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.

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.

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 property 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.

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.