Double Peaks Hike

We took the dogs for a 5-mile, round-trip hike that we found in the SD Union Tribune. Called the Double Peaks Hike, we started near Discovery Lake in San Marcos, climbed about 1000' up to Double Peaks Park and then jogged back down again. The dogs had a blast. I snapped lots of pictures of local flora, which made up the chaparral in the area. Didn't see much fauna...other than other hikers, runners, and dogs.

More pics from my Double Peaks Hike on Flickr

--map of network of San Marcos trails. We started at Lakeview Park near Discovery Lake (at the corner of Foxhall Dr. and Buckhorn Ave).

--Luckily, we didn't see any of these. Since it's February, it's probably still too cold for them to be out. 

--Discovery Lake, at the beginning of our hike. Another flat, easy, 0.8 mi trail loops around the lake. 

--The only fauna we saw were the ones we brought along with us, both of the San Diego black dog species (the San Diego greater black dog is in the background, and the lesser black dog is in the foreground).

--could be another Ceanothus (buckbrush) species (?). Perhaps a lilac? Not sure. What do you think? Love the purple flowers.

-The sign was accurate. We climbed the steep trail. I tried to get the dogs to pull me. 

--purple blossoms of sage, one of the common, native species that helps make up southern California's chaparral. 

--Manzanita flowers. Manzanitas are classic totem of the chaparral.  

--buckbrush or wedgeleaf Ceanothus

(Ceanothus cuneautus)

Common chaparral species found in northern Baja California. Tends to grow in large, sprawling clumps.

http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/plants/ceanothus-cuneatus  

--western view of the Pacific from the top. We think we're looking at Carlsbad, but we couldn't be sure.

--pic of Discovery Lake from the top. Look how far we climbed!

Link to Plants in Chaparral (helped with plant identification):
http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/chaparral

Links to More Info about Double Peaks Hike:
http://www.ci.san-marcos.ca.us/index.aspx?page=268
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/feb/02/tp-san-marcos-double-peak-offers-double-treats/