11/27/24: Hiking Sycamore Ridge and Goodan Ranch- Poway, Ca

Mission Trails Regional Park and Goodan Ranch Open Space- Poway- San Diego County, California. On the day before Thanksgiving, I took a beautiful double hike, first to the top of Sycamore Ridge at Mission Trails Regional Park's West Sycamore extension area, then down to Goodan Ranch. The weather was lovely, and the hikes totaled a peaceful, scenic 8.25 mile journey with a culmination of 800' elevation gain! The West Sycamore part of Mission Trails is an underrated part of the expanding park, as is Goodan Ranch Open Space's spacious valley!

[@swithinbarclay4797]

The thing that fascinated me here, Brian, was that there seemed a plethora of ridges, all strung together by this master ridge that you were on, and that this top-land had a flatter contour than most other ridges. Usually, ridges have more upsy-down, as one attempts a straight, lengthwise traverse of a ridgeline.
For discarded, severed branches strewn about, let's just hope that the Landscapers were just a little negligent in policing all of their clippings, rather than vandals of high malice.

[@brianpowell5082]

These ridges seem to be connected, in part, to the coastal mesas to the west! But, I really miss the ridges I used to traverse, off-trail, in the Angeles NF! I had some doozy hikes along them where I could see the Mojave Desert and the Ocean from the same point while I was in the company of pines, firs, and cedars! I wish I could get out there more, now that I live much further away! With the tree branches strewn about, I sure hope so with those branches on the ground!

[@ervinslens]

Lovely looking area my friend! Those summits in the distance are amazing!🏔️🏔️

[@brianpowell5082]

Yes, the views from up there are pretty amazing! Thanks for watching and commenting! This was a truly memorable outing!!