San Mateo Canyon Trail

[Sally]

Since the weather looked a little funny in the San Jacintos today, I decided to do a little exploring in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness. After a much longer drive to the trailhead than I anticipated I started up the San Mateo trail from the Tenaja Falls trailhead. At first it was misting, then drizzling, and then a light rain began. Some of the trail went through tunnels of scrub oak and it was dark and dreary. Eventually the trail was more open, but the visability was not that great because of the rain. Feeling lonely and a little down I turned around at about 4.5 miles.

Then, hooray, the sky started clearing up and it was beautiful. The trail follows the canyon along a large stream with lots of boulders, oaks and sycamores. (Also a lot of poison oak). I found my campsite for the overnight I plan on doing. Just outside of Fisherman's Camp I saw a cute salamander. Several years ago my daughter and I saw a bizillion of them in the same place.

Jerry Schad's book Afoot and Afield in Orange County makes this trail out to be very hard to follow, but the trail has been much improved since the book was written.

[phydeux]

Sally:

Any pictures? From the pdf map on the CNF website it looks like there's a lot more access to the San Mateo Wilderness from the Riverside County side. Most of the OC side is private property, so access to most of it is really tough. Caspers Wilderness Park in OC has no real trails on the SMW side of the Ortega Hwy, and the last time I did Sitton Peak was when the Sitton Peak Truck Trail was accessable from the Hot Springs RS off the Ortega Hwy down near San Juan Capsitano (I believe its closed off now or goes across private property).

If you do go for a few days post a few pics so we can see what it looks like. Exploring the area might be cool way to spend a long spring weekend if there's enough water around.

[Sally]

Yes, phydeux, I did take pictures, but I have to wait for hubby's help to post them on the weekend, because I am an idiot when it comes to computer stuff. Wait til you see the cool pictures of the animal scull (deer?) and the salamander!

To get to the Tenaja Falls trailhead you take the Clinton Keith in exit west (in Wildomar) off the 15 fwy, turn rt onto Tenaja RD. and rt onto the Forest Service Rd. Then you follow the 1 lane, very twisty paved but potholed road for about 5 miles.

The area I visited will be gorgeous when the wildflowers start opening - I saw lots of dried flower heads. There are some deep pools in the stream that I'm pretty sure will still be there in the spring.

[Sally]

My pics at last... Can someone help me identify the scull?

http://picasaweb.google.com/sallymorley ... directlink

[Rumpled]

Got some basic size dimensions on the skull?

And it was a salamander
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-salamander.html

[Sally]

Rumpled, The scull was maybe 9" long x 5" tall. Hope you can figure this out for me. And thanks for the neat article on newts and salamanders!

[phydeux]

Sally;

That's a deer's skull in your picture gallery. Its missing the front part of the upper jaw, where you'd see incisors the deer would use to 'cut' or 'nip' through vegetation. Looks like it has all the molars (at least the left side that's shown in your picture). From the size measurements you give, and from what can be seen of the teeth, its was probably a full-grown deer. Nice find.