Loch Lomond
By Donkey Scout
Sunday, June 13, 2004
For a Sunday outing, Tiger and I took the short trip to Loch Lomond. That's in Santa Cruz County, California, not Scotland. Neither of us had been there before, so it was a real adventure passing through the little mountain communities of Zayante and Lompico. The last part of the trip is on very narrow, twisty little road, and we had to drive very slowly.
Loch Lomond is a mountain lake in the Santa Cruz Mountains surrounded by a beautiful recreational area. Many of the picnic areas were virtually empty and very pretty. For the rod and reel set, they are boats for rent, and the favorite activity seemed to be fishing for stocked trout. Every one we saw had caught fish. It was a sunny, warm, summer day and life was as sweet as watermelon juice dripping off of a toddler's chin.
We took a 5 mile hike, starting at the park headquarters near to where we parked. We stopped in at the little boat rental facility where we got a couple of packs of trail mix, and headed out along the edge of the Loch for about 1.25 miles. After a steady 1.5 mile climb to the ridge line with some rather steep ascents, we proceeded along the ridge. There were some nice views and a spot for the Tiger and the Donkey to rest. We should have brought a lunch. The down hill going back had some very steep sections with loose stones in spots, requiring us to watch carefully where we put our feet. We got back to the car feeling deliciously exercised and filled with the awesome wonder that only nature can instill.
