With Ted needing to be home by noon-ish and the predicted warm temperatures, we settled on hiking Goat Peak as our adventure. I have done this one twice already, but Ted had never done it. We parked at the trailhead and gathered our gear. Since this hike was about 3 miles round trip, we both went lighter on our gear, with Ted wearing one of his running vests, while I opted for my new Osprey Waist pack. My upper back has been bothering me since my overnight trip to San Jacinto, so not having a pack on my back was a good thing. The trail starts off nice and mellow, crisscrossing the currently dry Sycamore Creek several times before beginning to make a steep climb toward the summit.
As we neared the start of this section, we heard some voices ahead of us. I was a bit surprised, as this peak is a little off the beaten path. It turns out it was a group of about 10 women hiking to celebrate one of their birthdays! They kindly let us motor past.
Soon we found ourselves at “The Wall”, and scaled it with no issue. Finally, the summit came into view, and shortly thereafter we were scrambling to its summit. There is no benchmark here, but there was a wooden sign and register box. We relaxed here a bit, and soon the women reached the summit as well. After chatting a bit, Ted and I began our careful descent. At one point I mentioned to Ted “Aren’t you glad you have trekking poles?” To which he answered with a resounding, “yes”. Soon we were back on the mellow section and cruising back toward the car. The entire hike was 2.8 miles with 1,105 feet gain and in 2:19.
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.