Along the Trespass Trail

Gaviota Peak
Elevation: 2,458′
Miles: ~6.5 Miles
Trail head
Agency: Los Padres National Forest

I was eager to do a hike that was on an established trail, since Cathedral Peak was pretty strenuous. Since it was on a trail, I decided to invite some coworkers, Kiph and Sunshine. They’ve been asking to join me since I started working in Santa Barbara and this seemed like a good hike to invite them.

We got up early, met at a spot in Goleta and headed west down the 101 towards Gaviota. There were two things that I heard about this hike: 1. The peak has amazing views, 2. The Trespass Trail was not to be missed. As a result, I decided to do this hike in a loop, coming up the back side of the mountain, following the ridge to the peak, and then go to the front of range and follow the Trespass Trail down.

On Top of La Cumbre Peak

Cathedral Peak
Elevation: 3,333′
Miles: ~4.5 Miles
Trail head (34.4956, -119.7142)
Agency: Los Padres National Forest

Since I got so close last time, I decided to give this peak another try. Once again, the sun rose as I ascended Camino Cielo and drove to the La Cumbre Lookout Tower. I decided to give the tower a quick visit.

Since I had started running again in the mornings, I felt good as I scampered over the summit block. I tried recording a video, but had some audio issues.

Cathedral and Arlington Peaks from Camino Cielo

La Cumbre Peak
Elevation: 3,995′
Miles: ??
Trail head (34.4956, -119.7142)
Agency: Los Padres National Forest

Well, it’s only been a few times since I started this blog where I turned around before attaining the summit(s) I was seeking. This was one of those times. I had intended on bagging three peaks in the Mission Crags area above Santa Barbara. I am getting to the point where, while I am driving around, I can look up and identify the peaks and features of the front range here.

I got a fairly early start and drove up Camino Cielo (one of my favorite roads) and easily found the gate to La Cumbre Peak. My goal this morning was to summit La Cumbre, Cathedral, and Arlington Peaks. The linear distance was relatively low, but the terrain wasn’t going to be including a maintained trail for most of the way.

Monetico Peak from Cold Springs Trail

Montecito Peak
Elevation: 3,214′
Miles: 2.4
Trail head (34.48418, -119.63895)
Agency: Los Padres National Forest

While planning for this peak, I had the option of hiking this from the south, or accessing it from the north, on Camino Cielo. Since I am just getting back into hiking shape, I decided on the shorter route.

I was pumped to get going in this hike, it being my first hike since my last San Diego to Mount Tule, about 2 months ago. It was still dark when I pulled my covers back and entered the cool air of the morning.

I drove the winding road leading up to the high ridge. There were other people, parked here and there, standing outside their cars to capture the full beauty of the orange and purple sky and the sun rising over the ocean.

Hot Springs Canyon Area

I am just settling into Santa Barbara and am already feeling the urge to stand up and fight for the open spaces here. I’ve had a few minutes here and there to pore over some maps and scan the area and start to build a long-term plan on exploring the mountains just to the north of me. I am so excited.

However, it turns out that the peak I decided was going to be my first is being threatened by development. Even in Santa Barbara, where I’ve heard the zoning is pretty strict when it comes to new development and urban sprawl, there is the potential of losing open spaces.

One of the challenges I’ve been having here is determining where the trail heads are and whether a peak is on public lands or accessible without crossing private property. My first peak is likely going to be Montecito Peak. It looms above where I live and it is a fairly close drive. I had planned on driving to Camino Cielo and approaching the peak from the north until I read an article in the local newspaper, detailing the fight to save Hot Springs Canyon from development.

Evidently, Montecito Peak is currently on private property and can be accessed via Hot Springs Canyon, which is currently zoned for 6 houses and a day spa and is privately owned. The 462 acres was being offered to the public for $11 million, but now there has been an agreement with the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County for $8.5 million. The good news is that local benefactors have stepped up to the plate and donated over $6 million so far towards the preservation of Hot Springs Canyon. The bad news is that time is running out. The sale needs to be completed by December 15^th, 2011.

For more information on how you can help visit the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County web page for Hot Springs Canyon.

The view from the trailhead

Mount Tule
Elevation: 4,649′
Miles: 2.25
Trail head (32.71269, -116.23672)
Agency: McCain Valley National Co-op Land and Wildlife Management Area

It’s always nice to be able to get away. Even if sometimes the hike is the same duration as the drive to and from the trailhead. Sometimes it’s the anticipation of the hike, of the view, of the experience.

After dropping my daughter off at preschool, I drove out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. It’s a long drive and I had planned on bagging as many peaks as I could before I had to head back and pick up my daughter. I started to get a little worried when I drove through a lot of precipitation on the way to the trailhead.

Most of the time, as you drive east from San Diego proper, the weather tends to ease up and the clouds give way to sunny skies. This time, it didn’t happen that way. And I learned when checking the weather that one adjacent zip code could vary widely from another.

The Coast to Crest Trail goes through the Santa Ysabel Open Space Preserve

As you likely know, legendary hiker and professor Jerry Schad passed away recently. Many people have expressed how he had touched their lives.

Once I was an adult, I started my hiking history in Orange County, using his book as my sole reference to the surrounding trails. My girlfriend at the time, (she’s my wife, now), spent many of our first dates with Afoot and Afield in Orange County as our guide. When we moved to San Diego we bought the current edition of Afoot and Afield in San Diego. I bought a new version when that came out and then gave away my older version to a hiker new to the area.

Jerry Schad spent tireless hours exploring the area and took the time to share his knowledge with us. It’s hard to calculate the inspiration he’s given us to get outside. I feel he needs to be honored.

Columbia Peak 2 Peak Jacket

Disclaimer: Columbia sent me a free jacket for me to field test. Their purpose was for me to take a survey after I used it out in the field. But I also wanted to write about it here.

When I received the Columbia Peak 2 Peak Jacket in the mail, the first thing I noticed that it was pretty light. It’s not as light as my other super-thin rain shell, but it sure felt more durable. The other thing was the color. Columbia calls it Compass Blue and it is a really nice color. Most of everything else I have is forest green, black, khaki, or white.

I examined the seals and zippers and the pockets all seemed waterproof. The fit was nice and it wasn’t as noisy as some other waterproof clothing I have.

I appreciated the Velcro cuffs and the wire-supported hood and the overall feeling of durability that the jacket offered.

Here are the specs:

Our tent in the Chicago Basin

Our trip last year to Mount Whitney really influenced this trip in many ways. Most importantly, the folks we met while camping at Soldier Lake in the Sierras told us of this cool hike they did in Colorado where they rode a steam train to the trailhead around Silverton.

Around January this year, I did some research and found out what area they were referring to. It looked amazing.

The second major influence last year’s trip had on this trip was to not spend the whole time wearing ourselves out; work some flexibility into the schedule so that we wouldn’t be hiking from dawn until dusk every day. That worked out just fine.

The plan was this: Take the Durango and Silverton Narrow GaugeRailway north halfway to Needleton, get off and hike up to Chicago Basin. Establish a base camp and spend two full days up there doing whatever we wanted. Hike back down to Needleton to take the train north to Silverton. Have a quick bite and take the bus back down to Durango, where we had stashed a duffel bag for showering and changing into clean clothes after our hike. We would take the shuttle back to the airport, catch a flight to Denver and then a plane home to San Diego. It was a good plan.

Granite Summit of Long Valley Peak

Long Valley Peak
Elevation: 4,833′
Total Mileage: ~5

Trailhead Map (32.81667, -116.53275)

I was initially planning on hiking Palomar Mountain on this day, but, at the 11th hour, literally, I decided on something with a little less distance and gain. Besides, it’s a long drive to Palomar and I wanted to get in more hiking time.

I had seen Long Valley Peak from my hike to Corte Madera and Los Pinos Lookout and other hikes. It looked massive and challenging. It appeared to be capped with granite and surrounded by brush. Not the easiest place to get up.

The PD and I are training for a hiking trip to Colorado, so we wanted to get some distance in. We drove to the trailhead that is right next to the Interstate 8 freeway. I knew my car could probably drive to within half a mile to the summit of Long Valley Peak, but I wanted the hiking experience and training, so we parked there and got out.