Back at the car after climbing Ghost Mountain, we made the short drive over to Plum Canyon and the trailhead for Sentenac Mountain. The route starts along the California Riding and Hiking Trail before turning west and heading up a side canyon. There the route would transition from a nice trail to picking our way up the narrow canyon. We would scramble over minor dry falls, and a couple that took a bit more to ascend. We weaved around various cacti as we kept pushing upward. We stayed to the left at the fork, then gained the ridge to the summit. As we neared the summit, we spotted a solo hiker cruising ahead of us. So much for checking “Only Party on the Mountain“ on Peakbagger…
He tagged the summit and upon his descent we chatted for a moment, he started at Plum Canyon as well, but we forgot to ask what his ascent route was. When we first spotted him, we assumed he came up from the Blair Valley side. His plan was to loop over to North Pinyon, then back down. We gave him some beta on that peak and wished him well. Once at the summit, we took a short break, enjoyed a snack, and signed the register.
We opted to retrace our ascent route rather than a more direct but steep descent. The return was mostly uneventful except for a poke that I got on my right calf. Turns out I had a good-sized thorn that I had to dig out once back at home. Once back at the car, we began the drive home, with a stop at Dudley’s for some well-earned sandwiches. The neck was giving me some pain, but it might have been all the driving and not the hiking. Will see what tomorrow brings and the options for next weekend.
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.