Continued...
For a second day, Tom and I were in the Laguna Mtns of San Diego County,
visiting summits along the Pacific Crest, part of a long-term project of mine
to visit all such summits in California. We had
spent the night camped at Kwaaymii Point along the Pacific Crest Trail, found
inside the Anza-Borego Desert State Park. There is
found here, dedicated to fallen motorcyclists. A few PCTers
came strolling by on their way north while we were getting our act together.
I think this is the first time I actually car-camped right on the PCT.
Peak 5,444ft
This summit is found on the . We parked at the
junction with Deer Park Rd, a spur road leading south through
to the . The starts from the same
junction. The trail climbs to a saddle on the east side of Peak 5,444ft before
turning north to descend back towards the highway. We left the trail at this
point, with the rest of the short 1/3mi distance all , up
slopes laden with brush. Careful route-finding can keep the bushwhacking to a
minimum. We angled to the left to take advantage of granite
rather than the denser brush found on the direct line
to the summit. Once at the 5,400-foot contour, the steep slope relents and the
cross-country becomes much easier, . We made the final
approach from the SE and reached the highpoint in 35min.
boulders offer above the surrounding brush. A register
dating had ten pages of entries. We via the
same route, just over an hour total.
Peak 5,060ft
This summit is a few miles further north along Sunrise Hwy. We parked on the
south side of the peak where the
crosses the highway. The Pedro Fages Monument is located here. The hike is a
little over half a mile each way, following the CARHT for most of this. The
on either side of the trail were green, with tiny yellow
flowers adding some color. Where the trail turns to the east, we left it to
follow a (mostly) up to the northwest. A
trying to warm itself in the grass startled me until I
realized it wasn't a rattlesnake. Near the top of the gully some
is encountered, but once at the ridge the going becomes
easy again. Mark Adrian had left a register . The notepad was
damp and suffering mold/mildew, so we took a longer break than usual to allow it
dry out in the sun. We the same way, taking an hour and ten
minutes for the outing.
Peak 4,660ft
This one is found further north, on the eastern edge of the town of Julian. A
telecom installation is found at the summit. The direct route from the north
at the end of Country Club Dr is blocked by a fence where the last resident
is located. His dog jealously guards the property. The better route is from
the southeast at the end of Opal Dr. The road ends at
for a house that is yet to be built. from the site is
spectacular. It is an easy hike to from there, taking only
a few minutes. There are two cell tower installations. The is
disguised as a tree, but has suffered wind damage. It may no longer be active.
The newer one is housed inside that has no floor,
revealing the electronics hiding inside. I suppose this helps Julian maintain
its old-town charms.
Peak 4,945ft
This summit is found on private property just outside the northern boundary of
William Heise County Park. It is very close to Sunrise Hwy and the folks who
live near the summit along Pineoak Ridge Rd get there from the hwy. No such
luck for the general public. We did what others had done, making the longish
drive through Julian and around to the entrance to the county park and using
the trail system. There was a $9 fee to use the park, primarily comprised of
oak woodlands and chapparal. There are a surprising number of campsites
available and probably popular in the summertime. We parked at the
and used that trail in a large loop around the
park. leads to a PB-only point called .
It is here that one can into Anza-Borrego to the
northeast. Peak 4,945ft is found about a quarter mile of this
point, with an occupied home between them. Rather than possibly disturb the
occupants which would have been both illegal and rude, we continued west on the
trail system to where it gets close to an old road above. Here,
the brush isn't so thick and the cross-country is pretty reasonable. Once at
, we noted it hasn't been used for vehicles in years. We
followed the road to . The highpoint is just west
of this building . We were happy to find this very
reasonable route to the summit without disturbing the neighborhood. After
to the trail, we continued our loop back to
, about an hour and a quarter all told.
Middle Ridge
After driving back out to SR79, I dropped Tom off at his truck. He had to get
back to Orange County to pick up Iris from the airport. I had a bit more time
before heading to San Diego, so I headed northwest for Middle Ridge. I first
attempted to reach it via SR79 and Mesa Grande from the east, but the
Mesa Truck Trail was gated near its junction with Mesa Grande Rd. I then drove
back to SR79 and west on SR78 to approach from the south at Ramona. I followed
paved Pamo Rd to Carney Canyon, then onto dirt (FR11S03).
After 5-6mi, I came to the highpoint of the road where it goes over a saddle
north of the summit before dropping down to Temescal Valley. I parked here to
the mile and a quarter hike to the summit along the ridgeline.
An helps navigating through the brush, but it has been many
years since last used by vehicles. I managed to lose it several times as it
makes its way long the ridge or off to the east side. I would return to the
ridge, finding heavy brush, boulders, and no small amount of
to add to the complexity. I had expected this to be an easy one, but it was
anything but. I went over along the way with a few
pictureque trees growing from the large granite boulders. After almost a full
hour, I finally reached marked by a large
where I found a register left by Mark Adrian
. His was the only entry. Sandwiched between the higher
to the southeast and Pine Mtn to the NNW, the views do not
stretch more than about five miles in most directions. Lots and lots of
everywhere. On the return, I did a better job
of following , but I still lost it in a few places, or
deliberately deviated from it when it was too overgrown. just
after 4:15p, I decided I'd had enough for one day and headed to my Mom-in-law's
place in Rancho Bernardo...
Continued...