Woodson Mountain (via Lake Poway Trail)

Jeff Hester, creator of the Six Pack of Peaks, was in town summiting most of the Six Pack’s San Diego peaks. He, along with his wife Joan, plus their two dogs, invited Derek Loranger and myself to join them climbing Mt. Woodson. Lately when I do Mt. Woodson, the hike has been a full moon hike, so I take the service road up from the Ramona side. It has been years since I used the trail from the Lake Poway side. Jeff was running late, so Derek and I chatted about how he was progressing on finishing his challenge and the fact there were now two more finishers to add to the list.

We spotted their newly wrapped SUV as it drove into the parking lot. Once we were all settled and geared up, we set off. Derek, Jeff and the dogs lead the way, while I stayed with Joan, chatting as we circled around the lake.

We stopped every so often to make sure the dogs got some water and take in the views. I would point out the various landmarks (aka: other peaks) along the way. We continued working our way up toward the summit, and after a while both Derek and I picked up the pace, with Jeff and Joan’s blessing. I was still feeling all the hiking I did in Sedona, as well as the drive back, so Derek pulled away from me.

There was a crowd milling around the Potato Chip, so I just kept going for about .2 miles to the towers. Derek was sitting on log, enjoying the views to the west. We chatted some more, this time about our profession (my current, which is also his former) of being in the user experience field. After a bit, Jeff, Joan and the dogs rejoined us. They had done the ‘Chip’ but their phone ran out of battery, so no photo. We offered to wait and get it on the way down, but they were ok.

I wanted to try to climb back up the summit block and retake the benchmark photo again. Jeff and Derek followed me around to the block on the east side of the towers. Both declined to try to make the scramble up the rock. I carefully pulled myself up the ledge and finally onto the summit block. Carefully taking multiple photos of the reference marks and the actual benchmark, I scrambled back down.

With that task done, we set off back down the trail. Not before giving directions to the ‘Chip’ to several people who had made their way up via the service road. Derek needed to get back down and get to work at his restaurant, Burger Bench. I cruised down with Jeff for most of the way, chatting about hiking challenges, what running 6POP was like, and so on. We would stop for breaks for the dogs and to regroup with Joan.

Soon we found ourselves back at the parking lot. Since we took the climb at a more mellow pace, and Jeff was a tad late, we had to skip lunch at Burger Bench due to early afternoon commitments. We took a socially distanced photo and said our goodbyes.

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.

Old Survey Road 97

Ted Markus and I had a chance to hike the Old Survey Road out on the Ramona Grasslands. This hike requires a permit and is limited to 50 per day. The trail is only open on weekends and for just a few months of the year. While we knew today was going to be warm, it was just about our last chance to explore it.

We arrived just before 8, and a group of four hikers were ahead of us, waiting to have their permits checked by the ranger. Once signed in, we headed down the dirt road. Cows to the left, Bulls on our right. The trail worked its way back to the northwest, past the ruins of a house and a lovely picnic bench under the shade of some oaks.

The main attraction is the chance to possibly see some Golden Eagles. This the main reason for the closure dates, to allow for proper nesting in the nearby rocks.

We climbed a small hill and were rewarded with a nice view of San Pasqual Valley. The Safari Park’s hot air balloon was clearly visible, as was much of the trail I took on Thursday.

We had a decent descent to the trail’s end. After snapping a few photos and waiting for the group that was ahead of us to have a chance to make some progress climbing back up, we set off. Neither of us was in a rush. A few more people passed us by as we made our way back, including one horseback rider.

As we drew closer to the car, we both commented that the day was certainly heating up. After checking back in with the ranger we tossed our gear into the car and turned on the AC. The thermostat read about 94 at just after 10 am. If you can get a permit and can do it, it was a really pleasant stroll.

North Lake Hodges

Did the North Lake Hodges trail this morning. This was my 3rd hike of this year’s Coast to Crest Challenge. Lovely hike, but you do have to keep an ear out for mountain bikers on this one. When I pulled into the staging area, there were three cars already parked there. The sun had not risen yet as I headed off down the trail. My route would basically follow Lake Hodges shore to the dam and then, onto the Rattlesnake View Spot. This selfie spot was used previously, so I knew exactly where I was headed.

The air was again nice and cool, making for some enjoyable hiking weather. I quickly found myself near the dam and the one tiny bit of elevation gain for this hike. I could see from the tracks on the ground that this trail is a favorite with mountain bikers, as it was mostly tire threads in the dirt. I think I encountered about 8 or so along the way, even this early.

I got the selfie spot and snapped a few photos. I opted not to interact with the telescope this time. Life in a pandemic…

While returning to the car, a section of the hike is on the service road to the dam. Thinking about a design problem, I missed my turn back onto the trail. I opted to stay on the road, as I knew it did intersect with the trail in a bit. I found a joining trail after a bit and got back onto the dirt trail and off the gravel road. Back at the parking lot, it had now almost completely filled up. Glad I hit it early.

San Pasqual Valley

Today’s hike was through a section of San Pasqual Valley up to Raptor Ridge and back. This would be my second hike of the 2020-2021 Coast to Crest Challenge. I again arrived at the trailhead just before sunrise to beat the predicted heat.

The trail headed west along the south side of San Pasqual Valley. The air was nice and crisp as I cruised along, as the sun had not yet risen over the hills behind me. After about 1.5 miles I reached the base of the hill and began working my way up. A runner passed me, surrounded by her four dogs.

The sun began to spread its rays across the valley and the surrounding hills, making for some lovely views. I reached the “selfie spot” and took my photo. I rested for on the picnic bench for a few minutes before heading back down. As I worked my way back to the car, I encountered two more folks using the trail.

San Pasqual South-Peak 1755

Because of how I completed the 100 Peak Challenge, I actually summited most of the peaks twice, once during my first incomplete attempt and again during my successful second attempt. Recently, I got to thinking about summiting those peaks I did not summit twice. Taking a look at them and I got to thinking, why not? While both the Six Pack of Peaks and the Sierra Club 100 will still come first, when I can’t hike one of those peaks, you just might find revisiting one of my 100 Peak Challenge summits.

Several cars were already in the parking lot at a touch before 7. The plan was to hike up to Peak 1755, which is a bump just off the trail en route to “The Chairs”. As I made my way up the trail, I note how the area had begun its recovery from the fire two years ago.

I reached the top of the canyon and found the use trail to the summit. There is no benchmark nor a register. I snapped a few photos and headed back down. From this summit, I could see a small crowd milling around the chairs. I had no need to take my photo on them, so I opted to just end to the end of the trail instead.

I scrambled up the rocks to enjoy the view of the San Pasqual valley below me. Since I wanted to make it home in time for most of the Rosh Hashanah service, so I did not linger. I cruised back down the trail and headed home.

Woodson Mountain (via Ramona)

Since I am again working on the Six-Pack of Peaks challenge, I figured I would summit Mt. Woodson in the early evening to avoid most of the crowds. There were some cars along the side of the 67, but nothing like I have seen on the weekends. I grabbed my gear and set off up the service road.

As I made my way to the summit, I passed a few hikers heading back down. Since the route uses the service road, there is plenty of room to safely pass. Nearing the summit, I watched two climbers tackle an impressive crack.

Cresting the summit, I headed the short distance to the famous Potato Chip. I had no interest in scrambling out on it again. What I wanted to try was ascending the real summit block.

Just to the east of the towers is the summit block. Old trip reports spoke of a ladder, but that aid is long gone. Instead, a small rock pile serves as the only help now. I tried several times, but could not quite get myself up. I looked to see if there might be other rocks I could add, but there were none to be found. Instead, I decided to rotate the main rock and it gave me just enough to hoist myself up. With that little extra help, I was scrambling up the summit block! There I snapped the three reference marks and the benchmark itself! I had truly summited Mt. Woodson.

I headed back down, watching the evening glow spread across Ramona and the hills beyond.

Hopefully, I will be climbing Hot Springs Mountain on Friday for #5!

Margarita Peak

Once back at the car, I headed off for the second summit, Margarita Peak. Just past the gate stood two crosses off to the side of the trail. Unlike the groomed road to the other peak, this hike was going to be more ‘natural’.

Initially, I trekked along an old firebreak until I came to a sign denoting the Margarita Peak Preserve. Now, the trail turned to a single track use trail and began its steep climb. The sun was warming up the day, and I was sweating as I pushed through the overgrowth.

Finally, the trail reached the ridgeline and the grade eased. A lone oak tree stood atop a false summit. I took a moment to catch my breath and cool off. Once I was ready, I set off for the final push. A cairn and ribbon helped guide me through the manzanita to the summit.

The summit has an odd metal pole and two interesting metal squares. I didn’t find a register, even though it is listed on the lower peaks committee list. The views were even better of Pendleton than from Margarita Lookout.

As expected, the descent was tricky but I kept my footing. Once back at the car, I enjoyed some cool water and a dry shirt. Just then a quad-runner came screaming by. The passenger was helmetless. I could only shake my head and hope they didn’t crash. A couple more riders passed by, properly geared and riding at a reasonable speed. I knew I would need to keep my eyes open on the drive down in case I encountered any riders. These were two fun little adventures in a part of San Diego county I have never explored. Personally, I think one of these should have been the replacement for Rock Mountain instead on the 100 Peak Challenge list.

Margarita Lookout

With so many trails overrun with hikers, I have been combing various peak lists for off-the-beaten-track adventures. One of these lists is the San Diego Peak Club List. This list serves as the foundation for the San Diego Sierra Club. Thankfully, there were a couple of peaks that weren’t out in Anza-Borrego that looked interesting; Margarita Lookout and Margarita Peak.

These two are located north of Fallbrook, right on the border with Camp Pendleton. I pulled into the trailhead for Sylvan Meadows to watch the actual docking of the Crew Dragon “Endeavour” with the ISS. Once they had successfully docked, I headed out to the trailhead.

Now, I had already saved the location in Google Maps, as the route can get a bit confusing according to the trip reports on Peakbagger. But something went sideways. As I drove down the roads, I soon found myself passing Rock Mountain and the Santa Margarita river! What??? For some reason, Google Maps wanted to take me to Fallbrook. I finally convinced it to take me to the proper location. Thankfully, I only lost an hour and the hikes weren’t going to be too long. Finally, the paved road ended and the dirt road began. For the most part, this road is fully drivable by a standard car, like a Mini Cooper. But you might need a car wash afterward. After about 30 minutes on the dirt, I reached the shared trailhead for Margarita Lookout and Margarita Peak. There is a nice wide turnout, so no worries about parking.

From the reports, Margarita Lookout was going to be just under 5 miles round trip, but the elevation profile was easier. The hike to the summit of Margarita Peak was only about 1.6 miles, but a steep climb. Since I had done El Cajon on Friday, I opted for the easier one first. For much of the hike, you continue to follow the same forest road. In fact, I could have kept driving on it almost to the summit, but where is the sport in that?

Some wildflowers dotted the sides of the road. The road eventually reached a turn out for the final push to the summit. Here the trail got a bit rocky. Soon the flag at the summit was fully in view.

There isn’t a real benchmark, but a block of concrete was stamped with “1964” on it. A few remnants of the tower remained. I could spy so many familiar peaks; San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Palomar, and even Cuyamaca off in the distance. I signed the register and headed back down.

I heard the din of a motorcycle, and when I reached the road again, two riders were just turning around from riding up. I let their dust settle before cruising back to the car.

From my good friend Gina Norte, got some information on the history of this place: The original Fire Lookout Tower was built in 1935 by the Civilian Conservation Corps and was replaced in 1965 and a cabin was added. In 1986 a wildfire burned both structures and in 1988 the tower remains were destroyed in a collision with a Marine Corps CH-46E helicopter. The site of the old tower lies one mile north of Margarita Peak and 100 yards from Camp Pendleton.

El Cajon Mountain

Decided to knock out another of the Six-Pack of Peaks, this time El Cajon Mountain. Since it is starting to get hot and this is probably the hardest of the San Diego peaks, I thought why not try to hit the summit at sunrise? I have done this peak before—it was my final peak of the 100 Peak Challenge. I looked up the time of sunrise.

The car’s clock read 3:00 when I arrived at the trailhead. The parking lot was closed, so I parked on the street. I slipped on my headlamp and gathered the rest of my gear and set off.

I plodded along the misty dark trail, mostly up, but one of the joys of El Cajon is you get to go down sometimes as well. I kept a good pace, but night hiking is a bit slower, so I had a feeling I was going not make the summit before sunrise.

Just after the 4.5-mile mark, I was passed by a hiker, and soon after that his two buddies. The trail was nice and wide, so socially distancing was not an issue.

Soon after, I caught the sun rising over the Cuyamacas. I snapped a few photos and kept on climbing. As I approached the summit, the three of them were hanging out on the main summit block, so I plopped down near one of the reference marks.

After a snack, some Gatorade, and a few photos, it was time to head back down. Since time wasn’t a factor, I decided not to push it.

Making my way down, I could now see all the wildflowers that lined the side of the trails. As I made my way down, I started encountering hikers going up. All told, I think I passed about 15 people. The trail was nice and wide, so no issues. I usually told them the hiker count ahead of them.

Got have a picture of the abandoned car!

The sun was starting to warm things up, so I was glad to have started when I did. I was feeling those uphills on the way back but kept plodding along. Soon, the trailhead came into view and another successful summit was in the books. All told it was 11.1 miles in 6:53 hours with over 3,591 feet of elevation gain. Not too bad…

Paradise Mountain

I decided to venture out and tackle Paradise Mountain in the Hellhole Canyon Preserve. This is one of the replacement peaks for the 100 Peak Challenge and thought I should do it for completeness. The day’s route was to be a lollipop, first dropping down and then crossing Hell Creek before beginning the ascent towards Paradise Mountain. I opted to do the loop counter-clockwise. Upon reflection, I would recommend doing it the other way.

Once past the creek, the climb would begin in earnest. Some wildflowers dotted the side of the trail as the trail continued gaining elevation. A little breeze helped, as there was almost no shade. I can see why they close it during August.

Soon the summit came fully into view. I took a break once I reached it, soaking in the views. Palomar stood clearly to the east, Harrah’s Casino to the north and Valley View Casino to the west.

I grabbed my gear and headed off to Ditch Benchmark, which was just to the west. I looked to see if there was a benchmark here, but did not find it. I tapped the summit cairn with my poles and motored on. I later learned there was one, oh well.

The final goal of the day was Viewpoint 1. This was just a bit off the main loop, but it did provide a lovely view of the area and is listed on Peakbagger.

Now to start the descent. The day was certainly warming up, and I was glad for the early start. Finally encountered my first set of hikers. They told me they did encounter a rattlesnake a bit down the trail. I had been keeping my eyes and ears open throughout the hike, and now I would add a little more caution to my steps.

As I continued to make my way down, I would encounter about 6 more groups. Some families, some getting in a trail run. I was able to pass them with no issues, however, only one person had a mask. For me, I just had to pull up my buff as I passed.

Crossing back over the creek, a family was enjoying the cool water. Now the climb back to the car. I was feeling the heat some as I worked my way up. As I reached the parking lot, it was now full and two horse trailers were there. Tossed my gear in the car and headed back home.