Since I had a family obligation in the morning, I decided to summit Mt. Woodson to catch the sunset. I had been trying out some new hiking shoes from Oboz and had been experiencing burning pain in one ankle. I tried two different sizes and no change. So I decided to switch back to my Merrill’s to see if it was truly the shoes or something else. Unfortunately, I took a closer look at them and a Viking funeral might be in order. So I high-tailed to REI and bought some replacements. I tossed them on and drove out to the trailhead off the 67.
I actually have never done Woodson from this side, as I like the trail up from Poway. The route up follows the service road to the summit. It is short but steep. I really wanted to see how the shoes felt, and I hustled up. I happily held about a 23-minute mile.
Upon reaching the towers, I went looking for the benchmark. I found the rock, but there was no way I was scrambling up it solo.
The sunset was still about 20 minutes away, so I decided to check out the Potato Chip. There was a small crowd and was able to get my photo on it again. But once the sun started to go down, I got some great photos.
I made my back down the road, passing quite a few folks heading up. Toward the end, I did break out my headlamp. Soon I was back at the car and happy that it appears that it was the shoes. That was peak #56 of my 100 Peak Challenge!
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.
3 thoughts on “Woodson Mountain (via Ramona)”