Mountains – OFF THE MAP

Hi everyone. I’m back to share with you the least secret destination ever, Mammoth. I know there is no shortage of readers who have visited these lakes and mountains to go skiing, snowboarding, or enjoy the snow. But what’s made my experience unique was the time of year I went: summer! For the past two years, I have traveled here with my friend, Mykenzie, and will hopefully continue to do so until she graduates, which sadly isn’t too far in the future:( This trip is usually the highlight of my summer and I’m excited to share some summer activities that can be done in this winter destination!

Upon arrival this year, we headed directly to Lake George. Because of increased snowmelt levels this year, it was much more full than usual which made hiking around the perimeter a little difficult but still beautiful. Kenz and I were feeling adventurous so we decided to walk around the whole lake while the rest of her family chilled by the shore. The walk was full of little and big rocks to jump off of into the freezing, clear water and small rivers to hop over. Towards the end of the walk, we found a waterfall streaming down from above, then had to basically crawl through these very low hanging branches filled with fluttering, circle like leaves. This start to the trip was unparalleled and wouldn’t be the same if it was covered in snow.

The rest of the trip was filled with many more lake based adventures. We stayed in town, but her cousins stayed in a condo that was closer to the edge of houses. We took advantage of this by going on long hikes right from their backyard; walking to Twin and Horseshoe Lake as well as going into the village. Although it requires a half hour drive south, the highlight of the trip for me has always been renting a boat in Convict Lake. The lake is surrounded by hills on most of it’s perimeter, with one sharp, protruding peak at the far end. Being enclosed on all sides creates a really unique feel when out on the water at Convict and I could lay in the sun and watch the clouds pass behind the tall mountains for hours. The water is clear but ice cold, which usually doesn’t stop us from jumping in and swimming to shore anyways. Staying in for too long becomes uncomfortable but the warmth of the sunny boat deck usually warms me up entirely.

Seeing this stereotypically snowy destination in summer shows what all these mountains have to offer in the warmer months. Mammoth itself is a normal sized town and has many places to eat and stay. But once you are alone on a hike up in the mountains or out on a serene lake, the air is crisp and feels completely foreign and pure. I highly recommend coming here in the summer, or even just going to a classic destination you visit annually in a different season. You may be surprised with what it brings.

This week, I’m back with a new adventure from our own beautiful Santa Barbara. No flight or stress required; view our town and what surrounds it from inside the county from the top of San Marcos Pass. I have visited this location only once before but I found it the perfect place to watch the sun go down and highly recommend it to anyone chasing that orange sky.

My good friends, Mya, Morgan, and Mikayla, were the people who introduced me to this incomparable look out. One warm day in November, we all knew there had been a great streak of vibrant sunsets the previous nights so we wanted to go somewhere we could get the best view of it. The drive up to this destination was equally interesting. We trekked up the winding San Marcos Pass while looking down the canyon to Goleta. Our initial plan was to visit Lizard’s Mouth, but we missed the exit while driving up the pass and settled for Knapp’s Castle instead, which has a turnoff that is much more accessible. I believe this was a lucky mistake. It took an extra twenty minutes to get there after exiting the main pass, and we began to wonder if we had confused the directions. Eventually the small road breaks out of the trees and revealed a demanding view, proving we were in the right place. We parked (which can be difficult in the area but not impossible especially if you don’t mind walking a bit), and walked down the mellow path to the stone arches towering at the end. This is not a completely secluded location; there were a few other tourists there when we arrived around 4:00 pm and an increasing amount closer to sunset. This doesn’t alter the beauty in the view however. Knapp’s doesn’t overlook the city of Santa Barbara; instead, you wil see the spanning Santa Ynez Valley, which is a uncommon perspective and can make the experience feel more exeptional. We observed many layered and jagged mountains straight ahead and expansive, green valleys on either side, from the perch of the secure arches. The sharp brown and muted green of the land made an interesting constrast with an increasingly pink sky.

As sunset quickly approached and Kanpp’s became more crowded, my friends and I rushed back up the path the road and drove farther along the ridge line to a water tower. We climbed on top of the tower that was covered in a blanket of graffiti. Here, the sunset was at it’s peak, and from this high vantage point, you could see the whole colored sky all at once. This was equally, if not more enjoyable, than Knapp’s because we had the whole area completely to ourselves and felt totally removed from any distracting tourists. Since two of my friends are MAD juniors, they had their cameras and we spent lots of time taking shots in front of the sky. It was dark enough so that we were just silhouettes on an orange background, which created dramatic shots.

I highly recommend this lookout for anyone who is trying to get off the map in our own town. I garentee you will feel removed, calmed, and inspired by the demanding views. However it may not be totally fit for someone terrified of heights…

OFF THE MAP

Tag: Mountains

Snowless Snow Trip

Hometown Views