Seeking Paradise Mountain

The original plan was for us to tackle Goat Benchmark, San Ysidro East Peak, and The Sirens as an overnight adventure. However, checking the forecast Friday morning quickly put an end to that plan. Winds between 25-30 mph, with predicted gusts up to 50 mph. None of us wanted to camp in that, especially in an exposed open flat, so we began looking for alternate hikes. The high winds scuttled anything out in the desert. Rick and Andrea suggested an interesting loop in Mission Trails, and I offered up doing either Mt. Gower or Paradise Mountain (both of which Ted needs). We settled on Paradise Mountain and agreed to meet at the trailhead at 8. Ted and I arrived first, and just before 8, Rick and Andrea pulled into the parking lot. The skies were overcast, and the summit of the peak was obscured by the clouds as we set off down the trail.

The trail almost immediately began to descend 300 feet down to Hell Creek. After the simple water crossing, the trail became mostly flat before beginning the climb to the summit. We chatted about all sorts of topics as we motored along the fairly well-maintained trail. The clouds had lifted, and the summit stood above us.

When we reached the junction, we all agreed that we should do the loop in a clockwise fashion. We pushed upward, pausing a few times to link back up. A side trail took us over to Viewpoint A, as labeled on Peakbagger. It did offer some nice views from there, but we did not linger. Once back on the main loop, we quickly reached Ditch Benchmark and stopped for a few photos. Someone had incorrectly left a summit sign for Paradise Mountain there. We tucked it into my pack and carried it over to the proper summit, about 1/2 mile to the east. We stopped for a snack break and to soak in the views.

Once refueled, we set off down the trail. Unlike our steep ascent, the descent was a gentler grade, which made everyone’s knees happier. Before we knew it, we were crossing back over the creek, starting the climb back to the trailhead. Along the way, a horse and rider passed us, heading down the trail. Once back at the trailhead, five more horses were getting ready to take their riders along the trail. We quickly cleaned up and headed out for a well-earned lunch at Burger Bench. I logged the hike at 8.25 miles in 4:31, with an elevation gain of 2,080 feet. The only negative was that I did find a tick on me later. It was still crawling, so I removed it and crushed it. Rick found one on him while hiking, so we’re keeping an out for any more.

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.

Exploring Annie’s Canyon

Some good friends from Arizona were in town to take a repositioning cruise from San Diego to Vancouver and wanted to enjoy a little bit of coastal San Diego. We settled on the short hike to see Annie’s Canyon. From the Rios Avenue Trailhead, we strolled along the south side of the San Elijo Lagoon. A few birds could be seen along the water’s edge. The trail soon found its way to the junction with Annie’s Canyon.

We started up the slope to the entrance to the canyon. Soon, we began working our way through the narrow sandstone walls. Then we climbed the ‘famous’ ladders until we reached the top and the viewing area. The views of the lagoon were nice, even under cloudy skies. We took the trail that followed the shoreline for our return, passing by benches that had been dedicated to loved ones. Back at the car, we drove through Del Mar and then on to Mi Ranchito for some excellent Mexican food.

Completing the CRHT

When blisters forced me to end my thru-hike of the California Riding and Hiking Trail in Joshua Tree, I began thinking of options to complete the last 11 miles. Initially, in mid-March, I had planned to hike the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas in conjunction with my grand-niece’s 3rd birthday. Unfortunately, my sister’s condition worsened, and she was placed on hospice. So, I decided to reschedule that backpacking trek until the fall. That also meant that I would have the time to spend the two days I needed to finish off the CRHT. We flew back to Little Rock for the birthday, but my sister took an unexpected turn and passed away late Saturday evening. My wife and I arrived home in San Diego very late on Monday. When it was just a visit, just the party and time with family, I penciled in doing the CRHT on the Wednesday and Thursday after we returned. I talked it over with Anita, and she said I should still go. Some time alone out in the wilderness will be good for you, plus Mindy always loved my adventures. It let her “get out” when she no longer could. So, on Tuesday, I assembled my gear and was ready to set out for some healing time on the trail.

My plan was straightforward: Start from the North Entrance Trailhead, hike to the Geology Road Trailhead, then make a U-turn and hike back to the car. The drive out was pretty uneventful. This time, I made sure I had my hiking shoes. Actually, two pairs of hiking shoes. After the blisters for the first attempt and an issue during my hike in Borrego Palm Canyon, I decided to switch to Altra Lone Peak 9’s. This hike would be their maiden voyage on my feet. I did bring my Merrell Moab 2’s just in case I found that I did not like the new shoes, I might be able to return to the car and switch my footwear. I planned two water caches; the first was two 1-liter bottles at the Arch Rock Trailhead (1 liter for the hike out and the other for the hike back), and the second cache was at the Geology Road Trailhead, where I left one 1-liter bottle. Like before, I carried two 1-liter bottles on the sides of my pack and a .75-liter bottle in my shoulder pouch.

I parked at the trailhead and gathered my gear. The weather was perfect, with just a light breeze. I brought my tripod again, this time hoping for more filming along the way. The trail heads mostly southward and gently gains in elevation. After just 6 miles, I spotted Belle Campground and made a slight detour. I used the pit toilet and found an empty picnic table to sit at and enjoy my lunch. After some tuna, oranges, and a Kit-Kat bar, I set off toward the Arch Rock Trailhead. There, I picked up one of the water bottles and slipped it into my pack.

The trail now turned eastward. As my shoes crunched on the desert floor, my thoughts turned to my sister. My mom had given her up for adoption before I was even born (11 years to be exact), and I did not learn of her existence until 2000 (by accident). Finally, in 2018, we discovered one another and had seven wonderful years together. Soon, I spotted the recommended campsite and found a perfect spot to pitch my tent. After setting up camp, I looked at the time and was feeling good, so I changed my plans. Initially, I had planned to hike out to Geology Road to pick up the water cache in the morning and hike the 11+ miles back to the car. Instead, I decided to go ahead and hike over, get the liter, and hike back, making it closer to the original plan in February. I left the trekking poles behind as they were holding up my tent and headed out. It was so weird to hike without them, I didn’t know what to do with my hands… Soon, I saw the glint of sunlight on a windshield and knew the trailhead was close. I reached it in no time and gathered my water. I reflected on the difference—the last time I was here hiking, my feet had blisters, and I was completely defeated. This time, while my heart was filled with sadness from the loss of my sister, the rest of me felt great, including the feet in the new shoes.

Once back at camp, I relaxed in the chair I brought and watched the sun sink lower over the horizon. I made dinner and soon crawled into my tent to drift off to sleep. Initially, there was to be a SpaceX launch out of Vandenberg around 11, but I had a cell signal and learned that the launch had been delayed, so I deleted that alarm from my phone. During the night, I did wake up and try for some photographs of the incredibly starry night I was sleeping under. I really need to find some good tutorials of how to adjust the settings to get better night photography.

I woke around 6, before the sunrise. As I packed up, I kept an eye out toward the east to capture the first rays of the rising sun. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and a cup of coffee, I was ready to head out. While yesterday was fairly easy, today was even easier as it was almost all downhill. I spent more time reflecting on my sister, letting this journey be a part of my grieving and healing process. Some formal events were planned, but I needed time for myself. I picked up my remaining bottle and kept on cruising. I again made a bio-break at Belle Campground and dumped my trash. I passed a few folks starting their journey as I drew nearer to the end of mine. Once back at the camp, I was happy to have hiked the entire trail, and while not all in one go, it was still a continuous footpath. After a stop at the Visitor Center for some stickers and a patch, I enjoyed a good burger and a well-earned beer in Joshua Tree. As for the shoes, they worked pretty well, although I did develop one blister. I suspect it might be my pace again. For both legs of the hike, I held just over 21-minute miles, which is really fast. I think if I just went slower, my feet would be fine. The final stats were 23.3 miles in 9:27 and 1,700 feet of gain.

Into Borrego Palm Canyon…

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 here. 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 after noon, he had reached the summit and to his amazement there were a couple other groups of hikers. 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.

Strolling to the Visitor Center

Once back at the shared trailhead for the Panorama Overlook Trail and the Visitor Center Trail, I set off down the concrete pathway. Interpretive signs lined the pathway. They were a collection of panels of the plants and wildlife, as well as markers denoting (in scale), the distance of each planet from the ‘sun’ that is located at the Visitor Center. Borrego Springs is a recognized “Dark Sky” community, so it is nice to have some additional astronomical mentions.

At the visitor center I inquired about backpacking into Sheep Canyon, and the ranger said to park my car facing back down the road and to have a good time! Hum, maybe I will try for a peak back there, or at least a quick overnight?

I cruised back to the campground and began setting up for the night, which was mostly inflating the Luno Mattress. I considered just heading into town and eating there, but decided to try my original plan. I got a fire going in the wind and managed to cook my steak. I retreated to the car to eat my dinner, as the winds were still blowing about 20 mph. They were predicted to die down around midnight so it should not be an issue during our climb. I guessed it was an early bedtime for me, as I used all the wood to cook the steak and it was getting cold. Tomorrow I was meeting Rick to attempt to summit Indianhead, so turning in early wasn’t too much of a burden.

Up the Panorama Overlook Trail

After checking in at the campground, I switched into my hiking clothes and set off for a little afternoon adventure. First up, I planned to hike the Panorama Overlook Trail. I would see this one on the maps when reviewing routes of various nearby peaks, but never found the time to hike it. The shared trailhead to the Overlook and the Visitor Center is located at the edge of the campground, a very short walk from my site. The trail to the Panorama Overlook headed off to the right toward the base of a ridge. Soon I was at the base of the ridge and began working my way up to a nice overlook. The clouds over the distant mountains made for some nice photos.

While this is the “official” end of the trail, a use trail continues to the west and further up the ridge. I had time, so why not? The use trail was usually visible, but from time to time I did have to pause and do a quick scan to pick it up again. I reached another bump and decided to turn back here, as I also wanted to walk over to the visitor center. Looking over to the south at the ridge up to Kay Benchmark (which I need to summit again), I could see why Greg Gerlach hopped off when he did, as it makes perfect sense. Once back on the desert floor, I returned to the start of the trail just to have a complete track recorded for this trail. Next up, walking the concrete path over to the Visitor Center.

A loop around the Inaja Trail

Since I had time before heading out to camp in Anza-Borrego, I decided to stop and hike the Inaja Memorial Trail. We just had a winter storm blow through, and I was hoping for a little snow on the ground. The parking lot was empty as I put on my hiking boots for this short .5 mile loop. Grabbing my trekking poles, I headed over to the memorial for a moment before setting off. Unfortunately, the snow that had been here had mostly melted away, and only a patch or two remained in the shade. I cruised along the trail until I reached the viewpoint. It was a nice day with the clouds in the sky, and the snow on the mountains to the east. Back at the car, I tossed in my poles, and headed down the road to Santa Ysabel, then on to Borrego Springs.

Up on Granite Mountain

After the scouting trip to the trailhead on Saturday, I decided to take advantage of the break between the storms to go climb Granite Mountain again. The other time I summited this peak was via the Cool Canyon route, and this time I really wanted to use the Rodriguez Canyon trailhead. After filling up the gas tank and grabbing my breakfast and coffee, I headed out to the desert. As I drove through Julian, I spied a PCT hiker thumbing a ride back down to the trail. I pulled over and offered a lift. We had a lovely chat as we drove down the Banner Grade. I dropped him off at the Scissors Crossing parking lot and wished him well on his journey. I then cruised down to the trailhead, making a quick stop at the pit toilets in Blair Valley. I was glad I had my “poop kit” with me, as both toilets had no toilet paper. I turned off the highway, and began driving the road that Ted and I drove on Saturday. The heavy construction equipment that was parked beside the road had been busy, as one section of the road had been smoothed over. I still had to carefully pick my way up out of Vallecito Wash, but the Outback handled it like a champ. I drove up Rodriguez Canyon a short distance and found a nice spot to pull off. Grabbing my gear I headed north across the open desert floor until I linked up with an old jeep road that led to a couple of abandoned mines. The road was overgrown and would fade from time to time.

At some point I lost the road and began working my way up a ridge. When I checked my position again, using Keith Winston’s route, I found myself on the wrong side of a ravine. I decided to keep on my route, follow the contour to get closer to Keith’s route and go from there. I knew after the mines that I missed, the route follows the ridgeline up. I began weaving and dodging cacti as I kept climbing. The temperature was perfect, cool with a slight breeze. I had a fleece and a wind shell in my pack, but never needed them. I would stop to snap a photo from time to time, but just kept motoring on.

From time to time, cairns would appear. Around 5000 feet in elevation, small patches of snow started to appear in the shade. I could see snow over on the Laguna Mountains to my southwest and on Volcan Mountain to my northwest. As I neared the end of this ridgeline, there was one small bouldery section to climb, but nothing like the mess I recall from the Cool Canyon Route. At the end of this ridgeline, I followed another ridgeline to the northeast. Once over a small false summit, the peak and its massive granite boulders stood before me. This was certainly an easy route, although the section in Cool Canyon itself is a highlight.

I scouted around the boulders looking for a route up, and eventually found one. As I made my final move onto the summit, my two full water bottles on the side of my pack fell out. One went bouncing one way and the other a different way. Crud! I hoped I would be able to find them in the rocks below, otherwise I would be collecting some of that snow to turn into drinking water.

On the summit, I enjoyed some snacks and the last of the water from the bottle that I keep in my shoulder pouch. The views were as stunning as I remembered. If there was a register, it is tucked somewhere below, and I did not bother to go scouting for it, I figured I would have enough scouting to find my water. After a nice break atop the summit, it was time to head back. I surveyed where one bottle bounced, and declared it lost. I worked my way down from the summit block and hoped that the second bottle could be located, and thankfully it was. Since I was heading down and had water in the car, I felt I should be ok. I slipped the recovered bottle into the side pouch and tightened the strap to be sure.

My goal for the descent was to stick to Keith’s track more closely, as I really wanted to see one or two of the abandoned mines. The descent went fine, and there was a faint use trail that I picked up from time to time, just like on the ascent. For the most part, though, it was again weaving past the cacti as I hiked down the ridge. I reached Keith’s turn off spot and generally stayed on course.

I spotted the first mine and peered in, but really did not have any interest in clamoring inside. I walked over to where the second mine was, but it appears that it is no longer open. I could see the outline of the jeep road across the ravine and worked my way carefully down to it. Once on it, I continued to follow it down the mountain. I could see my car off in the distance, always a good sign. Once back at the car, I drank 1/2 liter of water, as I had finished my remaining water about a mile back.

As I drove out, a lone backpacker was hiking along the road. I stopped and chatted with him. He had hiked down Oriflame Canyon and was headed over to the campground at Stagecoach Trails. I offered him a ride, as I was stopping there for a cold soda and snack, but he wanted to hike the whole route. I wished him well and drove away to get that aforementioned soda and begin my drive home. All told, I hiked 7.4 miles with just over 3,000 feet of elevation gain in 6:01.

Climbing Whale Peak

With a bit of weather rolling in, Ted and I headed out to the desert to find something hike-able. We settled on Whale Peak, one that Ted still needed to climb, and maybe we would add on Pinyon Mountain after. The clouds covered the mountains as we drove through Julian and down toward the desert. The Subaru handled the off-road section to the trailhead without incident.

We parked at the trailhead, and felt the cold wind as we stepped out. Ted stayed in his puffy and I slipped on my fleece and made sure my wind shell was in my pack before setting off. The trail immediately starts climbing, so if you need to warm up first, I suggest a short hike down the road. We followed the drainage up to the first saddle. I drifted out of the drainage area toward the end, but in hindsight should have just stayed in it. Once at the saddle, a clear trail could be spotted, plus an extensive collection of cairns would line our route. We cruised along, chatting about recent college visits or other upcoming trips. This would be my third time doing this peak, so much of the route was familiar.

The route would climb over several small ridges before making the final climb to the summit. We had some dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and the swirling clouds. Along the way, we found an iPhone lying on the trail. It didn’t power up as the cold probably drained its battery. I slipped it into my pack to hopefully be able to return it to its owner. Note: We were able to locate the owner and return the phone to him.

Soon, we were on the summit plateau and we strolled over to the proper summit. We took in the views, found the benchmark and a reference mark, and of course the metal sign. We ducked behind a rock wall to hide from the wind and have a snack. That wind shell came in handy, despite the sun starting to poke out.

After our break, we began our descent. This time, I made sure to head in the right direction. As we worked our way down the steep section, I noted that we were a little off track, so we made a course correction and were soon back on track. We cruised along, and after about half a mile, we shed our layers and continued. As we cruised along one of the small flat areas, we encountered a trail runner making his way up the summit.

Our route down the drainage went smoothly and we were back at the car. Beyond the mystery of the found iPhone, Ted’s recorded mileage and my recorded mileage varied by 3/10 of a mile. Quite a difference! I asked Ted if he wanted to try for Pinyon Mountain next. The issue was this hike would be along a ridgeline and subject to the cold winds. We decided to pass and return another day. As we drove back to the highway, our adventure was not over. Since we had time, we drove down to explore the trailhead for the southern route for Granite Mountain. This road certainly was tougher than the one we drove to the trailhead for Whale, but not as tricky as the road to Jacumba. We stopped short of exiting the wash, as we had a nice spot to turn around. We did walk the next section of the route and I felt it was drivable. This was a good sign as I want to climb Granite via the southern route. We drove back to Julian and had some food and beers at Julian Beer Company before continuing on home. Our ascent of Whale took us 3:03 and on my tracker, 4.3 miles.

Along the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail

Decided to knock out one of my two remaining Coast to Crest Challenge hikes this morning. The partially cloudy skies made it a perfect day to head out to hike some of the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail. Given that this trail is shared with off-road traffic, doing it on a regular weekday is ideal, plus having the shade from the partially cloudy skies is an added bonus. I drove out to Pauma Valley and turned on the dirt road that I have previously taken up to the top of Big Black Mountain. The road was in fair condition—don’t know if I would take a Prius on it, but any 2WD SUV-like car would do just fine. When I got to the wide junction with the Upper Santa Ysabel Trail, I pulled off and parked. I originally had planned to hike a longer portion of the trail, but needed to be back in cell coverage by 9ish. I figured I could still hike enough to make it count for the challenge. I grabbed my smaller daypack, trekking poles, and my hat, and set off.

The road, on which I could have kept driving, descended toward a small wash, before climbing back up a bit. There are lovely oaks along this section of the trail. I cruised along, enjoying the views of the dry creek below and the vistas back to the west. I reached a turnaround spot for vehicles, and in looking at my watch I realized that I needed to turn back. I reached my car and drove back down the mountain, getting back into Ramona and therefore cell coverage. This was a nice stroll, and I think I might try hiking the rest from the other side to “complete” the trail sometime soon.