The planned hike today was to start at the Storm Cloud Viewpoint and hike south to Mt. Laguna, where Sara planned to enjoy a warm breakfast at the Pine House Café. This section was pretty flat. I had hiked a portion of it recently when I took Becca up Monument Peak.
I neared Mt. Laguna, stopped at the Desert View picnic area, and had a snack. I tried texting Sara, but had no signal, which was odd. I cruised on down to the general store and found that the AT&T tower was down. I did not want to walk all the way down to the café, but as luck would have it, she was across the street at the visitor center, topping off her water.
Sara filled me in on the rest of Day 1 and Day 2 as we cruised along the trail. I pointed out more local sites as the miles slipped past. We came to the junction with Foster Point, an actual blue line on FarOut. I made the short hike out to the vista, which I had never done. I then reconnected with the red line and Sara and kept moving north. Once back at my car, I broke out a couple of chairs and some cold sodas. Sara snacked, as she was still a bit full from breakfast, and I had a tuna kit. The views of Anza-Borrego were stunning. Soon it was time for Sara to push on, and for me to head home. Hopefully, I will rejoin her near Paradise Valley Cafe in a few days and actually spend a night on the PCT. Today’s adventure was 10.5 miles in 5:07 with just 1,026 feet of gain.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I am the co-author of Urban Trails: San Diego, available now!
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 both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.