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.

Bell Bluff, menacing from below

Bell Bluff
Elevation: 3,409′
Total Mileage: 7
Agency: Cleveland National Forest

Trailhead Map (32.81348, -116.73607)

It was going to be a hot day. And there was going to be bushwhacking. I knew it before getting into this. I had read the trip reports and did all the research I could. I was as prepared as I was going to get. Against my better judgement, I wore shorts. I would accept the deep scratches on my legs as a trade-off for being slightly cooler.

I left my house at about 6AM. The sky was already grey with the promise of a new day when I arose at 5AM. It was already warm. I’ve told plenty of hikers that, as long as you carry enough water, have the proper clothing and sun protection,  and have an adequate level of fitness, you’ll be fine hiking in the heat.

But today was absolutely muggy. The humidity made me start sweating the second I closed the hatch on my car and started walking down the street to the trailhead. It was a little sweltering, until the breeze came, reminding me why it’s so great to be outside.

Myself, taking a photo on a windy peak

Last week, a day after I hiked Boucher Hill, I passed the two year mark. It’s been two years since I saw the San Diego Sierra Club’s List and decided I wanted to hike them all and write a guidebook about it. It’s been two years since I hiked Iron Mountain for the first time, excited at my newly-found fitness, running the entire way down.

I had hoped to be farther along that I am. But in other ways, I am exactly where I want to be. I’ve been asked by many what I plan to do after I complete all 100 peaks. Most of the time my answer is, “There are a lot more than 100 peaks in San Diego.” But in other ways, I have loftier goals.

This site nets me no money. I hope to change that somehow, not by endless advertising, but offering my readers something of value. Something useful. I am not sure in what shape, besides my book, that it will be, but it’s bound to be something.

Boucher Hill Viewing Platform

Trailhead Map (33.33195, -116.90684)

After reading a recent article about the renovation of the Boucher Hill Fire Lookout Tower and knowing that Palomar Mountain State Park is slated to be closed as a result of budget cuts from Sacramento, I decided to make Boucher Hill a priority. I summited the peak back in 2006 with my brothers-in-law and had a great time, but it wasn’t officially part of the 100 Peaks quest, so I wanted to summit it again.

Knowing I could squeeze it in the middle of a work day (I have a flexible schedule), I made the beautiful drive through Pala and Pauma Valley. I couldn’t smell the citrus blossoms like I sometime can in the spring, but it was a really nice morning. The temperature rose from 75 to 85 as I made my way around winding roads and past cyclists and motorcycle groups to higher elevations on the mountain. It was going to be a warm day.

Pond at the trailhead to Sunshine Mountain

Sunshine Mountain
Elevation: 3,154′
Total Mileage: 2

Trailhead Map (32.99130, -116.68375)

I had been wanting to get back to this part of San Diego since my hike to Eagle Peak. I also was eyeing this area when I was driving through on the way to Cedar Creek Falls. It looked great on the map and I had a feeling that it didn’t get much traffic. I also thought that the views would be outstanding. I was right.

I got a late start, but that didn’t keep me from making my way through Ramona, Santa Ysabel and Wynola. After seeing families of turkey and quail along the road, I got to the “turntable,” which is a hairpin turn in Boulder Creek Road, and also the trailhead for Eagle Peak and Three Sisters Falls, and the way onto the rustic Cedar Creek Road. There were cars parked at the trailhead there, undoubtedly going to Eagle Peak or Three Sisters Falls, but my sights were set on a different trailhead. I turned right through the gate and headed west on Cedar Creek Road.

When planning this hike, I wasn’t sure how close to the trailhead I was going to be able to get. The condition of Cedar Creek Road can be unpredictable and I didn’t know how passable the side road to the pond would be. It turns out I was able to drive right over the earthen dam of the pond and park in a wide area adjacent to a stream and a grove of oak trees.

My feet over Clevenger Canyon in Bloom

Peak 1755
Elevation: 1,755′
Total Mileage: 4.4

Trailhead Map (33.08537, -116.92236)

Things have been a little busy since my last hike. If I do one peak a month, it’s going to take me years to finish this. Once again, I had to dust off the cobwebs as I parked at the trailhead and made my way up the trail.

San Pasqual Valley has a special place for me. I’ve been visiting the Wild Animal Park (now Safari Park) for years, love to spend some time at Orfila Winery, pass ostriches on the way in, and have considered moving to the area. Sometimes I take this highway into Ramona and the scent of orange blossoms blankets the valley.

This time, I needed to get a hike in. Any hike with a peak. I chose something near the house so I could get a relatively late start. I was tired from a long week of working and wanted to sleep in a bit.

The day was overcast, but I knew the sun would threaten to join me. The trailhead was a little noisy, as it is adjacent to the 79 freeway as it ascends into northwestern Ramona. There was also a helicopter that was crop-dusting the citrus groves below.

Whale Peak Summit Sign

Whale Peak
Elevation: 5,350′
Total Mileage: ~10

Trailhead Map (33.05165, -116.36605)

This hike was supposed to be a grand day of hiking involving up to six Southern California bloggers. I was supposed to be the knowledgeable host, guiding my guests around the San Diego backcountry. I had hand-picked two hikes to show two distinct regions of San Diego to my guests from the north.

However, hiking is all about being flexible and taking whatever comes your way with a smile, and sometimes, a sigh.

It all started with a simple tweet. I tweeted a picture from one of my hikes and Casey (@ModernHiker) tweeted back that he should come hiking in San Diego. I tweeted back that it was a great idea and we should calendar it or it would never happen. Then Kolby (@TheHikeGuy),Jeff (@SoCalHiker), Peter (@ADKinLA) and Kam (@CampfireChic) all got into the mix. The SoCal Hiking Blogger Summit, as Kolby called it.

Then Kolby lost his job and decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail all the way through. Understandably, he had some planning to do. Casey and Kam also had other plans get in the way, and we all know that feeling.

So it ended up being Jeff, Peter, and I to meet and hike in San Diego. The plan was to meet and drive out to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park together, hike Whale Peak, a short 4-mile hike with 1,500’ of gain. Then we were to drive back towards Julian for an easy stroll to Volcan Mountain.

And then have apple pie.