Kwaaymii Point - Granite Mountain

This group of photos was taken on top of Mt. Granite. It's about 15 miles from the spot where we camp in our RV whenever we have the chance. This particular spot though, is not used for camping.

It's used for hang gliding.

Not always successfully, I'm sorry to say. Yep, the drop off beyond this ledge is VERY steep and over a mile to the bottom.

These plaques are dedicated to some of the hang gliders who have died here.  As evidenced by my wife's hair, there is a crazy updraft here. That's why the spot of so well known (and very radical).

Please enlarge this photo. A little over half way up the photo, a little to the left of center, there is a little white shiny dome. When I say we going up to our favorite mountain ridge, that is where we go. Just a tiny bit past the dome is a green area of pine trees. That is where we camp whenever possible.  The dome is actually part of the California Wolf Center. More on that wonderful place in a later post.

Part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Mexico to Canada...

It's not much more than a rut in the dirt here, but this trail is almost 3000 miles long.  You can see it in the middle of the bottom of the photo and then cutting across the peak towards the top.

I've never done the whole trail (and probably never will), but I always like to do little bits of it whenever I have the chance. I thought this was a cool looking rock formation, along the way.

This is where the trail goes around the top of the peak (two photos ago).

The trail in the upper right of this photo is where the part in the above led to.  Towards the bottom, on the right had edge you can see the trail that led me up the next rise.

Here's a closer look at the part in the upper right in the last photo. The drop off (of several thousand feet) starts about two feet to the left of the trail. Although I'm not that fond of heights, this is serious rattle snake country and I was much more worried about them.

I got a little carried away and didn't want to stop hiking. My wife and daughter were wondering what the heck happened to me and were a little bit worried. When it cools off a bit later in the year, we're probably going to hike from here back to our campground as the PCT passes pretty close to it.

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