Revisiting the Potato Chip Rock at Mount Woodson

 

The hike was I initiated by Kay. Lisa, a new graduate registered nurse, Kay's son Shawn, Larry, Kay and I hiked to the Mount Woodson summit where the Potato Chip Rock (PCR) is. The first time I came looking for the PCR, I was with RN and Karlee on a mother's day Sunday. We were less than a mile to PCR but I had to call off the hike because I wanted to avoid potential risk of heat stroke befalling on my love ones. I got to the PCR alone several days after and it took me probably more than two hours to get to the PCR. I had to ask one student from SDSU to take my photo using the 35mm SLR camera.
"This is cool. I never saw a film camera before!" The student who looked in his late teens or early twenties exclaimed.
"That camera is probably as old as your grandma." I told my amateur photographer as I thanked him. I was exaggerating of course, the camera may just be about 40 years old.
It was my umpteenth time to hike to the Mount Woodson Summit which is accessed either through Lake Poway or by the Ramona Fire Station at Highway 67. The very first time, I was with Tina, Melanie, Tracy and Annie at the Ramona trailhead. Two Caucasians, one half Caucasian-half African American, one from Zimbabwe and of course this Filipino immigrant made the group a perfect ethnic trail mix. Tracy, Melanie and Annie made it to the summit in one swig: bottoms up!

I was SOB to the core and I felt like I was going to pass out. Tina stayed with me with the encouragement and even taking a photo of me later lying by the side of paved access road to the summit depicting what kind of a slow mofo slug I was. I got up as fast as I could from lying on the grass because Tina thought she heard a rattle.

I never fail to take note of the trails and the hikers that make every trail complete. There are regulars to every trail. Kay, a regular to the Mount Woodson trail tells about a hiker who runs up to to summit then downhill to the lake in two round trips every time he is on the trail, regularly. Wow! Hardcore! I could hear a platoon singing one, two, three, four from a distance. Anyone hiking for solitude should not be at the Mount Woodson trails on a Saturday morning. Everybody seems to be at Mount Woodson for a shot at the potato chip rock. I took the photo below almost a year ago. The young man at the edge was my amateur photographer who used a film camera for the first time at Mount Woodson summit.

I am amazed watching Shawn showing his Mom show to get to the potato chip rock safely. I could see how well he was brought up. Shawn is a high school teacher and I could imagine him interacting with his students like he is one of them. Another Mr. Amazing at the trails. He reminds me of the Mr. B, the teacher who teaches fresh-off-the-border (FOB) new American students in the Escondido Unified School District. I met Mr. B, one Mr. Amazing, at the Three Sisters Falls in Descanso. And Shawn is another Mr. Amazing who warms every parent's heart.
The crowd by the potato chip rocks becomes bigger. Not everyone, I think, climbs the potato chip rocks for photographs and bragging rights.

"Hey, didn't you guys hear about the two person limit?" A hardcore-looking hiker, the kind who does regular two round trip out and back hike at Mount Woodson jokes or warns.
Larry, a nurse from the urgent care clinic, a system wide co-worker thought  the potato chip rock indeed seemed to be shaking. I thought I felt the shaking myself. Kay, Larry and I get off the potato chip rock as soon as we could. A group of youngish amateur rock climbers gets into the chip as soon as we left the protruding chip.

I look back and look at the potato chip rock as we head down to Lake Poway. The crowd by the first antenna where the potato chip rock is grew even bigger. We met more hikers on way down. I wonder if they too are just revisiting then potato chip rock at the Mount Woodson summit.