As you will recall from one of our articles, Mt. Helix Sunset, Mt. Helix is a wonderful place for family-style photoshoots (depending on your family, of course) and another article, Christmas in San Diego, illustrates that Mt. Helix is a fun place to spend Christmas day.
For those of you interested, you can find a find Wikipedia article here, with many paragraphs needing citations detailing the folklore of Mt. Helix. But that doesn’t bother me; I continue the tradition with a Mt. Helix Christmas photoshoot, remembering that the most important part of Christmas is the hat!
A star in the East…
From Mt. Helix, I can look down on the city of El Cajon, as the citizens enjoy this holiday season.
South of the border.
If I look to the south, I can see all the way to Mexico, where the happy Mexicans are opening gifts from El Santa Claus.
Enjoy nature!
I hike the Yawkey Trail, and am commanded to Enjoy Nature. Where will this wilderness trail take me? Some place with Christmas magic, no doubt!
The wilderness of Mt. Helix unfolds.
I have a bit of trouble keeping warm in the crisp winter air, so it’s a good thing I brought my jacket to keep myself covered.
I think I forgot to mention that I’m wearing my HiLo skirt.
It’s high on one side and low on the other. Pretty convenient, wouldn’t you say?
JJ Abrams inspired this shot.
When done correctly, lens flare can be used to highlight various items of interest in a photograph. Can you figure out what I mean?
Ha ha, no, it’s not a tail; it’s just the effects of lens flare!
Christmas magic.
There are many places to sit on Mt. Helix, but that can be a bit dusty; that’s why I always bring something to sit on. And, since it’s Christmas, it has to be red.
It looks like a carpet, doesn’t it. And it matches my jacket. So, it’s kind of like the carpet matches the drapes, right?
A lonely vigil.
Of course, some folks do not mind the dust. They enjoy sitting on hard outcrops. Well, to each her own. When I sit on something, it may be hard but it certainly isn’t an outcrop.
Stairway to heaven.
I continue finding my way through this wilderness, thankful for the small bits of kindness shown by the builders of this trail.
I made it!
It was a long hike, but I finally made it to the top! Even though the air is cool, I find myself a little damp from the excitement. Well, I’m sure it will air-dry soon.
Someone is curious.
A small group of bicyclists are here, resting before continuing their journey. Note to self: if I want to watch someone surreptitiously, don’t wear reflective sunglasses.
The Mt. Helix T.
Someone thought that sticking a giant T on the top of a mountain was a good idea. Go figure.
Another nice view.
Looking northwest is the sprawling metropolis of La Mesa, CA. Note the safety barrier on the right; I think it helps prevent suicides.
Watch your step…
Built into the side of the hill is a large amphitheater with rows and rows of hard steps that also serves as places to sit.
This is not as much fun as hiking through the wilderness, but it does give me a chance to rest and get my photograph taken! And let everything air-dry.
More lens flare.
The view up here is wonderful!
Stoney opera box.
For some reason, the Mt. Helix amphitheater has opera boxes, with no good places to sit. Like, you can’t even see anything.
Taking care of the girls.
It’s getting a bit nippy here, so I take a moment to warm up the nippy parts just a little.
Christmas cheer.
There, that’s better. Don’t I look cute?
Christmas joy.
One of the great things about a HiLo skirt is that it can easily become a LoHi skirt. Which is nice.
Let’s head back to the Mt. Helix T, shall we?
Behold, the T.
Notice that I am fenced out of the T’s area. Or, the T is fenced out of my area? Why? Only the T knows. At any rate, the gawkers are gone, so I can do a proper Christmas photoshoot.
Showing a little more.
It’s warming up a bit on this cool Christmas day, so I can show a little more skin.
Workin’ it.
It’s like an old-timey movie where the girl gets what she wants by showing a bit more of what she has. Oh, la la!
Shadows are fun.
Ha ha. I look like I’m wearing a loin cloth. I’m not. In fact, I’m not…well, you probably already figured that out, amirite?
A windy day?
I want a photograph of the wind blowing through my hair, but the Christmas weather is not cooperating. So I have to run to simulate it.
I can feel the breeze!
What do you think? Did I get the effect of a windy day? I hope so.
The best view!
I am on the side of Mt. Helix that faces the Pacific Ocean. Enjoy the view