With the 4th of July weekend upon us, the thought of fighting holiday traffic and crowds on any of the Six-Pack of Peaks I still needed to do did not seem appealing. Since I was still on vacation, I opted to go ahead and summit Otay Mountain and Tecate Peak. These are drivable summits, and I really don’t have any desire to hike them. Ted Markus was also free, so he hopped into the passenger seat and we set off.
The road was in really good shape. I was hoping being early and on a Friday we would not encounter anyone on the road, as it can it narrow at times. It was not almost until Doghouse Junction that we pass our first car. Thankfully we were at a nice wide spot so there were no issues. Since it was warm, rather than parking at Doghouse Junction, we drove to the turn off to the summit and parked there.
We hiked the 1/2 mile to the summit and took in the views. A new rescue station was in place for any migrant that finds themselves here and in trouble.
We poked around the summit for a bit then headed back to the car to continue on to the second peak of the day, Tecate!
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.