Sunshine Mountain

I initially did not think I was going to get any peaks this weekend, as my son is about to head to Israel for 10 months on the Nativ College Leadership Program. But, I was able to squeeze in two peaks in the early morning.

Decided to knock out Sunshine Mountain and Ant Benchmark. I had hoped to do them when I did Eagle Peak, but the heat said no! I reached the trailhead for Three Sisters just before sunrise. To my delight, Cedar Creek Road was open! Woot!! That meant one less mile of hiking! Pulling into the turnout, two cars were parked. I guess it is hunting season… I quietly got ready and headed out.

The trail is overgrown, like many of the more obscure ones. I reached the base of the mountain just after it became illuminated by the rising sun. I saw a set of cairns, checking my previous track, I set off up the mountain.

I picked my way through the brush, I lost the cairns for a while, and just relied on my guesses through the brush and rocks. Once I picked the cairns back up the route became easier.

At the summit and took in the view. Eagle Peak was to the southwest of me. There is no benchmark, but I signed the register again. The forecast was that it was going to reach the upper 80s, so I did not want to goof off too long at the summit.

I made my way down without any issues, I found the main trail again without issue. This was the one hiccup we had when I first did the peak. Quickly I was back at the car and off to my next peak. That was peak #59 of my #100PeakChallenge!

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.

Ant Benchmark

The second peak, Ant Benchmark, was just a short drive north from the Three Sisters trailhead. I pulled into the turnout just before the boundary of the Inaja Indian Reservation. I grabbed my gear and headed back down Boulder Creek Road.

The trail was in the same shape as Sunshine Mountain, passable but with a lot of growth. After about .5 miles, the descent ends, and I head out across the golden meadow.

From there I began working my way up the summit. I remembered the actual summit was set back, so I knew I had more climbing than what I initially saw.

I never found a real path up. Mostly I tried to use the rocks and stay to the northeast side. Apart from the initial effort to bushwhack on to the slope, it went fairly well.

Once at the true summit, I sat and flipped through the register, recognizing many fellow peak baggers.

There were three marks on the summit as well. It was getting warm, so made my way back down the mountain.

So I was crossing back across the meadow and back up the old Jeep road. That was my 60th peak of my 100 Peak Challenge!

Sunshine Mountain

I set off down the closed road to the trailhead for peak #2. This was going to add about .5 miles each way. The road seemed fine. When I reached the trailhead, I headed down a very overgrown road. I was glad to have hiked it before and had my route loaded for reference.

Passing by the pond, doves flew out from the brush as I walked by. My energy levels were a bit low, but I decided to push on a bit. As the trail began to climb, I just did not have it in me. So I decided to turn back. The mountain will be there another day.

Partway back, I stopped in the shade and cooled off some. As I returned to the car, I saw a family getting ready to head down to Three Sisters. I cautioned them, about the difficulty and the effects of the heat. I got back into the car, and it read 90° F! That was unexpected, I knew that was the forecast, but at 9:30! No wonder I ran out of gas. I called it a day and headed home.

Eagle Peak

Kept waffling on what peak I wanted to do. Settled on attempting a three-fer, but with the temperatures, I might be pushing it. I pulled into the parking lot for Three Sisters/Eagle Peak a bit before sunrise. To my surprise, the road down to the trailhead for Sunshine Mountain was closed. That was going to put a wrench in my plans. But one peak at a time…

I headed off down the trail, the air was already warm, and the cooling effects of a marine layer were not there. I held a nice pace as I worked my way out to the peak. The trail was certainly more overgrown than last time. Toward the summit, it took a bit of poking around to find the trail.

I was amazed at the graffiti along the trail, and the trash. Since this is an out-and-back hike, I tried to remember where the empty water bottles were to pick them up on the return. Sadly I left the five Bud Light bottles behind.

The summit was quiet. I found the benchmark and reference mark with no trouble. I did not find the register.

I headed back down the trail. The overgrowth again was an issue near the top. Since the road to the trailhead for Sunshine Mountain was closed, I was looking to see if there was a connecting trail. Caltopo showed one, but as I got near where it was supposed to be, I could find no evidence.

The parking lot had filled up, and I had to wonder if these hikers knew of the difficult and forecasted temperatures as they set off down to Three Sisters. None of them were headed to Eagle Peak…

Long Valley Peak

I wanted something a bit on the shorter side, so Long Valley Peak seemed like a perfect option. The trailhead is just off the 8 in Pine Valley. As I parked, the air was brisk, but I knew that was not going to last once the sun rose. A couple of dirt bikes were getting ready to head out on a nearby trail.

The trail follows the power lines for about a mile and a half. I remembered the rolling nature of this section. It was a good way to test my ankle. The sun poked over the Laguna mountains to the east, but the shade and slight breeze kept the temperatures pleasant. The peak loomed in the distance, standing alone.

When the road makes its right turn, I made my left turn onto the single track and the real climb began. The trail was fairly easy to follow, with just a few spots that took a quick moment to spot the continuation.

As I got closer to the summit, the trail became rocky and steeper. Making my way up, the view behind me was stunning. With one final push, the summit was reached. The vistas were as incredible as I remembered. Matt Hanan, another fellow peak bagger, mentioned the need for a new register, so I dropped a new one-off into the ammo box.

Familiar peaks surround me, as I took a break from the ascent. But I knew the day would keep getting warmer and the shade that I had would be fading away.

The descent went quickly back to the service road. Once back at the car I began wondering about this attempt’s pace vs. the first one. Both times I did this peak I was solo. To my surprise, I covered the 4.1 miles 30 minutes faster. I don’t think I was going that fast, I guess the first time I was just cruising.

This was peak #52 of my #100PeakChallenge.

Volcan Mountain

Decided since we are having a bit of a heatwave, a shorter hike was in order, so I opted for Volcan Mountain out near Julian. Funny, the last time I did this hike was also during a heatwave.

As I set out, a group of Cal Fire firefighters also set out for some training. I quickly made my way to the summit. However, the bugs were out even this early, so I grabbed my bug net and tossed it on as I made up my way up the trail.

Once I reached the summit, I enjoyed my breakfast on the picnic table with a nice view to the west. Afterward, I went hunting for the benchmark. I found the two reference marks, but not the true mark.

I was soon joined by a fellow hiker and his dog. We chatted while his dog took a short breather. Once his companion was ready, we set off back down the mountain. As we made our way, we meet several more folks heading up.

It was a nice hike for my 50th peak in my #100PeakChallenge!

Boucher Hill

With my foot not at 100% and the high temperatures, I opted for Boucher Hill. I had considered doing it as a two-fee with Volcan Mountain but did not want to attempt that much mileage. I parked at the Silvercrest picnic spot and headed down the road to the trailhead. A nice breeze kept me cool as even at 8 am, it was starting to warm up. The trail gently works its way for about a mile until it reaches the lookout tower. The marine layer hugged the coast, but otherwise, the views were lovely. I could see Mt. Baldy and San Gorgonio In the distance.

After chatting with the volunteers for a bit, I headed back down the trail to the car. I debated doing the full loop but did not want to push my foot yet.

Once I got back to the car, the temperature was already 80°F. Glad I hit it early.

Cushi-Pi (Stonewall Peak)

Since I had the day off, I thought I would head out to Cuyamaca State Park and try to summit two peaks, the first peak of the day was Cushi-Pi, formerly known as Stonewall Peak. I parked in the day-use lot, after paying my $10 fee, headed across the 79, and began working my way up.

I started with Cushi-Pi, first since I knew I would have some shade for a nice portion of the ascent. The trail worked its way back and forward toward the summit. This is a popular peak, so I also wanted to try to avoid crowds as well.

The summit’s final section came into view, reminding me of Moro Rock in Sequoia. I had the granite summit to myself for a bit and soaked in the sweeping views. I picked out the various peaks that I have summited.

Soon I was joined by three other hikers. We chatted a bit and then left them to enjoy the summit by themselves.

As I quickly descended, I encountered more and more hikers making their way to the summit.

Back at the car I had a quick snack and got ready to hike up Middle Peak. This was the 46th peak on my 100 Peak Challenge!

Middle Peak

Having summited Cushi-Pi (Stonewall Peak) earlier in the day, I set out for Middle Peak. The trailhead is 5 minutes north, so it was a perfect choice as a twofer.

As I parked, quite a few horse trailers were parked nearby. I reapplied my sunscreen and headed along the Milk Ranch Road until the turnoff to Middle Peak. For most of the ascent, it follows a slightly rocky fire road, but you are rewarded with great views of Cushi-Pi, Cuyamaca Peak and so much more.

Near the summit, I began looking for the cairn that denotes the start of the use trail to the actual summit. My first attempt was only partially successful, as I only made it partway through the brush.

This time the trail was better marked, as I picked my way through the brush. I did encounter a beehive along the route but was able to bypass it without issue. The trail at times was hard to see, so a little faith was needed. It was an adventure to the summit, but soon the summit revealed itself. A register was tucked under some rocks. I signed in, took my photos, and enjoyed a snack.

I was worried about finding the route back down but had no trouble. I even found those bees again 😉 A light breeze helped cool me off as I descended. A slight bruise on my foot was bothering me. I will have to see how it feels tomorrow and what I attempt. I did encounter one other hiker just as I was nearing the junction.

It felt good to have done two modest peaks in a day. This was my 47th summit and having actually reached it this time made it extra rewarding.

Eagle Rock

What better way to kick off the Fourth of July than hiking out to see Eagle Rock? My friend Juliet had been wanting to tag along on one of my adventures and this one seemed perfect. She lives up in Temecula, so she met Ted and me in Warner Springs. Since we had two cars we decided to do the hike as a point-to-point along the Pacific Crest Trail. We drove down to the PCT trailhead off Montezuma Valley road and headed out along the trail.

The trail weaved its way through rolling hills and grasslands. It reaffirmed our choice of picking our route out to Eagle Rock.

We crossed a still-flowing stream and up and over the small hills. It was nice having some new company on the trail.

The rock formation soon came into view. There were a couple of folks enjoying the ‘Eagle’, as we arrived. After taking our photos and having a snack, we continued on the PCT toward Warner Springs.

The miles ticked off quickly. We met a few more hikers heading out to Eagle Rock. The shade along the trail was nice and the gentle sounds of another creek were enjoyable.

Soon we found ourselves back in Warner Springs having done 8.1 miles along the PCT. This was my 45th peak of my 100 Peak Challenge.