When you are setting on the pier at Santa Barbara enjoying a glass of wine, the mountains in the background don’t look so intimidating. After hiking to the top of Montecito Peak, they become a bit more impressive.
The hike starts in a canyon a few miles from the beach. The first part is climbing out of the canyon. It is a good trail with plenty of shade. Once out of the canyon you are in open country with no shade and the trail is more rock than dirt. Other than the parts that are all rock, it is a good trail , but it is always up at anywhere from a 10% to a 19% grade. The trail does not actually go to Montecito Peak. It wraps around the peak. There is a path to the top. It is only about a tenth of a mile; but it is 500 feet of climbing. It is like going up a dirt ladder. However; if you are young, in great shape, or in our case – stupid - you can make it. The view from the top is awesome.
The most interesting thing I saw, however, was not the view. It was 4 young guys ( 20 something) on mountain bikes. They were coming down the trail we were going up. They were riding some very expensive and very special bikes, but I would not be able to walk a bike down that trail, - much less ride it. They were either very talented; or very stupid. I included a couple of pictures at the end of some rocky parts of the trail. These are not pictures of a rocky cliff on the side of the trail; this IS the trail. Picking you way around and over the steep trail of rocks on foot, with hiking poles to improve balance is possible. These guys were doing it on bikes at a high rate of speed.
It was a 5 hour hike; but it made a fat dripping hamburger and a cold beer at the end taste even better.
For Photo Album, click HERE,