I debated which HPS mountain(s) I would climb today and finally settled on Red Tahquitz and then maybe continuing down to South Peak. I skipped these peaks when I backpacked this section of the PCT, so I wanted to come back up and summit them. After driving through the fog around Hemet, I pulled into Humber Park and grabbed a parking spot. At 7:30 in the morning, it was filling up quickly. Some folks were gearing up to rock climb up nearby Lily Rock, while others were headed up the Devil’s Slide Trail, either to Tahquitz Lookout or San Jacinto itself. Since the tram is closed for its annual maintenance in September, this is the easiest open route to the summit.
I set off along the familiar trail, climbing up toward Saddle Junction. Before too long, I wound up hiking with someone who just moved to San Diego. I filled him in on various hiking opportunities. He and his girlfriend are considering overnighting around Cottonwood Pass, so I gave some insight about that region as well. Once at the summit, he headed north to San Jacinto, and I turned south along the PCT. As I climbed toward Tahquitz Lookout, a San Bernardino helicopter flew around the area. I assumed it was just on patrol. I decided to skip hiking over to the Lookout; I was still feeling a bit off after my flu vaccine shot earlier in the week. I dropped down toward Tahquitz Creek, which was flowing slightly. I brought my filter in case I needed more water after either ascent.
I cruised along this section of the trail, as it was “flattish,” and kept an eye out for the turnoff from the PCT onto the use trail for Red Tahquitz. I had no trouble locating it, and began the moderately steep ascent. It was not as bad as the climb to Castle Rocks, but my calves still burned as I followed the fairly well-marked route. Even before I reached the summit, I knew I would skip the hike down to South Peak, as I just wasn’t feeling up to tackling two peaks in the same day.
The trail began to fade as it reached what appeared to be the summit, but it re-formed and led me past the false summit and onto the true summit just a bit to the south. Thankfully, the route went around the false summit, with little elevation loss or gain. This was the edge of the Cranston fire from 2018. While shade was hard to come by, the views were something! The register box seemed rusted shut. I tried a few times to open it, but didn’t want to need a tetanus shot from doing so. I had some snacks and electrolytes before snapping some photos. I stared down at the Desert Divide, amazed that I had backpacked up. With some luck, maybe I will find some friends to climb South Peak with me, and we can do it as a car shuttle….
Once back on the PCT, I enjoyed the forest smells and the peace of being outside. I wisely decided to take the Camba trail back to Saddle Junction to save me about 250 feet of elevation gain. At Saddle Junction, I took a lunch break before heading down as I could feel my energy dropping, and I was in no rush. I also drank down more electrolytes to help my calves.
From time to time, hikers would pass, some heading back down, others off exploring a bit. I wound up hiking down with another hiker, who was also from San Diego. Along the way, a troop of Boy Scouts was slowly making their ascent. Their packs were almost bursting with gear, and their faces showed the strain. Before too long, the end of the trail came into view. My fellow hiker thanked me for the conversation, as it made the descent go quicker. I tossed my gear into the car and chatted with some climbers who were also from San Diego. Before driving down the hill, I stopped by a good friend’s house and chatted for a bit. Just 22 peaks left to reach 100! This adventure was 11.6 miles with 2,895 feet of gain, and it took 5:46.
I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. I co-authored 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. I’ve also conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer).
I look forward to exploring new summits and adventures across the Southwest.