Journeys›Photograph

Hiking Local Hills and Camping by the Coast

·Carlsbad, California·#hiking#summer#camping#San Diego#coastline
An orange dirt trail extends through dry brown hills with distant peaks and an electrical tower.

A pretty standard week for us in mid-August. We started it off with a long hike up in the dry, dusty hills east of the city. The sun was high and the sky was a flat blue, making the view of the neighborhoods and the distant ocean feel hazy.

We stayed on the trail long enough to watch the sunset from the peak. The light got incredible, casting a single, sharp ray across the landscape as it went down over the water.

The days in between were quiet. Just hanging out at home, with the dog finding the best spot in the sun.

Then we packed up the pop-up camper for a few nights at the beach campground. The marine layer was thick, a complete contrast to the heat inland. We got our spot set up right against the fence, with the chairs and fire pit facing the water. The evenings were all about the campfire and the string lights, watching the sky get dark over the ocean.

View from a dry hill overlooking a city, a lagoon, and the ocean under a hazy sky.A bright orange sunset shines over hazy hills, illuminating distant water and clustered buildings.A bright sunrise illuminates dark hills and a wide city view, with a soft moon visible in the upper right sky.A small dog with a pink stripe on its head sits on a person's lap in a chair outdoors under a blue sky.A campsite with a fire pit, several chairs, a cooler, and a table overlooking the ocean.Six yellow lanterns hang over a chain-link fence overlooking a cloudy ocean with breaking waves.An evening campsite with a campfire, a pop-up camper with lights, a table, and a yellow chair.A night campsite with a glowing fire pit, a pop-up camper, string lights, and a yellow chair.

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