido, Rancho Bernardo, and Poway in the west, the land steadily rises east toward the even more corrugated interior rural landscape forming the foothills of San Diego County’s major massifs—the Palomar, Cuyamaca, and Laguna Mountains.

The inland suburban climate is not as benign as that along the coastline. Summer daytime temperatures often rise into the 90s, and wintertime frost occasionally dusts the valleys. Farther inland, in the rural zone around the community of Ramona, summer highs sometimes exceed 100°F. While these temperatures are not remarkably extreme for many parts of the country, it is worth noting that, around here in general, the coming of the sun-splashed summer does not equate to great hiking. It is simply too hot and too dry. Not until October or November do those conditions abate. If you must hike during these potentially scorching months, confine your explorations to early morning or late afternoon and early evening.

When you do hike here, the highly topographical nature of inland North County’s landscape ensures that you will be treated to beautiful and often breathtaking vistas. Whether you are cradled in the bottom of a valley or have reached the crest of a peak, the view will almost never disappoint.

Be forewarned that drinking water is scarce along trails that thread through inland North County. The same trails also gain and lose significant amounts of elevation, which only increases the effort of those who hike them. So for reasons of both safety and comfort, hikers are strongly encouraged to take along plenty of water, especially when the weather is warm.