February 24-March 12, 2022
These last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions. The horror and frustration of the war in Ukraine contrasted with achieving hikes I really didn’t think I could complete and a wonderful visit to the desert with amazing friends. The ups and downs/issues aren’t equal of course; my efforts in completing a difficult hike can’t compare with the suffering of the Ukrainian people who are being invaded by a homicidal madman, or the ongoing racially motivated violence/injustice in our country or the continuing lives lost due to COVID…there are times I want to shut myself off from all media as I just feel I will explode. But if I get outside…especially with those who also love the outdoors, or spend time playing ukulele and singing with Nick…even just listening to music, whether its Mozart, the Beatles or a new favorite, I am diverted, there is a respite. And I continue to be grateful for those respites and my admittedly very privileged life.
The peaks are coming in spurts now…one a week or less. I have completed the ‘easy to get to peaks’; the rest are pretty remote and I’m trying to do them on the weekends so that all who want to get these peaks, but may work during the week, can go. I’m repeating peaks for folks as well, as they may not have been able to go the first time it was offered. Keeps me in shape. Weather has also been a factor, canceling one peak hike. There is also the happy fact that I am volunteering now at Mission Trails Visitor Center (a long hoped for appointment) as well as back at the San Carlos Library (and a few other places), which impacts my availability to hike. Lastly, I’m trying to provide easier hikes for my hiking group as not all of the ladies are doing the peak challenge, but they still want to get out and hike/walk. I still have 70 peaks in my sights, but it won’t be easy-peasy.
That said, in this group of peaks is the hardest peak in San Diego, at least for me: El Cajon Mountain. So THAT is an accomplishment and a high point in the rollercoaster of life.
Peak 46: Sycamore Canyon, Poway, February 24, 2022. 6.7 miles, 994 ft. elevation gain.
As I have finished with the easily accessible peaks, I increasingly turn to canyons to provide the needed elevation gain to meet the ‘peak’ criteria. As such, many of these hikes are kind of inverted, where you hike up a bit, then way back down into a canyon, then way up to your starting point. Often with lots of hills and ridgelines in between. That was true for this hike as well. This preserve is a favorite for one of the leaders in our group, and she used to offer a hike here on a weekly basis, but I somehow just never went. It is a bit of a drive from my house into outer Poway, a good 45 minutes. I could almost be in the mountains by then! Another reason why I would skip this preserve in favor of mountains. But, given that the mountains were covered in snow on this day, and not really hike-able, at least for me, this was a good option.
Recent rains brought green hillsides and a few spring flowers. Its also always nice to visit a new trail. Given the rains, the trails were in decent shape; not too eroded, and not too wet/muddy, though there were some really big puddles we had to avoid. All in all a really nice hike on a lovely day with the ladies. All I can ask for.
Peak 47: El Cajon Mountain, Poway, February 26, 2022. 12 miles, 4000 ft. elevation gain.
The BIG MOMMA. If you hike in San Diego, the topic of El Cajon Mountain will inevitably come up…have you done it yet? Now I can say yes. I really didn’t think I ever would complete this hike…one crazy stat is that the elevation gain on this hike is actually MORE than the height of the mountain itself. Yes, you read that right. When doing this hike, because of the terrain, you end up going up and down and up and down over ridgelines and down through ravines. Its a bit of a heartbreak as you reach the top of a particularly difficult climb (a few are 40% grade), only to see the trail dip down into a ravine and then come up on the other side for another tough rocky climb.
So this is not only a long and hard hike, but you must be sure you have at least as much energy for the return trip as a good portion of the return will be uphill. I had done half of this hike last year and thought I would NOT do it again…but as I am gaining strength in the peak challenge and am hearing about my fellow hikers completing the hike, I was inspired to try. It was just Galia and me; it was perfect. We hiked at a very comfortable pace, stopping for photos of flowers and whatnot, also at key waypoints for food and rest. The entire hike took us about 8 hours, but at least an hour and a half was resting at and enjoying those waypoints…at the top and half way (on the way up and back down). Views from those places are AMAZING.
There was still snow on the mountains from storms earlier in the week and we had the perfect hiking day…sunny and breezy, temps in the 60’s. Many flowers were out; in fact one of the biggest surprises about the trail was how pretty it was. We had heard it was ugly and barren, but that certainly wasn’t our experience.
I felt surprisingly good on the ascent until the last third to half mile…that was the killer. There is a saddle between two peak areas and you have to choose which you want to do (you can do both, more on that later). We chose the main peak, ‘El Cajon’. The trail to that peak looks like a short stretch and starts off fairly gradual, and then you look up and realize you are stair stepping REALLY big rocks all the way to the top. That was tough. As was the realization that you have to come back down the same way. But finally you ARE at the top and wow, the sense of accomplishment is just awesome. There were quite a few people up there, but Galia and I were able to find a big flat rock area just below the summit to relax, eat, take off shoes and cool the feet (a band-aid was needed, but nothing serious) and revel in the summit of El Cajon Mountain.
The return trip…well, it was hard. That first half mile of ‘down’ was kinda jarring and so when we got back to the saddle, I decided to take a break (and some Ibuprofen) while Galia went to the ‘El Capitan’ peak. It was reassuring to know that the second peak was not all that exciting. Then we started on the return journey in earnest. The down seemed to go on and on, as did the uphills that were heartbreakers on the ascent, almost doubling heartbreaking on the return journey. But the trail was very quiet, most folks had either finished their hike having passed us, or went someplace else (where???) and the sun was mellowing on the horizon, so it was very peaceful. Golden sunshine shown though the plants, birds were singing and some of the flowers even seemed more open than they were on the way up. We were tired, but feeling mellow and great and like super strong warrior hiker women. When we finally got back to the car, we felt really great! And I wasn’t even really sore the next day…which was so cool. So gratifying to know how much stronger I am than even a year ago. Being strong in body helps me to feel I can face what I need to face, handle what comes at me. Or at least think of that when I don’t feel strong enough. I climbed El Cajon Mountain!
Peak 48: March 12, 2022. Hellhole Canyon to Maidenhair Falls, Anza Borrego Desert. 6 miles, 1000 ft. elevation gain.
Galia, Kim and I had been scheduled to hike East Mesa Peak on March 5th in the Cuyamaca Mountains, but a rain/snow storm put the kibosh on that plan. So it was almost two weeks since my last peak hike. I had been hiking other peaks in between El Cajon Mountain and this hike, so I was still feeling in shape, but they were all repeats. My challenge is to have 70 distinct peaks.
Hellhole Canyon was a completely new trail for everyone. I had planned a desert weekend for my hiking group; two hikes on Saturday, two on Sunday. Our first hike Saturday morning was a peak hike and the others were to be gradually easier. As is often the case, no matter how much you prepare, there are always surprises.
For this first hike, Hellhole Canyon to Maidenhair Falls, my trail book had said that the route was basically straightforward and easy to follow, which was true for the first 2 miles or so. We were enchanted by the multiple kinds of wildflowers and desert plants which seemed to change every 100 yards as we worked our way up the stream bed/canyon from the desert floor.
It became clear from the plant life that there was a water source along the trail (even if we couldn’t see it) and also that we had to make our way up on the side of the stream bed as it was covered in plants. Palm trees and Cottonwoods began to appear, as well as boulders we had to climb over, around and sometimes through.
The path became many paths and there were many different ways to go. We hit a dead end more than once, but the ladies were never discouraged. Someone would take a new path, and we would hear a victory cry and we were on our way again. When we finally heard the sound of trickling water, we knew were were at the ‘falls’.
The falls area is really a grotto, and only in very wet years are there any falls to speak of. But the sound of the running water was delightful; all of the ladies kept exclaiming about the beauty and specialness of this place. We took a long break, many photos and then reluctantly started our way back to the desert floor, where more adventure was awaiting us.
Peak 49: March 12, 2022. Calcite Mine Trail and Palm Wash Slot Canyon, Anza Borrego Desert. 5.5 miles, 800 ft. elevation gain.
We had lunch and a nice shady rest at the Anza Borrego Visitor’s Center and then drove 20 miles out of town toward the Salton Sea to the Calcite Mine trailhead. This was supposed to be the ‘easier’ trail. The descriptions I read of the trail ranged from 4 miles and 500ft of elevation to 4.5 miles and 600ft elevation, on a jeep road, which was supposed to be not very driveble, with gradual slope. That wasn’t exactly what we found. The jeep road, which was actually in pretty good shape, not too rutted, and fairly wide (good thing as there were 4×4 vehicles passing us both ways) was pretty steep all the way up. There was only one sign along the way, so for part of the trail were weren’t even sure if we were in the right place. But again, the ladies were undaunted and ready for adventure. They also loved how different this trail was from our previous hike.
We frequently commented how much like a moonscape it was, though there were subtle colors in the badlands throughout. Subtle beauty. Also signs of life that show how stubborn life can be in the face of adversity. Gives me strength to see it.
We finally reached the top and the mine area, where a number of large 4×4 vehicles were parked. We waved hello, and passed them, and when we were out of earshot, we said to each other, ‘Lazy’. HA! At the top there were many different trails, so we took off in different directions to explore. Views were amazing: east, to the Salton Sea shimmering blue; and west, the rest of the desert expanse. Just wow.
Again, we were reluctant to leave, but it was about 3:15pm and we still had the slot canyon to explore. Our only issue is that we had not seen the promised cairns for the entrance to the canyon on the way up. I thought I knew where the entrance might be…but no promises. One good thing is that it was nice and shady on the way down…and lo and behold, right where our map said it should be, looked like the entrance to the slot canyon. Off we went. The slot canyon was AMAZING. Yes, I know I am subject to hyperbole…and the pictures don’t do it justice. You will just have to take my word for it.
The bonding we felt from our experiences so far really served us as we encountered some steep drops and tricky places in the canyon. The ladies were so supportive of each other…and at one place that we didn’t feel we could negotiate, and were considering if we would have to re-trace our steps, we again heard a cry of victory. Jeana, one of the smallest in our group at 5 feet nothing, had made her way down an 8 to 10 foot drop. While we were pondering, she was studying, and put her former Army boot camp training into play, found good footholds and made her way fairly easily down. She and Carrie then talked all of the rest of us down. What bad-a$$ hiker women.
So that was my 49th peak. From the top of the desert seemingly, to the bottom of a slot canyon, an unforgettable experience. Not the least of which was the amazing spirit of friendship, generosity and kindness of these women who were with me. They each have gifts which contribute to our whole. And they are never stingy with those gifts. These women support me, thank me, accompany me on my peak journey. I used to kind of scoff at people who did these personal challenge things…I didn’t understand it. Now I have an understanding. There are still some things I don’t understand…climbing Everest with the trash, death and destruction that seems to entail. My group and I try very hard to leave little impact: we carpool and of course haul out everything we haul in. I follow the Stephen Mather (founder of the National Park Service) idea that the more you can get people to love parks and natural places, the more they will support them and prevent their destruction or development into other things. This journey-challenge is not only personal, it has become a way to create experiences for other people too. To provide a respite from the strife and anxiety of our lives; we all have burdens to bear. Even if the burdens are not heavy, one can find joy in these spaces and experiences and that is a wonder, a blessing. I hope you find your joy and your respite. If you aren’t finding it, come along with me.
ajruiz22 