This year’s Excellent Adventure targeted 1,347′ Valencia Peak in Montana de Oro State Park near Morro Bay. From our advance research, we expected this prominent peak to yield stunning views extending from San Simeon to Point Sal – unfortunately, the weather had other ideas. Although San Luis Obispo was sunny, we quickly encountered overcast skies and low clouds blanketing the coastal areas. Having never paid much attention to the local peaks on previous visits here, we were uncertain what the mountain actually looked like as we left the trailhead, the clouds blocking out everything above 500′ or so. The trail crosses a series of marine shelves as it moves away from the shoreline, eventually reaching the end of Valencia’s west ridge known as “Valencia Jr.” The trail then switchbacks its way east up this peaklet, emerging onto a rocky but fairly level ridgeline that leads to the peak proper. After climbing through some steep, winding sections, the trail reaches Valencia’s stark west face and turns south to switchback a couple of times on the final push to the summit. The clouds began to thin as we ascended this final section, blocking out all views below and around us but allowing the sunlight to brighten significantly as we reached the summit. We took some photos at the sign that sits 15-20 vertical feet below the actual mountaintop, then scaled the last few rocks to reach the summit. The temperature had been quite cool when we left the coast but had warmed comfortably by the time we got to the top – the breeze was a welcome contrast. After an hour or so on the summit, we descended through the clouds and retraced our steps to the park headquarters at Spooner’s Cove. Although disappointed at the obstructed views, it was an enjoyable day and a hike that we promised each other to repeat at some point in the future.