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ziphius Posts: 911
4/5/2013
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Alex and I parked near the gas station/Subway one day last weekend and explored Gray Mountain / Table Mountain. Nice area, with a diverse terrain of grasslands, boulders, volcanic rocks. Extremely windy at the top of Table Mountain, probably 40 knots. Nice area that we want to return to for exploring/camping. Saw this little guy within a few minutes of starting:
Found what looks like a dry spring area and some rhyolite flakes and pottery pieces showed up. Nice curved piece from the neck of a jar:
We were seeing lots of sheep / deer scat and then found this antler a little while later:
Dry spring area with Gray Mtn. in background:
Alex cruising the terrain:
Some terrain views:
edited by ziphius on 4/5/2013
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
4/5/2013
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That is a great area to explore. Looks like you found a rosy boa snake. When you find pottery like that or other artifacts do you put them back in the same spot as you found it? I guess maybe that is question for anyone...I know as a Site Steward we have been trained to either leave artifacts in place and not move them or to put them back exactly as we found them.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
4/5/2013
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Oh yeah, looking at the antler made me remember a trip I was out there on and a big deer jumped out of a sumac shrub right in front of me...my heart almost jumped out of my chest....I have seen bighorn out there also.
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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mrkmc Posts: 87
4/5/2013
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Looks like fun! I haven't been to Gray Mountain yet, look like a good area to explore. I think the snake is a desert patch nose.
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dsefcik Administrator Posts: 2622
4/5/2013
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mrkmc wrote:
I think the snake is a desert patch nose. Good call Mark...I think you are probably right....
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http://www.sefcik.com
http://www.darensefcik.com
http://www.carrizogorge.com
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tommy750 Posts: 1049
4/6/2013
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Nice trip report. Was out there in December hiking between Gray and Table. Looks like you made it to the top of Table. How about Gray? Didn't actually climb Gray because it was really windy. Amazing how quiet it is out there and so close to I-8. Agree that looks like a Patch Nose Snake having seen a total of one myself 
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ziphius Posts: 911
4/6/2013
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Yep, I even put the pottery piece back in the depression that had formed around it in the clay.
Tommy and mrkmc, thanks for the ID on the 'desert patch nose'. We also saw a much larger and faster snake near Table Mtn. later in the day, it left too quickly for a photo... wanted to call it a 'racer' based on what I saw. I did find a rosy boa a few weeks ago in the Jamul Mountains near Otay Lakes. Didn't go up to Gray Mtn. this time, but we realized we had the time to do it as we skirted its flanks on the way back to the car.
Daren, interesting that you have seen both deer and bighorn in this area, 'cuz I was thinking that this seemed like a habitat overlap zone where you could see either. - Jim
edited by ziphius on 4/7/2013
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dliponi Posts: 5
5/8/2013
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Nice photos. About 3 weeks ago walked over a Diamond Back [4'] coming out of one of the culverts under I-8. He didn't coil or rattle - just stretched out in the sun. Very beautiful and bright like he had just shed. I was too tired to take a photo, but I did break out the snake gators on the next hike. Generally, I just walk across the road. Even with a flashlight, those culverts are a set up for problems. Again, thank you for the photos from the top and the other ones also. Don
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