Near the Bottchers Gap trailhead, the Pacific Ocean was visible for a short stretch down the valley created by the Palo Colorado fault.

Much of the first few miles tunneled through dense oak forest.

One on the top of Skinner Ridge the trail opened up a bit amidst the madrones.

First view of Devils peak from the Skinner Ridge. The trail dipped down into the saddle and then headed up the left side of the peak.

Another shot of Devils Peak from the Skinner Ridge slope.

Trail junction in the saddle between Skinner Ridge and Devil Peak

View of Uncle Sam and Ventana Double cone from Devil's Peak. I think thats South Ventana Cone visible through the Puerto Suello Gap between the two.

The last bit of trail before the Carmel summit was very dense chaparral. On my way back down, I passed some kids who were plowing through this stuff with full packs.

This granite formation on the Mt Carmel summit allowed one to get above the treeline and see the vista. On the left are the remains of a telephone pole that someone dragged up here at least a 15 years ago. There is a picture of the pole (in much better condition) in Jeffrey P. Schaffer's 1988 book, "Hiking the Big Sur Country".