Nomad Life - Day 84

This morning, my alarm woke me up at 0430 and I started teleworking.  When I went outside (a bit after the National Anthem played), I noticed that the weather had turned noticeably cooler. The mist was still covering everything but that seemed to muffle any early morning sounds.  Starting just before noon, though, the Base got louder with aircraft activity - Point Mugu airfield was very busy all day.  As I have for the last few days, I prepared meals (breakfast and lunch) in my room during the work day and didn't take any other breaks.  As a result, I was finished by 1400 and realized I might have a great opportunity to take a hike that my Navy friend (Keith T.) had recommended: climbing Mugu Peak.  By then, the weather had improved, with temps in the mid 70s, lots of sun and no marine layer. At 1500, I left the Base and drove a short distance (via the PCH) to reach the trailhead, located on the edge of Point Mugu State Park (just south of Mugu Rock).  The parking lot was quite small but I found a spot for my Subaru and got geared up for the hike.  Starting at 1515, I used the Chumash Trail and part of the Mugu Peak Loop Trail to reach the summit of Mugu Peak (1266 feet).  There were several options for the climb and I chose the longer route (roughly 1.6 miles) so the elevation change wouldn't be so dramatic.  Along the way, I watched E-2s coming into the break (they seemed to be flying down La Jolla Valley).  Later, I saw a C-130 launch and a P-8 return - there were also some other (Air Force ?) jets and a Coast Guard helicopter (flying down the coast) in the area.  Throughout my hike, the weather was (by far) the best we've had all week.  At the top of the climb, I found an American Flag on an old flagpole and could see for miles in all directions - Malibu, Santa Monica Mountain peaks, Naval Base Ventura County and the Channel Islands.  I almost didn't want to start downhill but realized that the sun would be setting very soon.  Not wanting to hike in the dark, I reluctantly resumed the walk.  My loop continued counter clockwise, which was a bit less steep in the climb but created a descent that was monstrously difficult on the way back down to my car.  Before reaching Sea Level, I had a front row seat for a beautiful sunset over the Pacific - the view reminded me of many similar looking sunsets I'd seen from Point Loma when I lived in San Diego during the 1990s.  Still, though, the image of Anacapa and Santa Cruz being gradually wreathed in shadow was unbeatable.  I reached my car by 1715 and drove back to the Base.  I arrived at the Las Posas Gate at 1730 but then used the wrong lane - the resulting requirement to respond (sheepishly) to the looks by the guards held me up for a bit longer than I'd hoped...  Back in my room (1735), I spent the evening cleaning up, organizing and making lodging reservations for most of the rest of November.  Dinner was leftovers from my big haul on Veterans Day and some bottles of beer I still had from a few evenings before.  I watched movies again before bedtime (2245).  Overall, a great day of Nomad Life, capped off by a spectacular view!