Hike 2015.020 -- Antelope Valley California Poppy State Natural Reserve

Hiked Saturday, March 21. This hike capped what was a very successful hiking week for me. Four hikes that week (a short, non-hike before that), plus the two hikes I did the next week, has me back on track towards achieving 100 for the year. I'm at 22, now, and may get one more in before the week. And with the days getting longer, I'll be able to fit in some more mid-week hikes (only short, local hikes, of course), so being at 22 or 23 by the end of the first quarter of 2015 is about where I'd like to be.

Despite having heard about the very big hit the California Poppies took at the end of the previous week, I figured it would still be worth a drive out there. Worst-case scenario: I'll have an easy walk on a mostly-deserted set of trails. More likely scenario: The non-poppy wildflowers would still give me something to look at.

So I packed up my camera, packed an extra battery, and drove out there last Saturday--only to discover I did NOT pack my dslr! Fortunately I've got a new phone, with a not-completely-useless camera built-in. That's what documented this trip.

Goldfields blanketed much of the area, and filled the air with a pungent odor. Blue-colored phacelia were also here, as were some scattered poppies. I walked from the visitor center, along the .6 mile trail segment that goes past Tehachapi Vista Point, looped around on the north loop, then took the north segment past Kitanemuk Vista Point, then over to Antelope Butte Vista Point, then looped on that eastern trail, taking the middle return route. 5 miles for the day. Enough to feel good about the walk, and having taken in a lot of wildflowers, I was satisified with the trip.

Links to previous visits to the Reserve are here, and here, and here.