Fletcher Point
We miss traveling and I miss blogging. I know, I know, things are “reopening”, but color us cautious. Over 113,000 dead and 2,000,000 positives, and cases still rising in many states, including California. We will be staying put or close by this summer.
It never ceases to amaze me, I’ve lived here 46 years and I’m still discovering things literally in our backyard that I did not know about. Fletcher Point is one such place. The trailhead is only 4 miles from our house! It takes you through the least traveled west southwest side of Lake Hodges. The middle third of the hike is a little sketchy. I wouldn’t consider it a family hike nor a stroll for older folks.
You see the name Fletcher a lot in San Diego County. There’s Fletcher Cove in Solana Beach. Fletcher Parkway in La Mesa. Fletcher Hills in El Cajon. They are all named after Colonel Ed Fletcher (December 31, 1872- October 15, 1955). He was quite a guy that did many amazing things in his life, among them, he was instrumental in developing Lake Hodges.
Ever since the Covid stay-at-home era all the local trails have never been busier, so it was quite a delight for us to see only one runner. The other delightful thing was all the flowers, especially considering it’s June.
There’s one thing that gets Amelia going more than trash on a trail, and that’s chicks that leave toilet paper on the trails. I should’ve recorded her rant! She was going off on prissy girls not just air drying, but with much more colorful language and descriptors. 😂
The neighborhood pond at the beginning of the hike
The easiest part, the beginning
Golden Yarrow
Slender Sunflower
Yellow Bush-Penstemon
Seventy feet deep below that red buoyed corral is a contraption called a Speece Cone. The only one of it’s kind in SoCal. It constantly injects oxygen into the reservoir which reduces the nutrients algae feed on.
Weed’s Mariposa Lily
San Diego Bedstraw
Chamise
Charming Centaury. The flowers are so brilliant they look fake. I never use filters on any of my pictures.
Fletcher Point is that peninsula.
Can you see Amelia scrambling in the upper left corner? This is one of the sketchy parts.
Red Bush Monkeyflower
White Sage
Fletcher Point
Behind the trees on that ridge is the old vacation home of the Ralphs family, as in Ralphs grocery stores. The home has been there since 1928. The Ralphs bought it in 1938. Multiple generations used it for 50 years. I have no idea if someone is currently living in it.
Bernardo Mountain in the background, one hell of a mountain bike ride.
Fletcher Point
The road above the houses is Del Dios Highway.
Turkey Vulture
The lizards and rattlesnakes are thick out there, thankfully we didn’t see any rattlers. Trust me, we were looking.
The red fruit of a Lemonade Berry plant
Lake Hodges dam
The stats
Greg & Amelia's Airstream Adventures 
Stay safe!
That’s the goal!
The great outdoors…awesomeness…thank you for sharing!
Love that you included the map and elevation gain. And loss and gain and loss and gain.. We’ve been doing the same, discovering new places close to home. Smart. And pretty interesting!
The map was for you 😉, btw, great job on that map in the classic novella Summer of ‘78 A Road Trip!
Now you have gone and done it. The cats out of the bag and toilet paper galore. Where do park to start this hike. Boy you sure are complicated individual (: Mike Scozzafava(858) 231-2461mikescozzafava@yahoo.com
Top secret 😂I just sent you a text w directions
Thank you, again, for getting me outside. Love you two.
Pauly
>
Beautiful! 🥰
I haven’t hiked Hodges in a while. Maybe one day. Glad you guys are getting out and blogging. Sorry about the TP. 💩
Thanks La Coon! You would like the hike, especially the challenging parts
I’ll have to check that one out – love all the flower pics!
Did you hike from the Alva Rd entrance, or Poblado? Not sure if on Alva you have to cross/pass any no trespassing signs, which my husband won’t do:) We’ve hiked up to the flag from our kayaks on the lake, but want to do the whole hike. Thx, great photos!
We started at the Alva Rd entrance. I do not remember seeing any private property/no trespassing signs. I’m pretty sure it’s part of the San Dieguito River Park
We’ve done this a couple of times now, early in the morning, and it’s a great hike! Thanks and safe travels….
Right on!