Initially, we thought we would have to summit Groan Benchmark as part of a long hard loop from McCain Valley, but thankfully Matt Hanan offered up a ride in his 4X4 Jeep to take us to the better trailhead for Groan Benchmark. I met Susie and Matt Bennet. in the parking lot at Grossmont Center and headed off to meet Matt H. at the turnoff to Carrizo Creek. As we drove through the clouds and lingering rain, we hoped that the skies over the desert would be clear (as predicted). Nearing Boulevard, the skies began to clear, and were greeted with a lovely sunrise.

Matt is an easy fellow to spot, as he is usually in a Celtic jersey and shorts. We piled into the Jeep and set off down the dirt road. Last weekend, Larry Edmonds finished his 100 by summiting Grunt Benchmark, which shares the same trailhead as Groan’s. Matt had joined Larry on that hike, so he was very familiar with the road and its challenges. As we bounced along, it was clearly well beyond what I would take my Subaru on.

We reached the end of the road, and thus our trailhead. We geared up, and there was a bit of a breeze, so I made sure to have a windbreaker in the pack. I figured it would be handy up on the summit. The trail follows a cobble-filled wash for some time. About a quarter-mile in, Matt H asked if we wanted to see the pictographs in the cave then or on the way back. No time like the present, so we scampered off up the rocky side to see them. What a well-preserved collection! A few morteros were nearby as well. We did not linger too long, as we still had about 6 miles of hiking to do.

Once back on the route, we eventually found a nice use trail for a bit, which was a relief from stepping on and around the rocks in the wash. After about two miles, it was time to leave the wash and begin the major portion of the climb to the summit. We plodded our way upward, trying to avoid the ‘anger bushes’ (as Scott Turner likes to call them). Sadly, I got hit a couple of times, despite my best efforts. Our route took us side-hilling for a while. The summit was now finally coming into view.

After crossing a small ravine, we began the final push to the summit. The true summit was just behind the top that was visible to us from our ascent, but an easy walk to it.

Once there we took a nice break, and since there was a bit of breeze, I did break out the windbreaker.

To the southeast, the Goat Canyon Trestle was clearly visible, as was Puff Benchmark. Back to the northwest, stood Gasp Benchmark.

We munched on our snacks, signed the register, and took our photos. In addition, we found the benchmark and reference mark.

One thing to note about this benchmark is it is mislabeled as Moan. In fact, Larry kidded that “We would Moan at Groan…” After about 30 minutes, we decided it was time to head back as it was warming up some. As we made our descent, we looked over the map and decided to explore an alternate route back.

As we worked down, we passed a couple of California Palms, so Susie made us take a group shot of the guys.

The desert floor was green from the recent rains and almost seemed unnatural as we worked our way through the canyon. Along the way, we had two dry waterfalls to descend. Both posed no issues for any of us. The other surprise along the way was the various piles of sheep bones that we spotted.

There were also flowers along the way. Sadly, we all agreed that this year’s desert flower season will not be like the ones in years past.

Our alternate route eventually rejoined our initial track. We all agreed that it was so worth the little bit of extra distance. We picked up the use trail again, noting that some of the brush had been cut with a saw. We wondered about the why and the who behind that. The day was heating up, and the sun was reflecting off the sandy ground. Soon, Matt’s Jeep was spotted in the distance and our trek was done (except for the bouncy ride out). Just before we reached the S2, a truck was parked directly on the road! We were about to drive around them without incident, as we did they had a whole table of food set up behind them. We were not impressed by the Cal Tech Geology team and their choices.

Our original plan was to drive back up to McCain Valley and try from Gasp Benchmark, but we decided against it. Susie opted to save it as her final peak so that more folks might be able to celebrate with her. Instead, I convinced the group to take a short stroll to the top of Egg Mountain which was just across the road (Matt did it while waiting for us in the morning). More of a bump, it is listed on the Borrego Benchmark Club list, so why not?! We grabbed some trash along the way to the summit, but could not find a register or any other marks. We strolled back along the road (yes, we could have driven to the top). We said goodbye to Matt and thanked him for driving us to the trailhead.

Since we still had some time, and Matt B. had not done Mt. Tule yet, I offered to drive to the trailhead. This is also a modest portion of the road to the trailhead to Gasp Benchmark, so it would be worthwhile to see its condition. It was like I remembered, bumpy and at times a bit rutted. I pulled into the same spot I parked last time. Susie opted to tag along with Matt, but I was more than happy to grab a nap. They found the use trail to the summit without a problem and were back before I really started snoring (I think). I dropped them back off at their car and headed home. Unfortunately, Susie’s house keys had fallen out (thankfully in the car), so she and Matt had to drive all the way to my house in PQ to get them. Nevertheless, that was the 87th peak of my #SD100! With luck, I should hit 90 before this desert season ends.

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With the day off for President’s Day (or as I call it, my distant cousin’s day), I rendezvoused with Susie and Matt to tackle Vallecito Mountains High Point. The real challenge of this hike is not the 5.6 miles nor the two boulder fields you need to navigate through, but rather the 18 or so miles of pure off-road driving. We had decided to meet at the bathrooms at the Ocotillo Wells Ranger Station and transfer into my Subaru. Susie and Matt had been camping since Friday out in various spots in Anza-Borrego, making a serious dent in the Sierra Club 100 list.

The beginning of the drive was very familiar as it is the same one we did just a few weeks back when we summited the Split Mountains. As we zoomed past them, we continued on Fish Creek Wash, heading deeper and deeper into the heart of Anza Borrego. The terrain and geology were fascinating, to say the least. There were certainly sections of the road that took a bit of skill and patience to navigate over. Finally, after about an hour of driving, we came to a sign pointing the way to Dave McCain Spring, our trailhead.

Once there, we quickly geared up and were ready to head out. We passed by the remains of the water tank for the spring, as we crested a small saddle. The pipe that carried the water from the actual spring still sat on the desert floor.

Upon reaching the crest, we dropped down and followed a small wash, which took us around a small hill. From there, our first challenge stood before us–the first boulder field. We worked our way to the south and followed the gully for a while. Eventually, we moved out of it and onto the slopes to the south. Matt found a nice path over the rest of this initial climb and we soon found ourselves descending about a mile into the wide plateau that we found.

We cruised along the fairly firm sandy wash toward the northeast of this section. We wondered exactly which of the boulder-filled slopes we would attempt. Finally, we reached the end of the wash and began our climb up toward the summit. Stowing our trekking poles, we opted to stay to the north of the gully for the ascent route. Matt would seem to almost effortlessly lead us along a great route up through the maze of rocks.

Just before the false summit (I hate those things!), was a small flat spot, perfect for a short break. We found a nice-sized boulder and sat in the shade for a few minutes. We knew we were close, so we pressed up and over. Upon reaching the saddle, Matt scoured the terrain and plotted our path to the true summit.

The views were tremendous! Whale Peak rising to our east, and Sunset Mountain to the northwest. The Santa Rosa Range to our north, and even though the haze, San Jacinto could be seen as well. There is no benchmark here, but we proudly signed the register and took our photos atop the highest rock.

After a nice break, we slung our packs back on to begin our descent. We were able to mostly follow the same-ish path down and up to the top of the false summit. From there, we kept slightly more to the north, as the route seemed to be a bit better. So far, the boulders were not too difficult.

Once back on the plateau, we opted to make our way to the western wash instead of the one we followed initially. We reached the junction of the initial wash and turned to the northwest. This time we decided to follow it further before making our way over the final boulders.

As we approached the top of the boulder field, we decided to stay to the north and work our way down from there, rather than work our way south across one section of boulders and back to the route we took on the way up. This proved not to be the best choice. Our route was tough, all the easy bouldering we had done until now was but a distant memory. We carefully worked our way through them. At one point we actually crawled through a small boulder cave. Finally, we reached the end of the boulders and were back in the initial wash. We worked our way back along the same route, knowing that soon we would be back at the car. While we still had an hour of off-road driving, we had summited Vallecito Mountains High Point. This was peak #86 for me, and #92 for Susie. I think we just might finish before this desert season ends!

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Today’s primary summits were to be Puff Benchmark and Moan Benchmark out in southern Anza-Borrego. Susie and Matt were in that part of the desert after successfully summiting Red Top and Sawtooth the day before! Ted and I rendezvoused with them at the turn-off onto Dos Cabezas road and piled into the Outback. The hopeful plan was to be able to drive past the water tower to about where the jeep road intersects with train tracks and then set off from there. Hitting X-Mode on the Outback, we easily climbed the small incline to continue on to our starting point. As we neared the parking spot, there was a group of campers enjoying their morning. Since they were up and moving about, I did not feel bad about parking nearby. Once we geared up we headed off to the east along the jeep road. Indian Hill was our first landmark.

Neither Susie nor I needed to summit this peak again, so we opted not to. However, Matt did need this peak for his list. Rather than just scramble to the top and rejoin us on the jeep road, Matt decided to make his own way from there onto Moan Benchmark and then onto Puff, where we would meet up. Knowing his skills, we wished him well as he set off. It seems that we barely passed to the west of the peak when we hear him call out from its summit! We were amazed and jealous of his climbing speed.

Our route continued ever westward along the jeep road. A motorcycle passed us coming from the east, then a bit later it cycled back. As we neared the junction of the road with the train tracks, a group of campers had set up atop a nice cement pad. We chatted a bit, and they kindly offered some water and bananas, but we were fine. From here we continued our journey to Puff Benchmark to the south.

Puff Benchmark sits just above the famous Goat Canyon Trestle, the world’s longest wooden trestle. We climbed up the steep ridge, avoiding the various cacti toward its summit, and as we neared it, there stood Matt. We sat around at the summit, marveling at the wooden structure below us. Calling this the “Impossible Railroad” certainly seemed like the right choice. Looking back to the north, we could see the tracks as they hugged the side of the steep slopes. What it must have taken to construct this line.

After a nice break, it was time for the three of us to set off toward Moan Benchmark, Matt was continuing his solo journey to summit Piedras Grandes. He would meet us back at the car (of which we had no doubt). Upon our descent from Puff, we found two shovel blades on the desert floor and as we made our way up to Moan, we passed what must have been a work camp.

Water cans were neatly stacked, rusting quietly away. Unlike the clear summit of Puff, Moan proved to be slightly more challenging. After some incorrect route finding, we eventually dialed ourselves in and pushed upward. We crested over a peak, and a higher peak stood ahead of us. Assuming that was Moan, we continued on, knowing we were close. We paused for a quick route check, to discover that little peak we passed was it. Looking back at it, a wooden stake was clearly marking the peak. So we retraced our steps, and a few minutes later we were atop Moan Benchmark. I CAN say the two of us were certainly moaning over this ascent!

The view was outstanding from its summit. There is something deeply satisfying about looking out and knowing you have stood atop these peaks. Water was still filling several small pools around us. We signed the register and took our photos. We considered fully retracing our route or working our way down the northeast face of the peak. In the end, though, we decided to opt for the shorter route.

Unfortunately, this route was a steep mess of bouldering, Susie’s least favorite thing. We kept checking and rechecking our position as we carefully made our descent. About halfway down, Susie took a small fall. Thankfully she was ok, but it certainly made us aware as we scrambled down from rock to rock. Finally, we reached the desert floor and headed back toward the jeep road and eventually the car. Although we passed by Indian Hill once again, no one had the desire to summit it. Just past 4:00 pm, we reached the car and found Matt enjoying a nap in the shade. With that, Susie and I had ticked two more peaks from the San Diego 100, while Matt was able to remove 4! It was a fun 7 hours of hiking, covering just over 11 miles. Really glad to finally see the trestle in person, even from a distance.

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The final day of the weekend of desert peak-bagging was to be an epic attempt at 5 summits along the San Ysidro mountains; Goat Benchmark, San Ysidro East Peak, The Sirens, Kay Benchmark and Ode Benchmark. With the unfortunate blisters on my foot, I was uncertain as to what I might be able to do. A bit before 6 am, I picked Susie Kara up and headed over to the dirt lot next to Jilbertos in Borrego Springs. There we synced up with Matt Bennett, who got in Bonny and White Benchmarks after we did Stage Benchmark yesterday, and with Greg Gerlach, who summited The Thimble the day before. The plan was to drive Matt’s car to the Anza-Borrego Springs Visitor Center parking lot and leave it there (paying the $10 parking fee), then transfer to my Outback and drive up to Ranchita to start hiking.

We parked just a bit further down the road from the BLM sign and began gearing up. Following the all too familiar route toward The Thimble along the road through Cherry Canyon. I could feel some slight discomfort from my foot, but I was confident that I could make our first peak, Goat Benchmark. After about a mile, Matt headed off to summit both The Thimble and San Ysidro. From there he would attempt to rejoin us before we ascended San Ysidro East Peak. With his fast pace and strong route finding, none of us doubted this would not be the case. I gave him some guidance on the route I took up The Thimble, and he was off. Greg, Susie and I then continued on to the east. Rather than stay on the road and cause any private property issues, we kept traveling cross-country.

Once we crested the ridge to the south of The Thimble, the chimney route was clearly visible from our vantage point. Susie recounted her ascent that way and the challenge it posed her. As we began our descent, we heard a voice call out, and there on the summit of The Thimble stood Matt! We stared in disbelief and in awe. We waved, knowing we would be seeing him probably even earlier than planned.

The three of us stuck to a gully which gave us fairly easy passage as we made our gentle descent. We kept scanning to the southeast, wondering if we could actually spot Goat Benchmark amongst the rocky bumps. It has a history of being hard to locate. However, with Greg’s track loaded on our devices, plus having him along, this became almost trivial.

We sat at the summit and took a nice break. The register was located atop the same boulder as the benchmark. Thankfully nature had provided a nice rock step, so climbing it was a simple task. After signing the register and taking some photos, it was time to head out. From here we would continue descending down into Hellhole Flats, before making the ascent up to San Ysidro East Peak.

Just as we crossed into Hellhole Flats, Matt gave out a shout to let us know he was rejoining us. We passed by Lookout Knob, just to the south of our route. Greg had summited it in the past and offered a few suggestions as to the route to the top. We all declined this time and continued on.

Once we reached the eastern edge of Hellhole Flats, we took another break before the ascent. I re-evaluated my foot’s condition. I added some additional padding, hoping it might reduce some of the pressure, and thus the discomfort. After some discussion, I felt I should not attempt San Ysidro East Peak. Instead, I would leave the group and head toward The Sirens. Once there, I would leave my arrival and departure time in the register, so the rest would have a sense of my location. Also, we knew once we reached that point, we would have cell coverage if needed.

I had always wondered how The Sirens got their name. Recently Larry Edmonds filled me in on its origin

A good friend who lives in Ranchita would look out at that short series of high points at the east end of Hell Hole Flat and call it “The Sirens” because they called to him. When the San Diego Peaks Club created there peak list they called the high point Sirens Peak because Paul Freiman, the creator of the peak list, and Ted, my friend, were also friends.

Larry Edmonds

So, I set off up a gully toward the saddle before turning southward. The Sirens were about a mile or so south at this point. I would follow the contours of the ridge as I drew closer to the summit. While I had Greg’s track loaded, I knew as I reached its base that it was now really my own navigation skills that I would take to the top. I plotted a route and began working my way up. As I drew closer and closer, I hoped that I had picked a route that would work. At one point, I was uncertain as to the path forward, however, there was a small cave that seemed to provide an option to explore. I worked my way through it and found myself much closer to Greg’s track. This gave me hope that I would find my way. After carefully traversing up a rocky slab, I found myself atop the summit. While I was not with the rest of the group working their way up to San Ysidro East Peak, I was feeling proud of making this one solo.

After signing the register and taking in the views. I turned my phone’s cell service back on and sent a text to the group (and my wife) of my current status. I was now going to continue on down toward Kay Benchmark. I took a more direct line with my descent from The Sirens. Now for probably the hardest part of the entire hike—the descent from The Sirens to Kay Benchmark. Every trip report I had read about this section spoke not only of the steepness but of the large boulders that also needed to be overcome. I tried to follow the track that Greg had done during his last trip, but at times I would drift off the track and would have to correct.

After almost 2 hours of careful route work, I found myself standing atop Kay Benchmark! I slid off my pack and leaned against a rock. As I sat there, I looked back to the west at what I had just navigated down solo. The plan was to wait here for Greg, Susie, and Matt to rejoin me. I checked back in with my wife, as the wind was starting to pick up some. Way off in the distance, I would hear the faint sounds of Matt and Susie, but even though Susie was wearing a bright pink top, I could not locate them. Finally, I spotted them! Turns out, they opted to follow the route Matt used on his previous trip. According to Greg, this was far superior to his previous route. He thought it only took them just over an hour to descend.

The winds continued to gust, even blowing my hat off at one point. Thankfully, a cholla caught it for me. We still had several more miles to go until we reached the visitors center, and about 2,500 feet of elevation to still lose, so we headed off. The terrain continued to be steep and rocky, but we were able to generally follow the ridgeline the entire way.

Off in the distance, we could see Ode Benchmark, our final peak of the day, poking up from the spine of the ridge, way below us. We continued working our way down. The terrain thankfully finally eased up some, as all the miles and climbing were taking their toll. With one final bit of climbing, we reached Ode Benchmark! Since I had previously summited this peak about a year ago, I snapped a quick photo of the benchmark and kept on trucking.

My foot was starting to hurt a bit more and I was looking forward to a nice cool drink of water at the Visitor Center. There was finally a decent use trail to follow, so my pace quickened slightly. The sun was setting, and the Santa Rosa mountains were beautifully lit. Soon, we reached the desert floor and I motored across it, to the promise of that cool water. We had done it! Our 10:35-hour day was done.

We headed back into town for some well-earned Mexican food, then Greg drove me back up to Ranchita to retrieve my car. While I had to skip the ascent of San Ysidro East Peak, I was still happy with my trek. I now have just 17 more peaks to climb to complete the Sierra Club-San Diego 100.

Final Stats

Start: 6:45 am
Reached Goat: 8:55 am
Reached The Sirens: 11:40 am
Reached Kay: 1:50 pm
Reached Ode: 4:50 pm
Visitor Center: 5:20 pm

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When I dropped Susie and Matt off at their campsite, we agreed to meet back up at 7 am at the trailhead for Stage Benchmark. I was uncertain if I was going to join. In part, I was still adjusting to my new shoes and wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this hike or sit it out since we had a big 5-peak day planned for Sunday. As the predawn glow spread across the desert hills, I figured I would try it. So, I ate my breakfast in the peaceful quiet, then broke down my camp and drove the few minutes to the trailhead.

Matt and Susie were waiting for me at the turnout. We grabbed our gear and set off again across the desert floor. After a short stretch, we entered a wash that would take us through the Tierra Blanca mountains and into the Inner Pasture. The wash was nice and wide as we snaked our way through it. A few motorcycle tracks cut through the desert sand. The miles quickly passed by, and soon we were greeted with the wide expanse known as the Inner Pasture. From here our route would turn south to approach the summit from the southwest.

The slopes were rocky, but not the crumbling kind we had during our ascent of Sunset Mountain. However, the firmer footing was offset by all the chollas dotting the slopes. We were all hit multiple times, despite our caution.

About halfway up, we froze in our tracks, as a bighorn sheep stood before us. It stared at us for some time before bounding off to the north. Apart from seeing the herd that one time en route to False Sombrero, I had never seen any in “the wild”.

We soon made our way to the summit and found the benchmark and the reference marks.

The day was a bit warmer than normal, so we spent a bit more time relaxing at the summit. Matt and Susie stared intently at Red Top and Sawtooth off to the southwest of us. These are two more peaks on the Sierra Club list and they are beasts.

After signing the register, we began our trek down. Again, more cholla attacks slowed us from time to time. Once off the slopes, we decided to continue west to intersect with the motorcycle trail that was clearly visible from the summit. We figured we would make better time on it, rather than on the cross-country open desert.

As we re-entered the canyon, the shade that had filled it when we first passed through it was now gone. I could feel some issues with my right foot and tried to adjust the tension on the lacing. Again, the miles passed quickly along through this wash. Matt and Susie were considering that this might become their route into the Inner Pasture for Red Top & Sawtooth.

Exiting the canyon, we opted to stay in the wash until it reached the highway. At first, we were happy to find some mylar balloons, but just before the road, Susie spotted a beer can. As she went to grab it, we soon found two shoes, and a bivy buried in the sand. We wrapped all this up and hauled it the short distance back to the car to properly dispose of it. All told we covered 9.56 miles in 5:13 hours and gained 1,713 feet to the summit. That was peak #80 of the Sierra Club 100! Susie and I headed into Borrego Springs and Matt was off to get a couple more peaks in.

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