100 Peaks

Lawson Peak shrouded in clouds from the Lawson Peak Trail

Lawson Peak:
Elevation: 3,664′
Miles: 4.5

Gaskill Peak:
Elevation: 3,836′
Miles: +2.5 (added to total above)

Trailhead

All week the weather report stated that Sunday was going to be sunny. However, late Saturday night, the weather report changed to showers and sun. On my way to the trailhead, I had to slow the car down on the freeway to 40mph, since was raining too hard to see anything out of my windshield. Since I could see some blue skies to the west, I decided to chance hiking the trail today.

Once I got to the trailhead, there were plenty of clouds, but no rain. I headed up the dirt road, which was also a stream more often than not. I could see some Jeep tread marks in the trail, but couldn’t imagine anyone trying to drive up this steep, muddy road today. I encountered plenty of small waterfalls and some giant puddles as I made my way up the contoured road that lead to the ridge line above. Lawson and Gaskill Peaks were above me somewhere in the clouds. Normally, I can get my bearing based on landmarks, but for much of the first portion of the hike, everything was enshrouded in fog.

Ocotillo on the way to Villager Peak

Villager Peak:
Elevation: 5,756′
Miles: ~13.78

Rabbit Peak:
Elevation: 6,640′
Miles: ~8.9

Trail head

This was my first peak summiting with a group (Gut Check Fitness with Joe Decker) and the first overnight trip, as well. I have been wanting to do this hike for along time, since the epic scope of it seems unlike any other hike in San Diego. Although I summited two peaks on this trip, only Villager Peak counts, since Rabbit Peak is in Riverside County. Both peaks, however, are on the Hundred Peaks Section of the Angeles Sierra Club.

Canon PowerShot G11

Caveat: I only review gear that I really like and have used, so there will be a positive slant. However, I will be honest about any flaws of the products.

For the last several years, I have been lugging a Canon Digital Rebel with a pretty sizable 28-200mm zoom lens up and down the mountains. The zoom works great and the wildlife photos have been fun, but I have been somewhat unhappy with the nearly three pounds of weight, as well as the limitations of the lens: I can’t take great wide-angle photos from the summits. There are lens conversion factors, which I won’t get into, that makes my lens more like a 43-311mm lens.

Enter the Canon PowerShot G11 Digital Camera. I received this for Christmas from my wife who wanted to lighten my load on the trail. And that it is. At 12.5 ounces, it shaved nearly 3 pounds off of my camera gear (more if I choose to bring more lenses on the Rebel) and I get to take true 28mm wide-angle photos, which have been a treat so far. It only goes to 140mm on the long end, so I will have to use my woodsman’s skills to get close enough to photograph any wildlife.

Robb on the trail

Elevation: 5,054′
Miles: ~6
Trail head

A series of heavy storms have hit San Diego since my trip up Sheephead Mountain. The storms dumped a lot of water and, in higher elevations, a lot of snow. I was in Mount Laguna yesterday and saw what looked like a light dusting of snow on the Cuyamaca area. I wasn’t expecting it to be nearly 12″ in places.

Robb (The SoCalPeakbagger) drove all the way from Thousand Oaks and we headed for the trail head. We were the only people there and we noticed a stream was running briskly along the road. This is a fairly popular trail, specifically for mountain bikers, so I was expecting the trail to be broken already, if there was any snow at all. We saw some snow here and there with a lot of mud showing through.

Not too long on the trail, and we were presented with a view of Oakzanita Peak, named for the oaks and manzanita growing on its slopes. As we ascended, the snow got deeper and the mud went away completely. We saw a lot of tracks in the snow that belongs to deer, raccoon, turkeys, bobcat, rabbits and what looked to me to be a very large mountain lion. But once you are out in the back country as much as me, all tracks look like a mountain lion.

Some people call it Mount Woodson. It is a pretty good hike with about  1,221′ of elevation gain in 1.8 miles if coming up the east side. If coming up from Lake Poway, it can be pretty grueling. At 10:45 AM yesterday, a hiker on Woodson Mountain found a body off the trail. The authorities sent in a helicopter to confirm it was a body and airlift it off the mountain.

The deceased hiker was identified as 60-year-old Donald Allen Fobes of Oceanside, per the Medical Examiner’s Office, who has not yet determined how he died, but will perform an autopsy today.

It’s possible this hiker was out during heavy wind and rain and was simply unprepared for it. It is also possible that he had a health condition that caught him by surprise. I just have to say, be careful out there.

Update:  ”The coroner’s office reports that death resulted from natural causes related to a heart condition.”

Take care of yourselves and see a doctor before starting any strenuous activity.

The Sheephead Mountain Trail Head at Dawn

Elevation: 5,896′
Miles: 3.5
Trail head

After the holidays and a lengthy battle with the flu, I was ready to get back on the trail. It was a chilly pre-dawn morning, but alive with the promise of sun and beautiful blue skies. On the road to the trail head in Mount Laguna, the sun started to peek out behind the eastern mountains, bathing Sheephead Mountain in a beautiful orange glow. The smoky mountains to the south seemed to go on forever.

I was also excited to be completing a peak on the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peak Section.

I got to the trail head, and once again, I was the only other people within a few miles. Although the sun was shining a little on me, it the icy wind chilled me to the bones after leaving my heated car. I put on some layers and headed out on the trail.

Green Valley in Cuyamaca

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
13652 Highway 79
Julian, CA 92036
760-765-3020
cuyamaca@parks.ca.gov
Agency: California State Parks

Cuyamaca Rancho State Park is located about 40 minutes from downtown San Diego, yet feels worlds away. I’ve been there several times, and each time I have had the pleasure of seeing wildlife, including mule deer, turkeys, woodpeckers, squirrels and a variety of other birds and reptiles. There have also been sightings of mountain lions and coyotes.

The park, which is over 26,000 acres, includes meadows, Lake Cuyamaca, and many peaks, including Cuyamaca Peak, the second highest peak in San Diego County (Hot Springs Mountain is the highest). I highly recommend it to any visitor to San Diego who is looking for a trip away from the city.

I was interviewed a while back by Clayton Kessler, who writes for Castanet.net, a portal for the city of Kelowna, in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. (They also have some good wine there, as I understand it.)

His questions forced me to look back at my experiences in the wild and reflect on what it all means to me.

I hope you enjoy the short article: One Hundred Peaks – a man, a quest, 100 peaks.

The view from Black Mountain

On New Years Day, like most people, I tend to reflect upon the past year and on the year ahead and this year was no different. Another tradition is to get outside. In previous years, I hiked Woodson Mountain, went fishing at Lake Poway, and in 2009 I took a day trip to the snow in Idyllwild.

This year, we went to Hilltop Community Park in Rancho Penasquitos. It is a park that I have been going to lately because my daughter likes to play there. While there, I decided to make a quick trip up Black Mountain with the PD and TN.

I had a bit of the flu a couple of days leading up to New Years Day, but I felt  fine this day. The weather was incredible, compared to the rest of the country. I was happy to encounter a lot of people on the trail, and changed my usual “hello” to “Happy New Year.” I was so impressed by a woman who was obviously training for something intense by running up and down Black Mountain 3 times for a total of around 20 miles that I applauded her as she lapped me a second time.

Lately, I have found myself trying to find space on the calendar to get outside and go hiking. The weather here in San Diego has been absolutely perfect for hiking, biking, running or getting outside in general.

This time of year has historically been slow for me, work-wise. The good news is that my clients have been keeping me really busy, which is making up for a slow year. In addition, holiday social engagements have been taking up my weekends. The bad news is that I have fewer, if any, chances to make it outside.

As a result, the number of peaks that I complete may be slowing down.

I want to be clear about this: I am not complaining about having plenty of work and spending time with friends and family. It’s just that, like most of you, I have a strong urge to go outside, get some fresh air, and get away from it all.

The question is:

How do you balance your work and other commitments with your desire you go outside and run, bike, hike, etc? For those of you lucky few who were able to marry your passion for the outdoors with work, how did you successfully accomplish this?

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