With the successful summit of Kay Benchmark behind me, I headed into Borrego Springs for a burrito. After that, I drove over to Center Market and got a sandwich for dinner and then headed out for McCain Springs. This was the planned camping spot, before hiking to Vallecito Mountains High Point. I had ridden out here a few months back in my friend Dave’s Rubicon, scouting if the trail conditions could be handled by my Subaru. Overall, we felt it looked doable. So, I left the paved road and headed down Fish Creek Wash. This section gave me no worries, as I had driven it multiple times, but as I passed the spot where my son and I had car camped, the uncertainty rose. I continued on, recalling a few of the slightly touchy spots. One obstacle did take two attempts to get over, but the rest was smooth sailing. Soon, I reached the junction to McCain Spring and drove to the end. I had feared that the site might already be taken, but I had it to myself. I set up camp, in no rush as I had plenty of daylight. Enjoyed my sandwich and beer, and as I looked across the desert, it was peaceful as the sun set behind the hills. I set out to make a fire for the evening, but in chopping the wood, the axe nicked my finger. Thankfully, I had taken the “Stop the Bleed” course from Kit Fox Outfitters and handled the minor wound. With that issue addressed, I finished preparing the fire and sat back and enjoyed the flames. As the fire burned itself out, I crawled into the Subaru for some well-earned rest.

I awoke around 6:30 and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, some oatmeal, and a cold bottle of OJ. Once I had repacked the car, I gathered my gear to set off toward the peak. As I climbed over the small saddle, I soon found the ridge that I would follow for a bit, again dodging and weaving around the cacti towards another saddle. Following the route our group used last time, I ascended a boulder-filled slope. I actually spotted a few cairns at the beginning but quickly lost them, so it was a typical “choose your own adventure” type of ascent. Once up and over, I worked my way down toward the wide flat before me and onto the drainage path.

Now the hike moved into cruise mode for a while, as I headed north toward the next section of the climb. As the drainage came to an end, I stared at the rock-filled slope, trying to scout a route up. Vallecito Mountains High Point is hidden behind a false summit, so even as I drew near to the top of this peak, I knew I was not done with my climb. I worked my way down toward the saddle, then began the real climb to the summit. Soon, I was standing atop Vallecito Mountains High Point. I signed the register and enjoyed a well-earned rest. I snapped a few photos and geared up for my descent.

Carefully, I worked down the face of the peak, occasionally having to back-track if the route became unclimbable. Slow and cautious was the order of the day. Soon, I was back on the drainage and once again cruised along. Now, I had a choice to make: follow the same route Carefully, I worked down the face of the peak, occasionally having to back-track if the route became unclimbable. Slow and cautious was the order of the day. Soon, I was back on the drainage and once again cruised along. Now, I had a choice to make: follow the same route back, which included another “fun” climb, or explore following the drainage all the way out. There were no reports of anyone trying this route on Peakbagger, but the satellite imagery made it appear doable, with just one section in the middle that might be an issue. At the spot where I would have made my U-turn to follow my ascending route, I continued on the drainage. I spotted some footprints in the sand, so someone tried this route not too long ago.

Initially, the route stayed the same as it turned westward. After a bit, I reached that rocky section that I spied from the satellite imagery. I worked my way through the rocks, usually staying along the main drainage route. Occasionally, I took a short slide down the smooth, water-worn rocks. I was glad to be descending through this section, as it was nice to have gravity on my side. After a while, the drainage opened back up, and I was once again cruising on the sand. When the drainage turned south again, I made a short climb over a small rise, then crossed the flat desert back to the road. Soon, I saw the sun glinting off my car, telling me that I was almost done. The entire loop covered 6.2 miles in 4:45 with 1,185 feet of elevation gain. As to whether the route through the drainage was better, I am not sure, but I do know that I would not use the drainage for the ascent portion.

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After a couple of hikes around the campground, I decided to set up camp for the night, which is really just inflating my Luno mattress. The winds were still blowing, making it chilly to be outside. I debated heading into town for dinner instead of attempting to cook my steak over the fire. I figured I would give it a try, and if it failed, then drive into town. It took the entire bundle of wood, but I was able to cook it! I did retreat into the car to actually eat it. Tomorrow’s hike was going to be a tough one, so crashing out early wasn’t too much of a problem.

I rose just before sunrise and caught some nice photos of the sunrise and the morning glow upon the peak we aimed to climb. I packed up and drove over to the trailhead parking lot to meet Rick. We were going to follow the same route I used when I summited back in 2019: head into the canyon, exit at the third oasis, then follow the steep ridge to the summit. I had an event back in San Diego at 8 pm, so I did have a hard turn-back time. Just after 7 am, we set off. The first part of the trail led us up to the first Palm Oasis. The palms were recovering nicely from an arson fire a few years back. We found the new route around the oasis and left the maintained trail behind.

Now it would be a mix of use trails and “seat of our pants” route finding. The water was flowing nice and strong and made for a lovely hike. We crossed the stream numerous times as we pushed on. Various spots along the way were familiar from the two times I had hiked here before. 

We reached the third Palm Oasis and took a well-earned break under the shade of some large boulders. I looked at the time and had a bad feeling. I knew what still lay ahead of us. While I was feeling great, I doubted I could summit, exit, and make it back to town in time. We should have started at 6. That was my error, as I picked the start time based on my last summit. There were a couple of spots in the canyon that slowed us down just enough. We decided to climb up out of the canyon and check our time again. So up we went on the very steep slope. I felt pretty good working my way up, so that was a positive sign for me. Once on the ridge, we began picking our way up. This was going to be slow. We had about 1.2 miles to cover and a lot of elevation gain to be had. I just did not think I could make it in time and decided to turn back. Rick opted to continue, as this summit would complete the 100 Peak Challenge for him. I felt bad not being there for this. I had the pin and the flag in my pack. 

I carefully picked my way down the steep slope back to the third Palm Oasis. Had a few more snacks and mixed up some Gatorade. We had spotted an empty beer bottle there earlier, so I tossed it into my pack to carry out. Soon, I began hearing voices as I spotted a group of five hikers making their way up the canyon. We chatted briefly and were sure of their destination. I told them to keep an eye out for Rick just in case. Then, I continued down the canyon.

Somewhere past the second Palm Oasis, I tripped over my own two feet and bruised and scraped my knee. It was tender, but I could still hike without too much issue. I suspected it would be sore tomorrow (narrator: yes, it was). I did not have any navigation issues until just before the first Palm Oasis, where I got off track. After some backtracking, I found the right path and reached the “end of the trail” sign. Day hikers were scattered about, enjoying the shade and the water. I motored past them, ready to be done. Once back at the car, I left Rick a note as to when I exited. I got a text from him that afternoon; he had reached the summit, and to his amazement, there were a groups of hikers there! I wondered if they used the Henderson Canyon route. I think that is the one I might use for my next attempt. I’m glad Rick got the summit, and around 5:45 pm, I got another message that he was back at his car. That did validate my decision to turn back. Although I did not make the summit, the hike through the canyon was beautiful.

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After a 45-minute drive up a collection of BLM roads that tested both the Subaru and my off-road driving skills, we reached the starting point for our climb up Jacumba Mountain. This would be my third time on the summit, but Rick and Andrea’s first. This would also be their 99th peak of the 100 Peak Challenge. After grabbing our gear, we headed off. We were going to follow the same route that I used on my last summit. Soon we found ourselves staring at the start of the steep climb up to the ridge. I remembered some of the landmarks scattered along the slope and used those to act as waypoints to guide us.

I took the lead and began leading us up.  I was feeling good and quickly found myself almost near the top. I paused here, waiting for Rick and Andrea to join me. As I sat on the rock, I soaked iI took the lead and began leading us up. I was feeling good and quickly found myself almost near the top. I paused there, waiting for Rick and Andrea to join me. As I sat on the rock, I soaked in the view to the west. When Rick and Andrea crested the lip, I directed them along an easier route to join me. Once back together, we had just a short bit left to the actual ridge, which is actually almost plateau-like.

We continued northward for a quarter mile, actually stumbling onto a use trail that guided us straight to the summit. With a short scramble, the three of us were standing on the summit. We soaked in the views, had a snack, and leafed through the register. I had forgotten that Hann finished her 100 Peak Challenge on this summit.

After our break, it was time to return. Once at the drop-off, we gave each other some safety space as we descended the steep slope. About halfway down we spied cairns and used them for the rest of the descent. If you are planning to use this track for your summit attempt, isolate our descent portion for your ascent as well. I again found myself ahead of Rick and Andrea, and at the sandy area that was our descent target, I again found a rock to rest on. While drinking my electrolytes, I spied them picking their way down the slope. Once back together, we cruised back to the car. An arrow in the sand that Andrea drew keyed us into where to climb over the small boulder hill.

Back at the car, we changed shirts and began the final portion of this adventure—the drive out. We had one section that took a couple of attempts to overcome, but otherwise, we navigated the “fun” sections of the road and found ourselves on the pavement again. We stopped in Alpine for some food and drink.

The entire hike covered 3.0 miles and took us 3:15. According to CalTopo, the steep section of the hike was only between a 30-40% gradient!

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