2016 Adventure Series 52 Hike Challenge

#44 Iron Mountain Night Hike
5.5 miles | +1100'

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Iron Mountain is the southernmost peak in a small mountain complex that divides the city of Poway from the sprawling semi-rural community of Ramona. The peak itself is one of the most popular hikes in San Diego, and the ease of access and moderate gain present a hike that is both reasonably accessible and reasonably challenging at the same time. Throw in great panoramic views, and you have a great hiking experience within reasonable driving distances of most of San Diego.

I was able to tag along with a local hiking group for a sunset/night hike for this one. It's been quite a while since I've been on a night hike and this one didn't disappoint. I may have enjoyed a few tequila shots at the summit. There were also plenty of critters out and about. I think I'd like to get a group together for a similar trek up Cuyamaca Peak... I'll bring the summit beers! :beer
 
#45 Big Laguna Trail
10 miles | +1000'

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From the tip of Baja California to the tectonic collision that gave birth to Mt. San Gorgonio and Mt. San Jacinto, the Peninsular Ranges provide some of the most startling contrasts and expansive views anywhere south of the Sierra Nevadas. This chain of ranges includes (from north to south) the San Jacinto, Santa Rosa, San Ysidro, Santa Ana, Palomar, Volcan, Cuyamaca, and Laguna Mountains. The contrasts and views present in these ranges are a product of their north to south alignments, which allows them to catch incoming Pacific Storms and milk them dry. On the west sides lay relatively verdant Riverside, Orange, and San Diego Counties and their millions of people. On the east sides are Southern California’s deserts, including the Coachella Valley and Anza-Borrego Desert. The Laguna Mountains, a relatively dry range east of the Cuyamacas, offers a fine example of the stark contrasts present in this long line of mountains.

The Big Laguna Trail (herein referred to as the BLT) and the Pacific Crest Trail (herein referred to as the PCT) complete a 10 mile loop around the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, which is governed by the National Forest Service. The PCT runs along the eastern crest of the Lagunas for four miles while hugging the Laguna Escarpment, which drops precipitously to the desert floor 3,000’ below. After connecting with the main BLT network, the remainder of the trail traverses oak and pine woodlands and forests, a vast meadow, and a lake, which seem out of place in San Diego’s semi-arid backcountry. The multiple ecotones on display on the BLT provide a great example of San Diego’s rich biodiversity.

Today, the area is mostly dominated by recreation, with a small community of about 57 residents nearby. The village of Mt. Laguna is an important re-stock point on San Diego’s segment of the PCT, and there is also a lodge and two campgrounds. While cattle still graze occasionally in the meadow, the wildest animals you’re likely to see are dogs led by hikers. Given the relatively easy access from Interstate 8, the Lagunas are one of San Diego’s more popular outdoor recreation areas.
 
#46 Fred Canyon to Desert View Picnic Site & Burnt Ranchita via PCT
12.5 miles | +2660'

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Cradled deep in the belly of Fred Canyon is the secluded Cibbets Flat Campground, which is often used by PCT thru hikers on their few days on the trail. Fred Canyon Road skirts the campground, ascending a half mile before reaching the intersection with the PCT.

It was here where our hike began, after dropping off another vehicle at our end point at Burnt Ranchita Campground. Making our way north, sage covered hills roll away from us and multiple twist and turns give way to views of Morena Butte to the south. As the trail drops into Long Canyon the arid landscape gives way to an oak shaded area along a creek.

As the route climbs higher it becomes more exposed, with slopes of yucca, chamise, and manzanita. After several more switchbacks the trail parallels Thing Valley Road. The scenery begins to transform once again as piñon pine and black oaks abound in this area, adding lushness and shade as the trail ascends. Echoing high above is the sound of woodpeckers chiseling holes into the trunks of Jeffrey pines.

Eventually the trail merges with the Desert View Trail, which makes a loop around Burnt Ranchita Campground. The gradual climb follows a ridge lined with prickly pear cactus and chaparral. Here, hikers are treated to spectacular views of neighboring canyons and the Anza-Borrego Desert below. After lunch and taking in the sights, we loop back into the Desert View Trail where it splits away from the PCT. Our final stretch descends through thick forest along a pine-needled path, finally returning to the campground where we parked early that morning.

In the late 1800's, cattlemen invaded the Laguna Mountains, which were inhabited by the Kumeyaay Native Americans. In protest, the natives burnt the ranch house; hence the name Burnt Ranchita. Today the area is a popular campground for families.
 
#47 Kwaaymii Point to Sunrise Highway & Lucky 5 Ranch via PCT
6.25 miles | +1090'

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From Cottonwood Canyon to the Oriflamme Mountains, the unremitting views along this hike make it worth while. The northward climb of the PCT out of the Laguna Mountains enters Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, which covers more than 26,000 acres of oak and pine forest. Switchbacks give way to fantastic rock formations and sun-bleached manzanitas, overshadowed only by Oriflamme Canyon and Granite Mountain in the distance. Although this hike parallels Sunrise Highway, traffic can be heard only at the beginning and end. We also hiked up the hill overlooking Kwaaymii Point and Pioneer Mail Picnic Area.
 
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#48 South Ridge Trail to Tahquitz Peak & Meadow
15.5 miles | +3040'

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This was my second trip to Tahquitz Peak since 2010. I tried last year but caught altitude sickness and had to turn back. This time I was prepared and made sure to stay hydrated before and during my hike. I also took Ginkgo biloba supplements the day before and morning of my hike. I felt great the whole time and was so happy to be out exploring these mountains again!

The peak gets its name from a Cahuilla Indian legend- a spirit who inhabited the mountain would feast on maidens and create crackling bolts of lightning over the San Jacinto Mountains.

South Ridge Trail doesn't waste any time, climbing 2000 feet in 3 miles, first through Jeffrey pine, live oak, and fir, then past thickets of low-growing chinquapin and stalwart lodgepole pines. Off to the left (north of the trail), you may see or hear some of the many rock climbers who gingerly make their way up the sheer face of Lily Rock. Finally, after many switchbacks, you reach the fire lookout structure atop Tahquitz Peak. The lookout is staffed from May through November. Walk around the structure to enjoy the complete summit view encompassing the timbered slopes of the southern San Jacinto Mountains and innumerable valleys and ridges spilling west and south.

After soaking up the sights at the summit I made my way to the PCT and looped around Tahquitz Meadow, Saddle Junction, and back to the peak before making my way down the ridge.

Built in 1937, Tahquitz was a working fire lookout until the end of the 1993 fire season and reopened October 1998 staffed by volunteers. This hike through the San Jacinto Wilderness offers some of the most beautiful vistas in Southern California.

Tahquitz Peak Lookout at its elevation of 8,830 feet is the highest lookout in the San Bernardino National Forest. It is also the forest’s longest continuously operated station, and is the only lookout located inside a Wilderness area.

In the San Jacinto Wilderness, all work must be done with regular hand tools. Due to its wilderness location no power tools, not even cordless, are allowed.
 
#49 Mount Woodson
5 miles | +1200'

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Of the four loosely defined geographic regions in San Diego County, the region between I-15 and the Peninsular Ranges probably gets the highest visitation and use. This is due to its accessibility to the heavily populated coast in addition to a wealth of different hiking opportunities. Many of the county’s iconic hikes, such as Iron Mountain, Mission Hills, Daley Ranch, El Cajon/El Capitan, and, of course, Mt. Woodson, are found here. On any given weekend, these locations are crawling with hikers, but perhaps none quite as much as the ever-popular and surprisingly difficult Mt. Woodson.

Mt. Woodson is the tallest of the peaks in a small complex of mountains that also includes nearby Iron Mountain. Woodson also enjoys a geographic position in the center of the San Diego urban center, which affords expansive views from the nearly 3,000’ summit. In addition to the views, Woodson is also famous for its maze of granite boulders, some of which reach massive proportions or attain fantastic shapes. Most famous of these shapes is the Potato Chip, which is the remains of a boulder that has partially collapsed while leaving a flake of granite jutting out into space. Ask many San Diegans about Mt. Woodson, and you’re likely to hear them respond by calling it the “Potato Chip Hike,” which attests to the popularity of this geological oddity.
 
#50 North Fortuna Mountain
6.75 miles | +1030'

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North Fortuna Mountain, at 1291 feet, is the third-tallest mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park after Cowles Mountain and Pyles Peak but the most challenging to climb because of the steep ascent and descent. It was certainly the most difficult hike my sister has ever attempted. I've been slowly helping her complete the Mission Trails 5 Peak Challenge. Two down, three to go.

North Fortuna is part of a long-arced mountain with two peaks that was once called on century-old maps Long Mountain. North Fortuna is separated from South Fortuna by a 910-foot saddle. This area has a long military history beginning in 1917 when Fortuna was used as an artillery target for training during WWI by the U.S. Army based at Camp Kearny, a few miles to the west. The area was reactivated in 1934 by the U.S. Marines, becoming part of Camp Elliott; ten years later, it was transferred to the U.S. Navy. Fortuna was used for tank, artillery, and infantry training for both WWII and the Korean War. After a cleanup for live ordnance, the land was transferred to the City of San Diego in the 1960s. By the late 1970s, a master plan was created for Mission Trails Regional Park. On rare occasions, live ordnance may surface after heavy rainfall and should be reported and never handled.
 
#51 Coast Walk Trail
1 mile | +100'


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Summer days and early evenings are perfectly suited for what could be the finest short walk along San Diego County's 60-mile-long Pacific Ocean coastline. Many but not all San Diegans and tourists are familiar with the unpaved Coast Walk pathway overlooking La Jolla Bay, atop the cliffs honeycombed with the La Jolla caves.

A cliff-hugging pathway threads between palatial houses and the unfenced brink of the cliffs. A footbridge and steps span a ravine that plunges some 100 vertical feet to the blue-green waters of the bay. On late summer evenings, during rare blooms of "red tide," the undulating water below pulses with bioluminescence -- a factlet you may want to remember for future reference. Beyond the ravine, a spur path and steps on the left go up to the intersection of Prospect Place and Park Row, another possible starting point. Keep straight. Right below you, unseen from this vantage, are the several La Jolla caves, some of which are exposed during low tide, and others that are never exposed to dry land at all.

Presently you will arrive at a grove of graceful Torrey pines on Goldfish Point. Although these trees grow naturally just up the coast at Torrey Pines State Reserve, they were planted here. The path ends just beyond this pine grove, next to the Cave Store, where you may -- if interested and for a fee -- descend some claustrophobic stairs going down a tunnel and into the dank, westernmost cave of the La Jolla cave series.

You've come the equivalent of a mere three city blocks, so feel free to continue walking on the paved sidewalk past La Jolla Cove, around the periphery of Scripps Park, and as far south along the La Jolla coastline as you wish.
 
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#52 San Jacinto Peak
20 miles | +4500'

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My first time up San Jacinto and my 52nd hike of 2016! Last year I completed a total of 55 hikes, so it looks like I'm well ahead of myself this year. Getting outside, away from the business of my daily life has allowed me to connect with myself and nature in a way that brings about peace, a sense of accomplishment, and well-being. John Muir knew what he was talking about when he said, “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.”

This was by far my most difficult day hike. From Humber Park in Idyllwild, up Devils Slide Trail to Saddle Junction, left on the PCT to Wellman Divide and up San Jacinto Peak. Then down to Little Round Valley along Deer Springs Trail to Strawberry Junction, left on the PCT to pick it up where I left off and back down Devils Slide. Next time I'm taking the short route!
 
So. 52 guess you are done for the year right

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#53 Pyles Peak via Big Rock Park
9.5 miles | +2000'

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Hiked the third highest summit in Mission Trails Regional Park with my sister. Now we just have two more, Kwaay Paay Peak and South Fortuna Mountain, then she'll have completed the Mission Trails Five Peak Challenge.
 
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