View from The Trail to Sugg Peak

Elevation Gain: 1,205′
Miles: 8.5
Trailhead

I was excited to get back to Cuyamaca and excited to be going after a peak that I could see from my hike up to the top of Oakzanita Peak.

I am glad that I didn’t attempt this the same day as Oakzanita hike, since the bushwhacking involved would have been compounded by the snow all over East Mesa.

Brady (@HikingSanDiego) and I got to the trailhead just after 6AM and were the only people there. The sun wasn’t fully up yet, but it wasn’t cold at all, so I was worried that it might get pretty hot as the day progressed. We headed out on the East Mesa Fire road and were almost immediately presented with a nice view of Oakzanita Peak, which would dominate the landscape for most of the day.

We saw plenty of tracks in the road; deer, turkey and even some large mountain lion, but saw nothing other than lizards, squirrels, quail, and some rabbits.

While hiking up the road, we shared our varied hiking experiences and approached the area where we would start bushwhacking. I had scoped out the region from Google Earth, but I couldn’t tell which way was the best way.

Trail Sherpa

I was asked by Tim at Trail Sherpa if I wanted to be interviewed as a part of his #hike2020 series about my recent hike to Mount Whitney, as well hiking in San Diego in general. The interview was conducted using hash tags in Twitter, which ended up being pretty interesting and encouraged audience participation. Tim is a great interviewer and I thought he asked some great questions. I was his second interview in the series, with Pamela Wilton, of the 8 Thousand Kilometer Challenge being the first.

Read the interview at Trail Sherpa if you get a chance.

Trail to Tooth Rock in Poway

Elevation: 1,167′
Miles: 2.12
Trailhead

Well, it’s been about a month and a half since I hiked any peaks here in San Diego. Not that I haven’t been hiking, mind you. I did a nice trek to Mount Whitney last month which put some perspective on things.

What I mean is that the hike this morning seemed more like a warm-up than an actual hike. However, I am writing a guide book in the hopes of getting not only the adventurous seasoned hiker out on the trail, but also the inexperienced person, willing to give hiking a try.

That being said, it was really nice to get back out on the trail here. San Diego is great. You usually don’t have to drive more than a few miles to find a trail. The PD and I got up at around 6AM and headed out to Poway after grabbing a quick bite. We strapped on our day packs and headed out. We encountered a woman walking a dog, which is pretty typical when the trailhead is near a suburban area, and, in this case, in a neighborhood.

It’s been over a week since I’ve been back from the Sierras as I am writing this. I’d hate to wax poetical, but the landscapes that the PD and I hiked and scrambled through have permeated my thoughts, resonating within me each time I close my eyes.

Days of Hiking: 3
Total Miles: 33.42
Total Elevation Gain: 7,473 ’

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Mount Whitney from the Lone Pine Visitor Center

The PD and I left San Diego Thursday at 4AM. Due to getting some work done and preparing for the trip, I was able to get to bed at 3AM. So, on one hour’s sleep, we avoided most of the traffic through Riverside and San Bernardino and were speeding over the rolling landscape of the 395 by the time the sun rose.

At almost exactly 8AM, we arrived at the southern end of Lone Pine. We stopped by the visitor center to pick up our permits and ask some questions about snow in the passes. The extremely helpful people at the center let us know that people had gone through all the passes on our route (New Army Pass, Crabtree Pass (we would question this one later), and the route up to Mount Whitney Summit Trail), and that all was clear. There would be no need for any special gear.

We had rented a bear canister at REI here in San Diego, so we didn’t need to rent one at the Visitor Center. It was slightly more expensive this way, but it was nice to be able to make sure all the food we needed was going to fit within the confines of the canister.

Primal Strips

Anytime I am offered free products that are even remotely related to hiking and the outdoors, I will jump at the chance to review them. This time it’s Primal Strips – Meatless Vegan Jerky. When I was contacted, I quickly perused their website and didn’t notice that they were vegetarian until I received the package.

I am not a vegetarian, but I do like Gardenburgers and Veggie Burgers, but don’t really crave the Bocca variety. I often order vegetarian patties in restaurants when I crave a burger. I just like the taste of them, and I just don’t eat that much beef, except, for some reason, after hiking a long distance. In that case, I tend to yearn for burgers like crazy. Perhaps it is a learned response to the mandatory McDonalds trips after every hike while I was in Boy Scouts.

Regardless, I am always looking for something tasty that I can eat on the trail. My father, who went hiking with me to Monument Peak on a previous hike, was visiting my house when the package arrived, so I told him to try it, just leave me at least one in each flavor, as they had sent me two of each. I blinked and he had inhaled six of the strips, mumbling, “These are pretty good!”

San Jacinto Peak sign

From time to time, I will be “re-publishing” some old posts from other blogs here. Some of them will be travel posts, some will be hiking or camping posts. For whatever reason, I think my readers may be interested in the content. I will post a new blog linking to the blog that is posted to the old date. This is the first of them.

This particular retro post is a “reprint” of an older post that was originally posted on my personal blog, posted here since it is relevant and a very memorable trip for me. This trip succeeded in giving me a fitness wake-up call, finally getting me to join Joe Decker’s workout group, which jump-started my fitness and ultimately led me to conceive of hiking 100 peaks as a possbility. I am also planning to hike the same trail soon as a day hike, and this report serves as a baseline of sorts.

The Post:

Mount San Jacinto – October 2007 – A Wake Up Call

This is a beautiful area and, apart from Cedar Creek Falls, much of the area rarely gets visited. I recommend checking it out.

From: http://www.sandiegoriver.org/calendar.php (for more information)

06/05 10am National Trails Day – MEMBER HIKE to Cedar Creek Falls from Saddleback

Contact Sarah at 619-297-7380 or by email for details. This is a free guided hike for River Park Foundation members (may join at the event) to one of San Diego’s natural treasures, 80 foot Cedar Creek Falls. Followed by an open house at the River Park Foundation’s 500+ acre Eagle Peak Preserve.

Email Sarah to RSVP and for details

06/05 1pm – 3pm Eagle Peak Preserve Nature Hike

The Preserve is open! This is one final opportunity to enjoy the Spring Wildflowers at the Preserve.

A guided hike will leave at 2PM from the middle parking area. Enjoy a hike to Son 2 Peak and down to the ponds. We will stop along the way and learn about some of the flora of the Preserve. After the ponds we will head back to the trailhead. This hike is open to members and non-members. FREE. Total hike length approx. 2.5 miles. Elevation gain = 250 feet. Facilities are very primitive. You are welcome to explore the Preserve on your own.

Location: Eagle Peak Road near mile marker 8

Cuyamaca Peak from Japacha Peak

Cuyamaca Peak
Elevation: 6,512′

Japacha Peak
Elevation: 5,825′

Airplane Ridge
Elevation: 5,000′

Total Mileage: 14.22 miles

Getting to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park always takes longer than I think it does. I left the house at 6AM and didn’t get on the trail until 8AM, as I have to take into consideration picking up the PD, getting breakfast to go, and driving out to the park.

Regardless, we arrived at Paso Picacho and were instantly chilled by the wind blasting through the valley. I was glad that I had brought extra layers, even though the weather report indicated that the high would be hovering near 70 degrees.

Wendy Fry has updated her article to state that: “…detectives said Tuesday that there are no signs the death is a homicide.”

I am not sure what to believe at this point, but I am hoping it was merely a case of a small fire that got out of control, rather than something far, far worse.

Simon County Park Sign with Ramona Peak in the distance

Elevation: 2,128′
Miles: ~3.56
Trailhead

Sometimes the stars align and things just work out right. Normally, my work keeps me away from the trail. This time, I had a client out in Ramona that was 2 minutes away from a trailhead that is on my list. Although I got a later start than usual, there was a wonderful cool breeze blowing from the west that kept me from overheating.

I parked at the trailhead, which looks like a dirt path in a vacant lot between houses. There is a trailhead to the north, as well. After a couple minutes of hiking, I came upon the entrance sign to the Simon County Park.

The wide trail leads up to the grassy ridge that is Ramona Peak. Looking around, I was glad that this particular ridge was saved from development, as other similar ridges within sight were dotted with large ranch homes with panoramic views.

The pictures on the county’s website for the park show a green grassland area. If I had done this hike about two weeks ago, perhaps I would have had that experience. However, as we are rapidly approaching summer, the area has turned brown, but that didn’t detract from it’s beauty.