The original plan was to summit Indianhead via Palm Canyon, but the forecast temperatures led us to postpone our attempt to a later date. Since we had planned for a pre-dawn start, I had booked a campsite at Borrego Palm Canyon Campground. I opted to keep the reservation, spend the night out there, and hike something else in the morning. After setting up my Luno mattress, I relaxed around the campsite a bit until the sun dipped below the mountains. I opted to bring a new backpacking meal, Chicken Tikka Masala from Bowl and Kettle, to try out. I also brought some naan from Trader Joe’s, which I warmed over the campfire. As the sunlight faded across the desert, I sat back and enjoyed my meal. My fire burned faster than expected, with a combination of dry wood and a slight breeze, so I turned in early and listened to some lectures.

The alarm went off just after 5 am, and I made some oatmeal and coffee as I quietly broke camp. I decided to climb Villager Peak as my replacement for Indianhead. For those who are familiar with Villager, it is still a hard hike. It’s just under 14 miles round trip, but for the most part, a straightforward ridgeline to the summit. There are trees at the summit, so if I cared to take a nap in the shade, I could. The trailhead was empty when I pulled in. Driving over from the campground, I saw the temperature dip into the high 40s. Here it read in the low 50s, so I left my fleece in the car. Between the coming dawn and the quarter moon hanging in the western sky, I had plenty of light to set off across the desert floor to the Villager Ridge. I found the use trail shortly after leaving the trailhead, and cruised along. I crossed over the Rattlesnake Wash and up the steep slope to begin climbing.

The sun finally rose above the mountains to the east, and a light breeze began to blow. Between the cairns and the use trail, there were no issues as I kept plodding along. From time to time, a steeper section would require some additional effort, but nothing too sustained, and a flatter section would follow to allow for some recovery. My left calf was feeling a bit off, and it gradually tightened as I hiked on, despite attempts to stretch it out. As I passed Mile High off to the east, the Salton Sea finally came into view. I looked across at that peak and gazed at what I had hiked down and up when I had summited it. While I still need to climb it again, I think I will take an alternate route down.

The Backpacker Radio Podcast kept me entertained as the summit drew near. I crested the small false summit and soon found myself staring at the rock cairn that denotes the summit. I took some photos, signed the register, and then enjoyed my lunch while gazing across the vista. While it was pleasant at the summit, I knew that it was going to get warmer as I made my way back down. Plus, I didn’t want my calf to tighten any further, so I got moving. If I had stayed about 15 minutes longer, I might have gotten great shots of some F-35s flying over.

The descent went smoothly with the calf causing very little discomfort. I was right about it getting warmer. I had brought a sun umbrella, but the breeze was just a bit too strong for me to use it. As I got lower, various flowers were now open to take in the sun’s rays. I would stop and photograph some, but otherwise kept a steady downward pace. I finally saw the glint from my car, and a few others parked next to it. I have to assume those adventurers were off toward some other destination, as I had not seen a soul.

Once back on the desert floor, I tucked my trekking poles away and broke out the sun umbrella for the final 1.25 miles back to that car. I am glad I had it, as I later learned that the temperature was in the upper 80s! I tracked the hike at 13.65 miles in 8:32, and an elevation gain of 4,854 feet. This was my 99th peak toward completing the 100 Peak Challenge a second time.

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. 

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With Ted on call, and Rick and Andrea having climbed Sunset Mountain the day before, I set off alone to summit San Ysidro East Peak. Between the recent trek out to Goat Benchmark and my ascent of The Sirens, this area was quite familiar to me. I wanted to give myself as much time as possible to tackle this peak. I debated which route to take: come all the way up from the desert floor or come from Ranchita? I decided to gamble on the Ranchita route, in part because I knew it would be the route Rick & Andrea would probably take for their attempts at both The Sirens and San Ysidro East. Since I wanted to start as early as possible, I left the house around 4:30, planning to pick up breakfast in Ramona. Unfortunately, that McDonald’s does not open until 6, so Jack in the Box it was. I pulled off the side of Montezuma Valley Road just at the border of Anza-Borrego State Park as the pre-dawn glow was starting to fill the eastern sky. I slipped on my fleece, as it was in the upper 40s. I also put on my headlamp, finished my liter of water, and set off along the fence line. The basic plan was to follow the park boundary line until it was time to turn eastward.

This went well until around White Benchmark. Here, my route forced me to climb through a bouldery and brushy section that I did not want to spend the time or energy doing. I worked my way past it all, but I was now in a foul mood. In the sandy sections, I could see my former footprints in the soil, so I now had less effort to spend on navigation. The flowing water had since dried up in the gully. As I approached where we had veered off to ascend Goat Benchmark, I continued east. The gully turns a bit northward, and I remember from years ago that it becomes filled with dry falls and is no longer the easy route it had been. I stood atop a small hill and surveyed my route to the east. Checking my route against my collection of tracks, I saw I was slightly to the north of them, so I dropped down. This next section has gullies which merge and cross with minimal difficulty, but it does take some care. The first one, I remembered to stay to the north of their merger to avoid the dense brush and trees. I found the game trail across the brushy section and climbed back up the small ridge. Another small gully sits on the other side. The challenge here was the steeper sides, so you had to look for an entry and exit slope to traverse it. Then, one final short climb onto Hellhole Flats.

With that behind me, I began rethinking my exit. Did I want to have to climb all that again? I have done it three times now and I wasn’t sure. I figured once I was coming back down from San Ysidro East, I would make the call. If I went down to Borrego Springs along the Kay ridge, I would contact Anita and have her come get me (she hates it when I hitchhike), or I would let her know that I am returning the way I came, but I still had time to make that call.

Hellhole Flats cruised by. I dodged and weaved around the plants, aiming to the north of Lookout Knob, then toward the saddle near the northeast corner of the flats. Once there, I found some shade and rested. The day wasn’t too warm, but there was no need to sit under the sun while having some snacks and fluids. Now, for the climb up to San Ysidro East. In just over 3/4 miles, I would gain close to 1,200 feet. I plotted my way up the steep slope, ignoring past tracks and using my best judgment to find my route. For the most part, there weren’t any issues, other than the steepness. The terrain varied from rocky sections to sandy portions to clumps of cacti needing to be avoided. Once near the San Ysidro ridge, I began turning westward toward the summit. The grade eased, but still climbed to the peak. After one last push upward, I was on the summit of San Ysidro East again. 

The entire climb from my resting spot to the summit took just over an hour. I snapped some photos and began looking for a nice spot for a much-deserved rest. I actually found a pseudo-cave where I sat down. The coolness of the rock against my back felt great as I ate my lunch and other snacks. I did look around to see if there was a register tucked away, but did not find one. After about 30 minutes, and tending to an issue on my foot, it was time to set off. I soon had to decide on my exit route. Feeling better, both physically and mentally, I opted to retrace my route back to Ranchita. I will say staring across Hellhole Flats and seeing White Benchmark at almost the same elevation did make me question myself.

My route down led me to a small, open area, and I wandered over to the western edge to see if I might take it down, as it would be slightly more direct. In looking over, I had no real idea what lay below me, so I returned to my general path as before. One thing to note on this descent was returning through Hellhole Flats. I worked my way down toward the west, but if I had needed to climb The Sirens, I would have taken a more eastern line and stayed higher to avoid losing unnecessary elevation.

Back on Hellhole Flats, I put on my headphones and listened to an episode of Backpacker Radio about off-trail trips. Talk about timing! Once past the two gullies, I knew the next big effort was about to begin. I methodically plodded upward, often following my own footprints. I would take a few quick breaks to rest before pushing on. Once I could rejoin the gully, I knew the effort level would become easier, and I focused on that microgoal. Back in the gully, I then focused on the turn southward. This isn’t too hard to spot, as the gully does widen, and my footprints helped as well. Now to continue climbing and navigating past White Benchmark. I really did not want to repeat the effort I exerted on my outward route. Once I reached the boundary fence, I hugged it. When the fence ended due to terrain, I opted to take the easier route southward. Technically, I crossed onto private property, but I tried to stay as close as I could to the boundary and, when I could, take the eastern path. Once past the section to the west of White Benchmark, I crossed back on state land and continued southward. The sounds of cars zooming along Montezuma Valley Road started to fill the air as my podcast finished. Back at the car, I changed into a dry shirt, slipped off my gaiters, and let various people know I had made it. I stopped at Don’s Market in Santa Ysabel for some cold drinks. The entire hike was 13.2 miles and took me 9:30 to complete. I have included the elevation profile to help the reader better understand the challenges posed by these peaks. What is interesting is the elevation gain value(s).

Quite the mystery as to the differences in elevation gain. I might have to dig deeper into how each platform calculates its value.

Now for my opinion on the route options to climb San Ysidro East and The Sirens. I think I would rather make one solid climb from the desert floor. The section around White Benchmark is less than pleasant, and the section leaving Hellhole Flats on the return is also quite taxing. My times to about the same point (junction between the peaks) were both around 3:30 elapsed time, but I find the straightforward nature of just climbing the ridge “easier”. While it is a steep ascent and descent along the ridge, not having to deal with the terrain when leaving Hellhole Flats and returning to Ranchita is a plus.

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. 

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Rick and Andrea decided to hike up to Kay Benchmark, and I decided to tag along and continue toward The Sirens and/or San Ysidro East Peak. At least that was the original plan. I got to the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center and waited for the rangers to open the gate. While waiting, I got a text from Rick that they were running late and I should go ahead and start. The rangers finally arrived at 7:20 to unlock the gate. I quickly paid my day-use fee and parked, then grabbed my gear and set off for the ridgeline. I cruised up the ridge toward Ode Benchmark. Once there, I quickly signed the register and snapped a few photos. From there, I began the steep climb up to Kay Benchmark. From time to time, I would glance back to see if I could spy Rick and Andrea. I could see their car parked next to mine. I got through the bouldery section near Kay without any real issues. Once at Kay, I took a short break and scanned my next section. I was going to follow Greg’s descent route to reach the saddle between The Sirens and San Ysidro East.

The route-finding went fairly smoothly, and soon I was closing in on the saddle. While my route was a bit higher than Greg’s, it was still 1000x better than the route I took down back in 2020. Now at the saddle, I had to decide which peak to attempt first. I decided to go for The Sirens because it was “easier” and I was mindful of the time. With that in mind, I opted to head for The Sirens. I turned southward and roughly followed the contour line to its base. Once there, I recalled that the best way up its very steep and rocky slope was to approach it from the western side. I found the slab section I scaled that last time, and followed it up. At the summit, I got a message from Rick that they had just reached Kay, almost due east of me. In fact, we did shout at each other from our respective summits, but nothing intelligible. As I ate my PB&J and drank some electrolytes, I learned that part of the reason I did not see them on the ridge was that they ascended from the small saddle just west of Ode. While we were texting, they offered to pick me up in Ranchita if I wanted. I debated this for a bit and decided to go that way. I knew I wouldn’t have time to climb San Ysidro East, so this would at least give me some insight into my options for my return.

After signing the register, I found an alternate path down from the peak and headed back to the saddle to drop down into Hellhole Flats. Once down, mostly following a small drainage path, I cruised along, aiming for the north of Lookout Knob. As I drew near the western edge of the flats, I again worked my way down through some rockier sections until I reached another drainage. I followed it to where it met with the drainage from the west, as that was the one we used when we recently climbed Goat Benchmark. But here, where they met, the brush was too dense, so I headed back north along that drainage for a short bit, then exited and continued westward. 

Now, I began the climb out of Hellhole Flats. For the most part, I stayed hiking westward, skipping the detour to Goat Benchmark. I snacked a few times to keep my energy up, as this is still a modest climb. Soon, very familiar terrain came into view, including some recent footprints. The water was still flowing in that one section of the drainage, and there was even a thin sheet of ice next to it. Once I turned southward and was more exposed, I donned my wind shell, as a cool wind was blowing! One of the sections that I disliked last time was the section passing White Benchmark. This time, I decided to see if it was easier to just try to stay along the fence line as best as possible. While I might have drifted off the state park land, I never crossed the fence itself; this was the right choice for this section. I continued along the fence line until I reached the road, and Rick and Andrea were waiting for me. We had been texting back and forth, and they had only arrived about 15 minutes earlier. They then kindly shuttled me back to my car. Now for the big question: which route is better?

Since I need to return to climb San Ysidro East, I have to decide which route to take. Both routes have pros and cons. Honestly, I don’t know which way I will take. It probably depends on whether I am hiking it solo or with some friends, and whether they need a peak along the way. The upside is that I am now familiar with both options.

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. 

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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.

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. 

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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.

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. 

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• YouTube