Last week, Susie Kara and I hiked the peak on which she finished her San Diego Sierra Club list. It seemed obvious that this weekend we should rehike the peak on which I finished. We found parking at the trailhead to the Sunset Trail/Lucky S Ranch and headed down the old jeep road. This was also an inverted hike, so we would get the joy of having to climb back to the car.
We grabbed our gear and darted across the road to the trailhead. I had tossed on a light fleece, as it was a bit nippy. We cruised down the road to the first junction and from there we took the short, but more overgrown, route toward the summit. Finally the old road came to an end and we would begin our bushwhacking and sidehilling portion of the hike. Thankfully, it wasn’t too far to reach the summit. We looped around it for the final push and got our first glimpse of the fire damage from the wildfire that occured in May. The fire stopped almost exactly at the summit.
We took a nice break, chatted about the various peaks that filled our vista, and signed the register. Someone had been out here the day before. That would explain the fresh tracks we had seen along the way. Since we both had plans for the late afternoon, we set off toward the car, and the climb would begin.
While I did not set any land speed records during our return, we still held a nice pace. All told by my tracker; 7.9 miles in 4:41 with 1,569 of gain.
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.