Up to Vallecito Mountains High Point

With the successful summit of Kay Benchmark behind me, I headed into Borrego Springs for a burrito. After that, I drove over to Center Market and got a sandwich for dinner and then headed out for McCain Springs. This was the planned camping spot, before hiking to Vallecito Mountains High Point. I had ridden out here a few months back in my friend Dave’s Rubicon, scouting if the trail conditions could be handled by my Subaru. Overall, we felt it looked doable. So, I left the paved road and headed down Fish Creek Wash. This section gave me no worries, as I had driven it multiple times, but as I passed the spot where my son and I had car camped, the uncertainty rose. I continued on, recalling a few of the slightly touchy spots. One obstacle did take two attempts to get over, but the rest was smooth sailing. Soon, I reached the junction to McCain Spring and drove to the end. I had feared that the site might already be taken, but I had it to myself. I set up camp, in no rush as I had plenty of daylight. Enjoyed my sandwich and beer, and as I looked across the desert, it was peaceful as the sun set behind the hills. I set out to make a fire for the evening, but in chopping the wood, the axe nicked my finger. Thankfully, I had taken the “Stop the Bleed” course from Kit Fox Outfitters and handled the minor wound. With that issue addressed, I finished preparing the fire and sat back and enjoyed the flames. As the fire burned itself out, I crawled into the Subaru for some well-earned rest.

I awoke around 6:30 and enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, some oatmeal, and a cold bottle of OJ. Once I had repacked the car, I gathered my gear to set off toward the peak. As I climbed over the small saddle, I soon found the ridge that I would follow for a bit, again dodging and weaving around the cacti towards another saddle. Following the route our group used last time, I ascended a boulder-filled slope. I actually spotted a few cairns at the beginning but quickly lost them, so it was a typical “choose your own adventure” type of ascent. Once up and over, I worked my way down toward the wide flat before me and onto the drainage path.

Now the hike moved into cruise mode for a while, as I headed north toward the next section of the climb. As the drainage came to an end, I stared at the rock-filled slope, trying to scout a route up. Vallecito Mountains High Point is hidden behind a false summit, so even as I drew near to the top of this peak, I knew I was not done with my climb. I worked my way down toward the saddle, then began the real climb to the summit. Soon, I was standing atop Vallecito Mountains High Point. I signed the register and enjoyed a well-earned rest. I snapped a few photos and geared up for my descent.

Carefully, I worked down the face of the peak, occasionally having to back-track if the route became unclimbable. Slow and cautious was the order of the day. Soon, I was back on the drainage and once again cruised along. Now, I had a choice to make: follow the same route Carefully, I worked down the face of the peak, occasionally having to back-track if the route became unclimbable. Slow and cautious was the order of the day. Soon, I was back on the drainage and once again cruised along. Now, I had a choice to make: follow the same route back, which included another “fun” climb, or explore following the drainage all the way out. There were no reports of anyone trying this route on Peakbagger, but the satellite imagery made it appear doable, with just one section in the middle that might be an issue. At the spot where I would have made my U-turn to follow my ascending route, I continued on the drainage. I spotted some footprints in the sand, so someone tried this route not too long ago.

Initially, the route stayed the same as it turned westward. After a bit, I reached that rocky section that I spied from the satellite imagery. I worked my way through the rocks, usually staying along the main drainage route. Occasionally, I took a short slide down the smooth, water-worn rocks. I was glad to be descending through this section, as it was nice to have gravity on my side. After a while, the drainage opened back up, and I was once again cruising on the sand. When the drainage turned south again, I made a short climb over a small rise, then crossed the flat desert back to the road. Soon, I saw the sun glinting off my car, telling me that I was almost done. The entire loop covered 6.2 miles in 4:45 with 1,185 feet of elevation gain. As to whether the route through the drainage was better, I am not sure, but I do know that I would not use the drainage for the ascent portion.

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.

Up to Kay Benchmark

With desert season drawing to a close, I decided to try to get another San Diego Sierra Club peak crossed off my list. I decided on attempting Kay Benchmark, which is just to the west of the Anza-Borrego State Park Visitor Center. I arrived a bit after 8 am, paid my $10 day use fee, and took advantage of the freshly cleaned restrooms. After a short walk across the desert floor, it was time to ascend the ridgeline that I would follow. A faint use trail guided me through the early section of the climb, and about a 1/2 hour later, I was standing atop Ode Benchmark. Ted and I had climbed this peak back in 2019 but did not venture past it. I actually have never climbed up to Kay Benchmark, as my only “ascent” was when I hiked over from Ranchita.

After a quick check-in at Ode, I descended toward a small saddle before continuing my climb. It was here that, during Greg Gerlach’s last summit, he exited the ridge and returned via the drainage to the north. I might consider that option upon my return, but for now, my focus was on the steep climb ahead of me.

I would dodge and weave around cacti and look for more friendly routes up the slope. A slight breeze helped keep things pleasant from a temperature point of view. As I neared 3,400 feet in elevation, the ascent became more difficult, and I was now faced with some serious rocks to pick my way through. That section was not going to be fun upon my return. I worked my way through them, and the summit was almost in view.

As I reached it, a sense of accomplishment came over me. When I last stood atop this pile of rocks, I had just down-climbed some serious terrain. While the ascent had a few challenges, nothing compared to that. I took in the views and had a nice, relaxing snack. Unfortunately, I forgot to pack any electrolytes, so I hoped that wouldn’t be an issue on the descent. I still had plenty of water, so I was not worried about that at least.

Now for the long descent. I carefully worked my way down past that steep rock face, only having to retreat once from a route that was not safe. Once that section was behind me, I could feel my anxiety level drop. Now, it was mostly standard desert ridgeline hiking. I just needed to take care and dodge and weave around the cacti and find solid footing.

Once at the saddle, I looked up at the climb to pass over Ode Benchmark and said to myself, “Greg had the right idea”. So down a side ridge I went, and soon I was in the wide drainage leading back to the east. While a bit rocky, it was still easier than continuing on the ridge. Before too long, I spotted the flagpole at the Visitor Center, and not much later, I was back at my car. I tossed my gear in and headed into the center for information about my next adventure: Vallecito Mountains High Point. They did not have a lot of information, but it was worth checking. After grabbing lunch in town, a well-earned burrito, I also grabbed a sandwich for dinner later. For Kay Benchmark, my stats were 4.51 miles in 5:31 with 2,860 feet of elevation gain.

Into Borrego Palm Canyon…

After a couple of hikes around the campground, I decided to set up camp for the night, which is really just inflating my Luno mattress. The winds were still blowing, making it chilly to be outside. I debated heading into town for dinner instead of attempting to cook my steak over the fire. I figured I would give it a try, and if it failed, then drive into town. It took the entire bundle of wood, but I was able to cook it! I did retreat into the car to actually eat it. Tomorrow’s hike was going to be a tough one, so crashing out early wasn’t too much of a problem.

I rose just before sunrise and caught some nice photos of the sunrise and the morning glow upon the peak we aimed to climb. I packed up and drove over to the trailhead parking lot to meet Rick. We were going to follow the same route I used when I summited back in 2019: head into the canyon, exit at the third oasis, then follow the steep ridge to the summit. I had an event back in San Diego at 8 pm, so I did have a hard turn-back time. Just after 7 am, we set off. The first part of the trail led us up to the first Palm Oasis. The palms were recovering nicely from an arson fire a few years back. We found the new route around the oasis and left the maintained trail behind.

Now it would be a mix of use trails and “seat of our pants” route finding. The water was flowing nice and strong and made for a lovely hike. We crossed the stream numerous times as we pushed on. Various spots along the way were familiar from the two times I had hiked here before.

We reached the third Palm Oasis and took a well-earned break under the shade of some large boulders. I looked at the time and had a bad feeling. I knew what still lay ahead of us. While I was feeling great, I doubted I could summit, exit, and make it back to town in time. We should have started at 6. That was my error, as I picked the start time based on my last summit. There were a couple of spots in the canyon that slowed us down just enough. We decided to climb up out of the canyon and check our time again. So up we went on the very steep slope. I felt pretty good working my way up, so that was a positive sign for me. Once on the ridge, we began picking our way up. This was going to be slow. We had about 1.2 miles to cover and a lot of elevation gain to be had. I just did not think I could make it in time and decided to turn back. Rick opted to continue, as this summit would complete the 100 Peak Challenge for him. I felt bad not being there for this. I had the pin and the flag in my pack.

I carefully picked my way down the steep slope back to the third Palm Oasis. Had a few more snacks and mixed up some Gatorade. We had spotted an empty beer bottle there earlier, so I tossed it into my pack to carry out. Soon, I began hearing voices as I spotted a group of five hikers making their way up the canyon. We chatted briefly and were sure of their destination. I told them to keep an eye out for Rick just in case. Then, I continued down the canyon.

Somewhere past the second Palm Oasis, I tripped over my own two feet and bruised and scraped my knee. It was tender, but I could still hike without too much issue. I suspected it would be sore tomorrow (narrator: yes, it was). I did not have any navigation issues until just before the first Palm Oasis, where I got off track. After some backtracking, I found the right path and reached the “end of the trail” sign. Day hikers were scattered about, enjoying the shade and the water. I motored past them, ready to be done. Once back at the car, I left Rick a note as to when I exited. I got a text from him that afternoon; he had reached the summit, and to his amazement, there were a groups of hikers there! I wondered if they used the Henderson Canyon route. I think that is the one I might use for my next attempt. I’m glad Rick got the summit, and around 5:45 pm, I got another message that he was back at his car. That did validate my decision to turn back. Although I did not make the summit, the hike through the canyon was beautiful.

Strolling to the Visitor Center

Once back at the shared trailhead for the Panorama Overlook Trail and the Visitor Center Trail, I set off down the concrete pathway. Interpretive signs lined the pathway. They were a collection of panels of the plants and wildlife, as well as markers denoting (in scale), the distance of each planet from the ‘sun’ that is located at the Visitor Center. Borrego Springs is a recognized “Dark Sky” community, so it is nice to have some additional astronomical mentions.

At the visitor center I inquired about backpacking into Sheep Canyon, and the ranger said to park my car facing back down the road and to have a good time! Hum, maybe I will try for a peak back there, or at least a quick overnight?

I cruised back to the campground and began setting up for the night, which was mostly inflating the Luno Mattress. I considered just heading into town and eating there, but decided to try my original plan. I got a fire going in the wind and managed to cook my steak. I retreated to the car to eat my dinner, as the winds were still blowing about 20 mph. They were predicted to die down around midnight so it should not be an issue during our climb. I guessed it was an early bedtime for me, as I used all the wood to cook the steak and it was getting cold. Tomorrow I was meeting Rick to attempt to summit Indianhead, so turning in early wasn’t too much of a burden.

Up the Panorama Overlook Trail

After checking in at the campground, I switched into my hiking clothes and set off for a little afternoon adventure. First up, I planned to hike the Panorama Overlook Trail. I would see this one on the maps when reviewing routes of various nearby peaks, but never found the time to hike it. The shared trailhead to the Overlook and the Visitor Center is located at the edge of the campground, a very short walk from my site. The trail to the Panorama Overlook headed off to the right toward the base of a ridge. Soon I was at the base of the ridge and began working my way up to a nice overlook. The clouds over the distant mountains made for some nice photos.

While this is the “official” end of the trail, a use trail continues to the west and further up the ridge. I had time, so why not? The use trail was usually visible, but from time to time I did have to pause and do a quick scan to pick it up again. I reached another bump and decided to turn back here, as I also wanted to walk over to the visitor center. Looking over to the south at the ridge up to Kay Benchmark (which I need to summit again), I could see why Greg Gerlach hopped off when he did, as it makes perfect sense. Once back on the desert floor, I returned to the start of the trail just to have a complete track recorded for this trail. Next up, walking the concrete path over to the Visitor Center.

Up on Granite Mountain

After the scouting trip to the trailhead on Saturday, I decided to take advantage of the break between the storms to go climb Granite Mountain again. The other time I summited this peak was via the Cool Canyon route, and this time I really wanted to use the Rodriguez Canyon trailhead. After filling up the gas tank and grabbing my breakfast and coffee, I headed out to the desert. As I drove through Julian, I spied a PCT hiker thumbing a ride back down to the trail. I pulled over and offered a lift. We had a lovely chat as we drove down the Banner Grade. I dropped him off at the Scissors Crossing parking lot and wished him well on his journey. I then cruised down to the trailhead, making a quick stop at the pit toilets in Blair Valley. I was glad I had my “poop kit” with me, as both toilets had no toilet paper. I turned off the highway, and began driving the road that Ted and I drove on Saturday. The heavy construction equipment that was parked beside the road had been busy, as one section of the road had been smoothed over. I still had to carefully pick my way up out of Vallecito Wash, but the Outback handled it like a champ. I drove up Rodriguez Canyon a short distance and found a nice spot to pull off. Grabbing my gear I headed north across the open desert floor until I linked up with an old jeep road that led to a couple of abandoned mines. The road was overgrown and would fade from time to time.

At some point I lost the road and began working my way up a ridge. When I checked my position again, using Keith Winston’s route, I found myself on the wrong side of a ravine. I decided to keep on my route, follow the contour to get closer to Keith’s route and go from there. I knew after the mines that I missed, the route follows the ridgeline up. I began weaving and dodging cacti as I kept climbing. The temperature was perfect, cool with a slight breeze. I had a fleece and a wind shell in my pack, but never needed them. I would stop to snap a photo from time to time, but just kept motoring on.

From time to time, cairns would appear. Around 5000 feet in elevation, small patches of snow started to appear in the shade. I could see snow over on the Laguna Mountains to my southwest and on Volcan Mountain to my northwest. As I neared the end of this ridgeline, there was one small bouldery section to climb, but nothing like the mess I recall from the Cool Canyon Route. At the end of this ridgeline, I followed another ridgeline to the northeast. Once over a small false summit, the peak and its massive granite boulders stood before me. This was certainly an easy route, although the section in Cool Canyon itself is a highlight.

I scouted around the boulders looking for a route up, and eventually found one. As I made my final move onto the summit, my two full water bottles on the side of my pack fell out. One went bouncing one way and the other a different way. Crud! I hoped I would be able to find them in the rocks below, otherwise I would be collecting some of that snow to turn into drinking water.

On the summit, I enjoyed some snacks and the last of the water from the bottle that I keep in my shoulder pouch. The views were as stunning as I remembered. If there was a register, it is tucked somewhere below, and I did not bother to go scouting for it, I figured I would have enough scouting to find my water. After a nice break atop the summit, it was time to head back. I surveyed where one bottle bounced, and declared it lost. I worked my way down from the summit block and hoped that the second bottle could be located, and thankfully it was. Since I was heading down and had water in the car, I felt I should be ok. I slipped the recovered bottle into the side pouch and tightened the strap to be sure.

My goal for the descent was to stick to Keith’s track more closely, as I really wanted to see one or two of the abandoned mines. The descent went fine, and there was a faint use trail that I picked up from time to time, just like on the ascent. For the most part, though, it was again weaving past the cacti as I hiked down the ridge. I reached Keith’s turn off spot and generally stayed on course.

I spotted the first mine and peered in, but really did not have any interest in clamoring inside. I walked over to where the second mine was, but it appears that it is no longer open. I could see the outline of the jeep road across the ravine and worked my way carefully down to it. Once on it, I continued to follow it down the mountain. I could see my car off in the distance, always a good sign. Once back at the car, I drank 1/2 liter of water, as I had finished my remaining water about a mile back.

As I drove out, a lone backpacker was hiking along the road. I stopped and chatted with him. He had hiked down Oriflame Canyon and was headed over to the campground at Stagecoach Trails. I offered him a ride, as I was stopping there for a cold soda and snack, but he wanted to hike the whole route. I wished him well and drove away to get that aforementioned soda and begin my drive home. All told, I hiked 7.4 miles with just over 3,000 feet of elevation gain in 6:01.

Climbing Whale Peak

With a bit of weather rolling in, Ted and I headed out to the desert to find something hike-able. We settled on Whale Peak, one that Ted still needed to climb, and maybe we would add on Pinyon Mountain after. The clouds covered the mountains as we drove through Julian and down toward the desert. The Subaru handled the off-road section to the trailhead without incident.

We parked at the trailhead, and felt the cold wind as we stepped out. Ted stayed in his puffy and I slipped on my fleece and made sure my wind shell was in my pack before setting off. The trail immediately starts climbing, so if you need to warm up first, I suggest a short hike down the road. We followed the drainage up to the first saddle. I drifted out of the drainage area toward the end, but in hindsight should have just stayed in it. Once at the saddle, a clear trail could be spotted, plus an extensive collection of cairns would line our route. We cruised along, chatting about recent college visits or other upcoming trips. This would be my third time doing this peak, so much of the route was familiar.

The route would climb over several small ridges before making the final climb to the summit. We had some dramatic views of the surrounding mountains and the swirling clouds. Along the way, we found an iPhone lying on the trail. It didn’t power up as the cold probably drained its battery. I slipped it into my pack to hopefully be able to return it to its owner. Note: We were able to locate the owner and return the phone to him.

Soon, we were on the summit plateau and we strolled over to the proper summit. We took in the views, found the benchmark and a reference mark, and of course the metal sign. We ducked behind a rock wall to hide from the wind and have a snack. That wind shell came in handy, despite the sun starting to poke out.

After our break, we began our descent. This time, I made sure to head in the right direction. As we worked our way down the steep section, I noted that we were a little off track, so we made a course correction and were soon back on track. We cruised along, and after about half a mile, we shed our layers and continued. As we cruised along one of the small flat areas, we encountered a trail runner making his way up the summit.

Our route down the drainage went smoothly and we were back at the car. Beyond the mystery of the found iPhone, Ted’s recorded mileage and my recorded mileage varied by 3/10 of a mile. Quite a difference! I asked Ted if he wanted to try for Pinyon Mountain next. The issue was this hike would be along a ridgeline and subject to the cold winds. We decided to pass and return another day. As we drove back to the highway, our adventure was not over. Since we had time, we drove down to explore the trailhead for the southern route for Granite Mountain. This road certainly was tougher than the one we drove to the trailhead for Whale, but not as tricky as the road to Jacumba. We stopped short of exiting the wash, as we had a nice spot to turn around. We did walk the next section of the route and I felt it was drivable. This was a good sign as I want to climb Granite via the southern route. We drove back to Julian and had some food and beers at Julian Beer Company before continuing on home. Our ascent of Whale took us 3:03 and on my tracker, 4.3 miles.

Returning to Jacumba Mountain

After a 45-minute drive up a collection of BLM roads that tested both the Subaru and my off-road driving skills, we reached the starting point for our climb up Jacumba Mountain. This would be my third time on the summit, but Rick and Andrea’s first. This would also be their 99th peak of the 100 Peak Challenge. After grabbing our gear, we headed off. We were going to follow the same route that I used on my last summit. Soon we found ourselves staring at the start of the steep climb up to the ridge. I remembered some of the landmarks scattered along the slope and used those to act as waypoints to guide us.

I took the lead and began leading us up. I was feeling good and quickly found myself almost near the top. I paused here, waiting for Rick and Andrea to join me. As I sat on the rock, I soaked iI took the lead and began leading us up. I was feeling good and quickly found myself almost near the top. I paused there, waiting for Rick and Andrea to join me. As I sat on the rock, I soaked in the view to the west. When Rick and Andrea crested the lip, I directed them along an easier route to join me. Once back together, we had just a short bit left to the actual ridge, which is actually almost plateau-like.

We continued northward for a quarter mile, actually stumbling onto a use trail that guided us straight to the summit. With a short scramble, the three of us were standing on the summit. We soaked in the views, had a snack, and leafed through the register. I had forgotten that Hann finished her 100 Peak Challenge on this summit.

After our break, it was time to return. Once at the drop-off, we gave each other some safety space as we descended the steep slope. About halfway down we spied cairns and used them for the rest of the descent. If you are planning to use this track for your summit attempt, isolate our descent portion for your ascent as well. I again found myself ahead of Rick and Andrea, and at the sandy area that was our descent target, I again found a rock to rest on. While drinking my electrolytes, I spied them picking their way down the slope. Once back together, we cruised back to the car. An arrow in the sand that Andrea drew keyed us into where to climb over the small boulder hill.

Back at the car, we changed shirts and began the final portion of this adventure—the drive out. We had one section that took a couple of attempts to overcome, but otherwise, we navigated the “fun” sections of the road and found ourselves on the pavement again. We stopped in Alpine for some food and drink.

Sample of the “easy” off-road portion

The entire hike covered 3.0 miles and took us 3:15. According to CalTopo, the steep section of the hike was only between a 30-40% gradient!

A visit to Ted Benchmark

As we cruised out toward Anza-Borrego, the eastern sky was glowing a fiery red as the sun began to rise above the mountains. The plan for today was to hike up the ridgeline to Webo Benchmark which sits atop its end. Along the way, we would pass over Ted Benchmark. Rick and Andrea needed both toward their quest to complete the San Diego Sierra Club 100 peak list. I had done this hike several times before, but I was happy to make the climb again, as who doesn’t love a good desert hike? The parking area had one other car there when we pulled in just after 7:30. Rick went to pay the $10 day-use fee, while I liberally applied some Voltaren on my achy left knee. Once we were geared up, we set off down the trail that most visitors take to view Maidenhair Falls (which given the lack of rain probably are not even flowing). The weather was pleasant, even a touch warm. After about a mile, we headed cross-country for a short distance before ascending onto the ridgeline that we now followed toward our destination.

We weaved our way upward, avoiding the various cacti along our journey. Rick and I cruised along carrying a good pace, but Andrea just wasn’t feeling it. Something I can relate to. She felt that she could make it Ted Benchmark, but would probably turn back at that point. Once Rick and I reached Ted Benchmark, we signed the register and snapped a few photos. We then began discussing options: do we continue on up to Webo and give the car keys to Andrea and let her return solo, or do we all just turn back and get Webo another time (either repeating this hike or tacking it on when we try for San Ysidro East)? In the end, we opted to return together and drive over to scout Sunset Mountain for them. Once off the ridge, we encountered a few folks headed to the falls and the nearly empty parking lot now had quite a few more cars parked.

It was still too early for lunch as we drove through Borrego Springs on our way over to Pinyon Canyon. Turning off the 78 onto the dirt road, we cruised along the fairly well-groomed route. We parked near the starting point I used the last two times when I climbed Sunset Mountain and gave them a brief rundown of the route. Once that was completed, we continued driving down the road, wondering what it might lead to. Finally, the road came to an end, and we then retraced our route back into Borrego Springs and grabbed lunch at Los Jilbertos. With our stomachs now full, we drove home. While we didn’t get both benchmarks, we did have a nice 4.2-mile hike and were able to explore a little bit more of Anza-Borrego.

Finding the Solstice Cave

When I saw the hike announcement from the Jacumba Hikers that they were leading a hike in Indian Gorge to a “hidden” cave, I knew that they were headed to the Solstice Cave near Sombrero Peak! I had known of this cave for some time, and had always wanted to see it in person. I drove out to the Imperial Valley Desert Museum to rally with our trip leaders. Since my Outback was still out of commision, I would need to carpool out to the actual trailhead. Several of the San Diego Sloth Hiking Group also arrived for the trek, and after signing our waivers, we piled into two capable vehicles and set off. The road to the trailhead took some care — not as bad as Carrizo Gorge, but certainly one that requires some off-road driving skills.

The familiar trailhead for the east approach of Sombrero Peak came into view. A small palm grove stood just to the west. We gathered our gear and set off. Mike took the lead, following the use trail that faded in and out as we made our way up the drainage. Instead of turning left to follow the route that I took on two of my summits of Sombrero Peak, we continued westward. We climbed up over the boulders and through the cat’s claw and cacti. From time to time we would stop and regroup, as the terrain would cause us to spread out a bit. While some were very comfortable hiking in this terrain, others were less so.

I soon found myself with Mike at the head of the group, and as we neared our destination, it became a game of double checking which rock cluster in which the cave was actually located. When we reached the first set of boulders where Mike thought it was, I offered to scramble around to see if the cave was there. After turning up empty, we set off higher on the slopes to another grouping of large boulders. I again scouted ahead and soon found the rear entrance to the cave! While I had it to myself, I took in the significance of this place for a moment, before stepping out to the front of the cave and signaling to the group its location. They soon filed in and began to marvel at the pictographs along the ceiling. We also had a stunning view back down the drainage. Sombrero Peak stood to our south.

Orange and red-hued suns are placed throughout the ceiling with other forms, some seemingly human, found in the back of the cave. A pointed rock also stands to the south of the cave entrance. Some think this might act as a sundial, giving this cave its name. After a snack and retrieving one of my water bottles that had fallen down some rocks, we bid the cave goodbye. Our trip leaders decided to try following a route more on the southside of the drainage, rather than fully retracing our route. I worked with Mike to pick our route across the hillside. After some “fun” side-hilling, we decided to drop down toward the base of the drainage. I took the lead, and soon found myself back along the route we used during our ascent. I continued on down the drainage, feeling right at home hiking solo through the desert. Soon I spied the palm grove at the trailhead, and then our cars. I sat in the shade from one of the cars as I waited for the rest of them to make their way down. Once we were all together, cold drinks and snacks were kindly provided. Then we loaded back up and began the drive out. Along the way, we passed two brothers who were out hiking the road. We certainly did not expect that. Once back at the museum’s parking lot, I thanked our trip leaders and set off home.

Due to the historic and sacred nature of this cave, I am not posting my actual GPS track for this hike.