As I drove out toward Julian in the predawn light, I was hoping to summit at least three of my planned four peaks today: Peak 1546, Oak Benchmark, Peak 4159, and Ant Benchmark. I knew the last one was going to be a stretch as I had tickets to The Last Jedi. But the other three are all along Eagle Peak Road, so I thought they could be bagged together.
First up was Peak 1549. I drove down the dirt road until it ended. I parked the car and under mostly cloudy skies continued down the now overgrown road. This was another inverted hike, so I knew the hard part was the second half…
As I strolled down, the sun would illuminate the hills and the dry Mildred Falls to my north.
After about a mile or so, I came to the portion of the hike that requires a permit. This is one of two trails that lead to Cedar Creek Falls. This is a popular destination when the falls are running, but alas there was no water flowing. I can certainly see how the unprepared get themselves into trouble. I opted to be a rebel and continue on, in part, since I was not actually going to the falls themselves. The trail rose again, and soon my destination was in view, a solitary bump just to the west of the trail.
I followed the steep use trail to the summit. There I was rewarded with some incredible views of the San Diego River drainage.
I did not stay long as I had more peaks to summit. I began the climb back up the road to my car, enjoying the cool air. I can imagine what it must feel like in the summer climbing back up…
Just as I reached my car, a light rain began to fall. On the Oak Benchmark!
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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