Since my hiking partner backed out of our planned hike up Volcan Benchmark, I decided to stay in town and complete the 2019-2020 Coast to Crest Challenge. My final hike was to be 6+ miles out to the Lake Hodges Overlook.
The trail begins with a good steep climb for the first mile and a quarter. One of the rewards of the climb was a nice vista of the peaks to the north and east. In fact, snow-capped San G was even visible in the distance.
As I continued my climb, I could see the “Way-Up Trail” across the ravine. Just past the summit, I turned north and worked my way up and down toward the overlook.
The shimmering waters of the Olivenhain reservoir stood to the west of me.
Eventually, I reached the overlook and took my required selfie. A small peak stood just a bit further to the south, so I had to go climb it. This peak is the official Lake Hodges overlook.
In fact, it had a small survey marker and a post on the summit! I snapped a few more photos and headed back. With that, my C2C Challenge was done! Can’t wait until the next one!
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.