The first peak of the day was Mine Peak. After the forgotten shoe incident of the day before, I was triple checking all my gear before heading out to Anza-Borrego. With the family out of town, I knew I could take my time with my summits. After following I-8 to S2, I made the right turn onto Dolomite Mine Road. This dirt road worked its way toward the remains of the Dolomite Mine perched on the side of the hill. My Subaru had no trouble getting close to the ruin, but other cars might need to find a turnout a bit further away.
This peak was going to be my first test of a trail-less desert hike. I knew from the trip reports that it was fairly straightforward, and the difficulty level was not terribly high. I followed the road up around the mine for a bit, then began my open desert adventure.
Following faint use trails and the ridgeline, I quickly found myself at the summit. Checking my GPS, I honed in on the register and benchmark.
The skies were clear and the desert spread out in all directions.
I took a short rest and began to retrace my route back to the car, still hoping to summit two more peaks that Saturday. This peak was a perfect intro to desert hiking for me.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.
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