Our next hike will be on Friday, January 16, 2026 up Pine Mountain in Atascadero.  We will meet in the parking lot off Hospital Drive at 8:30 AM. This hike is definitely in the soft hardness category (easy).  It is only 2.5 miles and should not take over 2 hours.  The elevation change is 501 feet with a total UP way point total of 713 feet.  We will start on the Blue Oak Trail at Atascadero's Stadium Park. 

 

What makes this hike particularly interesting is that at the summit of Pine Mountain sits the California Monolith pictured below.  The "Monolith Mystery" dates back to the release of the film "2001: A Space Odyssey" in 1969 when Russ watched it as a college student in the Fremont Theater in SLO.  Then, starting in 2020, the first of a series of Monoliths began to appear on Earth.  First in the remote reaches of the Utah desert.  Then in the Romanian city of Neamt which is known for the most monasteries per square mile.  The came the California Monolith.  For a more complete "monolith history" you can go to: https://www.vox.com/culture/22062796/monoliths-utah-california-romania

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TO GET THERE Hwy 101 North to Atascadero.  Follow map below.  Exit on Morrow Rd/Hwy 41  Head North on Hwy 41 to Capistrano Ave.  Follow it to the right at the stop sign, then right on Hospital Dr. to the parking lot.​