Climbing Bernardo Mountain

I met Becca at the Piedras Pintadas Trailhead for a hike up Bernardo Mountain. She had never climbed it, and since she only had a few hours, this seemed like a perfect choice. We finally had our first heat wave, so we agreed on an early start to try to beat the heat. The parking lot was empty when I arrived, and Becca arrived soon thereafter. We grabbed our gear and set off down the bike path, then across the bridge. The lake is still mostly dry, as work continues on the Lake Hodges Dam.

The summit was hidden under the marine layer as we turned off the main trail and onto the Bernardo Mountain Trail. A stream of trail runners came down the trail, and we let them pass. We continued along the trail, and mountain bikers would pass us from time to time, along with some other hikers and runners.

We reached the summit, and enjoyed it to ourselves for a bit, and took in the views, as the marine layer had burned off. Puffy clouds hung across the sky as we made our way back down from the summit. More and more hikers and bikers filled the trail, reminding me why I usually hike this peak during the weekdays. When we got back to the car, the temperature was in the mid-80s at 9:30 in the morning. I tracked the hike as 6.6 miles in length and did it in 2:59, and had 832 feet 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 both the Arizona-Winter and Arizona-Summer). 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.

Way up in Elfin Forest

I wanted to get in a few miles before it got too hot, so I decided to take a hike in Elfin Forest. It had been a while since I hiked any of the trails out there. The parking lot doesn’t open until 8, so I didn’t rush to leave the house. About ten cars were already in the lot when I arrived at about 8:40. I grabbed my gear and set off. After crossing Escondido Creek, the trail begins its ascent via the Way Up Trail.

Nicely designed Trail markers called out the mileage and elevation. There were additional markers for those who might need assistance from emergency personnel. I passed a couple enjoying the shade of one of the shelters that are installed throughout the reserve. Once at the main trail junction, I decided to continue on up to the summit of Mount Israel, off to the west.

I started along the Ridgeline Road, then hopped onto the Equine Incline Loop Trail. While a bit rockier, I soon found myself at the Elfin Forest Overlook. Several more shade structures are here, along with a memorial pole for those who have lost their dogs. Just beyond the main area is the actual summit of Mount Israel. After a few photos, I opted to take the Manzanita trail instead, following the same route back.

This trail was also a rocky one, so a bit of care was needed. When this trail met with the Ridgeline Trail, I took a short walk to the Ray Brooks Overlook. It was warming up, and while the shade was nice, I wanted to get back down. I followed the Ridgeline Trail until the Mariposa Trail. I had never taken this one, so off I went.

It was a short little trail that quickly linked back up to Ridgeline Road. Before heading back down, I did a quick loop through the Ridgetop Picnic Area. I could feel the day continuing to heat up, so I cruised back down. When I reached the junction with the Botanical Trail, I decided to take it. All along the side of the trail, information plaques highlighted various plants and other items of interest. After a simple rock crossing of the creek, I returned back to the staging area. My wandering in Elfin Forest covered 4.7 miles with 1,055 feet of gain in 1:49.

Up Clevenger Canyon North

Both Ted and I are researching new packs for our upcoming hike of Mt. Whitney. We are both trying to find something with enough room for the food and gear we will need, but that is light and comfortable for the 22 miles that the packs will be sitting on our backs. I have one option, my Osprey Daylite Plus, but I am also going to try the Osprey Hikelite 26 Pack. While I have used the Daylite Plus on some longer hikes, my back always seemed drenched. Ted is also working through various pack options, and wanted to try my Osprey Stratos 36, which I typically use. Initially, I thought about hiking one of the hikes on the 2025-2026 Coast to Crest Challenge, but none of them seemed like a good test of the pack for Ted. So, I instead picked one of the 100 Peak Challenge hikes that Ted still needs to do, Clevenger Canyon North. We made the short drive out to the parking area and gathered our gear. The marine layer still hung above us, making the day a bit humid as we set off down toward the creek. We noted the rocks were covered in graffiti. Once at the creek, which was lightly flowing, we began the climb in earnest.

Sadly, the graffiti continued on the trail. I only hope that those who did this got a nice case of poison oak. We kept climbing the south face of the peak, and the sun was slowly burning through. There is no shade on this hike, so I recommend either starting early or waiting for the cooler months to do it. I checked in on Ted of how the pack felt, and he said it was pretty good. After a bit of climbing and seeing even more graffiti, we reached the turn-off to the Clevenger Canyon North Viewpoint. We followed a small spur trail to the viewpoint, where the famous chairs could be seen across the canyon. After scrambling down from the rocks, we set off to also climb Peak 1820, which sits just to the north of the viewpoint. I pulled up a previous track and set off through the low brush. After weaving our way through, we reached the summit. After a few more photos, we headed back down the trail. The descent went quickly, and we pushed back up to the parking area. Ted now has 20 peaks left for the 100 Peak Challenge. I logged this trek at 4.9 miles in 2:29, with 1461 feet of gain. As to whether Ted is going to use that pack on Whitney, not sure yet…

Up Battle Mountain

Battle Mountain is a quick but steep little hike, and since Ted needed it and we needed to kill a bit of time before lunch, it was a perfect choice. I grabbed only my poles, and Ted grabbed his and a small bottle of water and set off.

The trail climbed up and around the slope of the hill until it reached the top. It was warm under the bright June sun, and I was glad we were not tackling anything bigger this late in the morning. At the summit, two Canadians visiting for a wedding were also enjoying the view. We snapped their photo and took a few of the scenery before heading back down. We picked up some trash along the way, as well. Back that car, we changed into dry shirts, stashed our gear, and headed to Mi Ranchito for lunch. The hike up Battle Mountain was all of 0.5 miles with a healthy 267 feet of gain.

A Challenge on El Cajon Mountain

As we approached the parking lot for the trailhead, cars lined both sides of Wildcat Canyon. I decided to gamble and see if there might be a spot still in the lot, and there was! Ted and I gathered our gear and walked over to the sign-in tent. Today was the Warrior Hike Challenge up El Cajon Mountain in honor of Memorial Day. We attached our commemorative carabiners to our packs and small American flags as well and set off. The overcast skies were welcomed as we made the first climb of the day. The 1-mile Celebration Station was still setting up as we passed by. Wildflowers dotted the edges of the trail from time to time. We were making good time as we continued pushing onward. The trail splits around the 2.5-mile mark, and we opted to take the trail to the left. This section is one of the steeper portions of the climb, but I felt good pushing upward. When the trail came back together, we saw the 3-mile Celebration Station about 100 yards down the other trail. We decided to stop at it upon our return. I was curious about what our time to the summit might be, as I was feeling good.

From time to time, hikers who had gotten an even earlier start were making their way back from the summit. A small stream was still flowing across the trail, just before the final climb. We passed the abandoned truck, and soon the junction with the trail to El Cajon Mountain and El Capitan. Now we followed the single-track trail up the last bit to the summit. As expected, the summit was crowded, but we found a spot to take a break and refuel. I pulled up my tracker and saw that we had reached the summit in 2:27!

After snapping some photos, including with the summit sign, we set off back down the mountain. We would pause from time to time to allow the uphill hikers the right of way. Once at the junction with El Capitan, we decided to make the 0.2-mile trek to visit that summit. In all my times up El Cajon, I never hiked over. As we approached the summit, the ruins of the building came into view. I joked this was practice for seeing the hut atop Mt. Whitney. After snapping some more photos, we returned to the junction and went back down. One of the challenges of this hike is that you have two modest climbs to make upon your return, so we were mindful of that.

At the junction with the spur trail to the old mines, we opted to make the 0.1-mile trek to see them. We took a few photos in the entrance to one of the mines, but opted not to go exploring further. Once back on the main trail, we soon came to the 3-mile Celebration Station. We grabbed some free snacks and one of the cords we needed to earn our commemorative patch and challenge coin.

As we continued down the trail, my knees were feeling the steep descent, and Ted’s foot was also feeling it. The miles ticked by, and off in the distance was the blue tent of the 1-mile Celebration Station. One final climb brought us to it, and we got our second cord and another round of snacks. As we headed to the trailhead, the thought of burritos filled our heads. Back at the trailhead, we got our last cords, earning the patch and coin. If we repeat this hike for Veterans Day, we can earn two more coins. After tossing our gear back into the car, Ted and I compared our recorded stats, which did vary quite a bit. Ted’s Garmin recorded 12.02 and Strava on his phone recorded 11.89! My tracker logged the hike at 11.5 miles in 5:51 and 3,152 feet of gain. With that summit, my San Diego Six Pack of Peaks was completed. Now to start on the SoCal Six Pack.

Reflecting along South Clevenger Canyon

I pulled into the empty parking lot for South Clevenger Canyon under cloudy skies. This hike was to be my last to complete this year’s San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy’s Coast to Crest Challenge. I had been saving it in hopes of enjoying some wildflowers along the trail, but the lack of rain at the right time nixed that. I grabbed my gear, including a rain jacket, just in case, and started up the trail. Having hiked this trail numerous times, I cruised along, reflecting on the previous year and the year to come, as this was my birthday hike.

The past year has been one of some great joys: my cervical fusion fixing my neck issues, losing over 50 lbs, and co-writing a hiking book with a good friend. There has also been some sadness: getting laid off after 9 years and losing my sister to COPD. As I reflected on all that, soon the metal chairs atop that boulder came into view. I pulled myself up the rock face using the ropes (I miss the stairs) and sat, soaking in the views off to the west. Today was not really a day to sit and relax, so I carefully scrambled back down and retraced my route. My thoughts turned to the year ahead. There is a lot of uncertainty in the world, and I can control only so much. For me, spending time outside will provide the grounding I will need to navigate the road ahead. Before too long, I neared the trailhead. A couple of hikers passed me, just starting their journey up the trailhead. As I reached the car, I needed 0.01 more miles to log a perfect 4.0 track, so I took a few extra steps in the parking lot to solve that “problem”. With that, my hike was done, 4.0 miles in 1:39 and a healthy 1135 feet of gain. Now, if it weren’t Passover, I would have had some well-earned Mexican food and a beer….

Along the Old Coach Road…

I wanted to explore some more new-to-me trails, so one afternoon, I decided to finally hike the Old Coach Trail in Poway. I pulled into the empty staging area just north of Espola Road and set off to the north. Initially, this trail (technically “Justin’s Trail” for this section follows the road for 1/2 mile. Then, on the other side of the road is a signpost for the Old Coach Trail. My route now skirted the edge of a neighborhood, following an old dirt road along a riparian stream bed of Sycamore Creek. The Old Coach Trail served as the route for Butterfield Stage service between Poway, Escondido, and San Diego in the late 19th Century before being replaced by the coastal railroad and the rise of automobiles.

I climbed up and down, winding through another of those fine old oak groves which, according to the City of Poway, are some of the oldest in the city. After crossing a very fine bridge over Sycamore Creek, I could see the Maderas Golf Club off to the east. I even found an errant golf ball on the trail (I mean really errant!). It was now I would begin a good climb toward Heritage Drive.

The trail made a turn to the east along this road before turning northwest again onto a paved fire access road. I made my way down the steep grade, with a view of the Highland Valley before me. Once at the bottom, I passed around the border of the AQUA 2000 Research Facility, which was an experimental aquaculture water treatment facility that is currently inactive. From there, I hiked through the nursery, following the signs until I reached Old Coach Staging Area on Highland Valley Road. I grabbed a quick snack and retraced my route. Beyond one lone mountain biker, I had the trail completely to myself. Due to a miscommunication with a friend, I had to hustle the last mile and a half to make it back for a dinner engagement. With that said, this was still a great hike with 7.75 miles and a healthy 1,125 feet of gain.

Seeking Paradise Mountain

The original plan was for us to tackle Goat Benchmark, San Ysidro East Peak, and The Sirens as an overnight adventure. However, checking the forecast Friday morning quickly put an end to that plan. Winds between 25-30 mph, with predicted gusts up to 50 mph. None of us wanted to camp in that, especially in an exposed open flat, so we began looking for alternate hikes. The high winds scuttled anything out in the desert. Rick and Andrea suggested an interesting loop in Mission Trails, and I offered up doing either Mt. Gower or Paradise Mountain (both of which Ted needs). We settled on Paradise Mountain and agreed to meet at the trailhead at 8. Ted and I arrived first, and just before 8, Rick and Andrea pulled into the parking lot. The skies were overcast, and the summit of the peak was obscured by the clouds as we set off down the trail.

The trail almost immediately began to descend 300 feet down to Hell Creek. After the simple water crossing, the trail became mostly flat before beginning the climb to the summit. We chatted about all sorts of topics as we motored along the fairly well-maintained trail. The clouds had lifted, and the summit stood above us.

When we reached the junction, we all agreed that we should do the loop in a clockwise fashion. We pushed upward, pausing a few times to link back up. A side trail took us over to Viewpoint A, as labeled on Peakbagger. It did offer some nice views from there, but we did not linger. Once back on the main loop, we quickly reached Ditch Benchmark and stopped for a few photos. Someone had incorrectly left a summit sign for Paradise Mountain there. We tucked it into my pack and carried it over to the proper summit, about 1/2 mile to the east. We stopped for a snack break and to soak in the views.

Once refueled, we set off down the trail. Unlike our steep ascent, the descent was a gentler grade, which made everyone’s knees happier. Before we knew it, we were crossing back over the creek, starting the climb back to the trailhead. Along the way, a horse and rider passed us, heading down the trail. Once back at the trailhead, five more horses were getting ready to take their riders along the trail. We quickly cleaned up and headed out for a well-earned lunch at Burger Bench. I logged the hike at 8.25 miles in 4:31, with an elevation gain of 2,080 feet. The only negative was that I did find a tick on me later. It was still crawling, so I removed it and crushed it. Rick found one on him while hiking, so we’re keeping an out for any more.

Along the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail

Decided to knock out one of my two remaining Coast to Crest Challenge hikes this morning. The partially cloudy skies made it a perfect day to head out to hike some of the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail. Given that this trail is shared with off-road traffic, doing it on a regular weekday is ideal, plus having the shade from the partially cloudy skies is an added bonus. I drove out to Pauma Valley and turned on the dirt road that I have previously taken up to the top of Big Black Mountain. The road was in fair condition—don’t know if I would take a Prius on it, but any 2WD SUV-like car would do just fine. When I got to the wide junction with the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail, I pulled off and parked. I originally had planned to hike a longer portion of the trail, but needed to be back in cell coverage by 9ish. I figured I could still hike enough to make it count for the challenge. I grabbed my smaller daypack, trekking poles, and my hat, and set off.

The road, on which I could have kept driving, descended toward a small wash, before climbing back up a bit. There are lovely oaks along this section of the trail. I cruised along, enjoying the views of the dry creek below and the vistas back to the west. I reached a turnaround spot for vehicles, and in looking at my watch I realized that I needed to turn back. I reached my car and drove back down the mountain, getting back into Ramona and therefore cell coverage. This was a nice stroll, and I think I might try hiking the rest from the other side to “complete” the trail sometime soon.

Hiking Big Rock to Cowles Mountain

I decided to hike up Cowles Mountain via the Big Rock Trail. Believe it or not, I have actually never taken this route up Cowles as I generally take the Baker Way route when I care to climb this peak. I pulled into street parking and gathered my gear. It was still a bit chilly and the first part of the ascent would be on the northern slopes of the mountain. The trail passed by the dog park and the empty paddleball courts. Then the trail split, and the left fork climbed a short hill, while the right path skirted it. Off in the distance stood the communication towers next to the summit of Cowles Mountain.

The trail crossed a dry creek before beginning its real climb and I cruised along the fairly well maintained path. As the trail worked its way upward, I was afforded some nice views to the north – Woodson, Iron mountain and El Cajon Mountain were all standing tall.

I soon came to the junction with the Mesa Trail but stayed on the Big Rock Trail. Once it reached the service road, the warmth of the sun was enough to have me shed the light fleece I had been wearing. I had a short flat stretch before the road began its fairly steep climb to the summit, as it is designed for trucks and not hikers. As I reached the summit I took a moment to soak in the views. It was a very clear day, and standing atop the highest point in the City of San Diego offered up some nice vistas. After snapping a few photos, I extended the length of my trekking poles to assist with the steep descent and headed back down.

The return went quickly, and I gave friendly nods to others as they made their way up. As I neared the paddleball courts, they were now filled with players. I collapsed my poles and turned off my tracker. It recorded the trip as 4.8 miles in 1:56 (including the time at the summit).