Ted Benchmark

Since Ted and I had President’s Day off, we had planned to hike Granite Mountain, but its snow-capped summit had other ideas.

After touring the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center and hiking to nearby Ode Benchmark, we made the short drive to the Hellhole Canyon trailhead. Our next peak was going to be Ted Benchmark, and maybe Webo Benchmark which sits further up the ridge.

We followed the shared trail for a while before again cutting across the desert floor to the start of the ridgeline.

Ted Benchmark sits at over 2,300 feet, so the summit was going the take a bit more effort than Ode Benchmark. We picked our way around the rocks and cacti, although Ted got attacked by two different chollas…

We reached the summit but did not stay long, as the wind was picking up. Over Coyote Canyon, we could the showers falling. So down we went. As we descended, we could see rain falling above Indianhead to our north, and the skies to the west did not look friendly. Webo Benchmark sits past Ted, and we did initially consider pushing on to it, but the weather helped change our minds.

Once we reached the desert floor, we were amazed at the number of hikers still heading up to Maidenhair Falls. The skies were darkening and the winds were picking up still. Back in the car, we warmed back up and headed back into town for some burritos. Coming back home, it actually began snowing!! No worries, we were actually behind the snowplow, but nothing sticking to the road.

It was a great day hiking and fun to be back on the trails with Ted again!

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.

Sombrero Peak

I decided to take advantage of a break between the storms and head back out to Anza Borrego to attempt Sombrero Peak. Of my remaining peaks, this was one of the few peaks left that I felt comfortable hiking solo. The drive out was uneventful, sadly no Bighorn sheep this time. I drove past the turnoff to Indian Gorge to the Mountain Palms campground where some pit toilets are. Priorities.

As I began driving down Indian Gorge toward the trailhead, I stopped and chatted with two folks out looking for wildlife. I told them about the herd from my earlier visit. I wished them well and headed down the road. The Outback handled the road without a problem, just a few spots that took a touch of care.

I reached the trailhead a touch before 9. As I geared up, I debated if I should bring my poles. Looking at the first part of the route, there was going to be a fair amount of bouldering, so I opted to leave them behind.

Passing the palm trees at the start of the trail, I headed southwest and began working my way up the gorge. I initially missed the side canyon that I wanted to take, I thought it was a bit further up the main canyon. Checking my map, I realized the canyon to the south I bypassed a couple of hundred yards back was the one I need to take. Doubling back, I worked my way up the first of several steep sections toward the summit.

Along the way, I gave my left knee a nice scrape while navigating a dry waterfall. With some field first aid applied, I continued on toward a gentle plateau. I was able to look out to the east and the green valley that I drove through earlier.

The actual peak was still hidden from view, but the route toward it was fairly straightforward, just go up…

I did not see any use trail or other markers, so I exercised my route-finding skills, avoiding the cacti and around the rocks that litter the slope. Eventually, I did find some footprints along the desert floor, so I let these be my guide when I could find them. This section was hard work. About every five minutes or so I would find a rock and catch my breath.

Cresting over the ridge, Sombrero Peak finally revealed itself to me. One last push to the summit. I scanned the slopes and saw a workable route to the top. Finally, I had reached the summit! This was one hard peak to bag. The descriptions that friends had given me were accurate in the difficulty of summiting this peak. I found the register, and as I took the time to read past entries, I saw many familiar names.

I scrambled around a bit looking for the survey marker, I suspect it was atop one block I did not feel comfortable scaling solo. Looking to the east, the windmills of McCain Valley seemed awfully close. I had read several trip reports about folks hiking over from the west.

I knew I still had a hard descent ahead of me and began heading back down. Initially, I was disappointed I did not find the mystery post and chain, and bam! there it was.

Remember, my decision to leave my hiking poles back in the car? Yeah, big mistake. I felt it some when I was climbing, but now I really could use them. I took a more direct path down (the more northern track on my map) toward the top of that side canyon. I worked my way down the canyon, scrambling down the rocks, and soon the tops of those palm trees came into view. Before I knew it, the glinting sun off my car was visible.

All told the hike was only 3 miles, but it took over 4 hours of hiking time and gained over 1,906 feet of elevation.

False Sombrero

Today’s adventures were to summit both False Sombrero and Sombrero Peaks. Joining me on these attempts would be Derek Loranger, my friend, and creator of the 100 Peak Challenge. I knew Derek through my work as a user experience designer, but this was the first time we had a chance to actually hike together. Headed out to Anza Borrego today to attempt both False Sombrero and Sombrero Peaks. As we drove through Ramona, we spotted a bald eagle sitting on a fence. Later in Anza Borrego, we encountered a herd of bighorn sheep crossing the road. First time for me.

The dirt road took a little care to get to the trailhead. Derek Loranger and I headed up the boulder-filled wash toward False Sombrero. Along the way, an agave got Derek in the shin.

Once we cleared the boulders, the sandy scree started and my lungs were burning. Susie Kara was right, it was tough. Soon we found ourselves at the saddle and the short push to the summit. Again, the desert views never cease to amaze me.

We signed the register and began working our way down. The sandy section was fun and fast. Then the boulder scrambling began in reverse.

By the time we returned to the car, Sombrero Peak was seeming less likely. We opted to drive over to the trailhead anyway, just to see the road status. Once there, we walked up the trail a bit, then enjoyed a nice beer (Thanks Second Chance Brewery) and the scenery. Once back in civilization, we split a pizza in Wynola. Along the way pointing out various peaks that needed to be done or ones that are now crossed off my list. All in all, another peak summited. 12 to go!

Peak 3339

I had planned to try to summit Sugg Peak with the expert guidance of Susie Kara, but alas she was under the weather. Since I was already up and ready to go, I had to quickly pivot to an alternate plan. The challenge I am starting to face with my remaining peaks is that many are long and difficult, and not suited for a solo attempt. Luckily, Peak 3339 was still on my list of peaks left to summit.

I drove out toward Boulevard as the sun rose over the mountains. Frost lined the side of the road from the recent rains. As I drove north along McCain Valley road, I passed the turnoff to the trailhead to Mt. Tule. Soon I came to the Lark Canyon OHV Staging Area, which has several pit toilets.

Continuing north along a well-graded dirt road I reached the Carrizo Scenic Overlook. I turned off here and parked at a nice turnout. The trailhead is to the east beyond a fence. I passed a few picnic tables and a metal grill before descending steeply down.

The route to Peak 3339 follows a motorcycle trail most of the time, so navigation is not difficult. Unfortunately, this is an inverted summit, meaning that you start higher than the actual summit.

I worked my way down the trail, reminiscing of my former dirt bike days, and secretly hoping I might catch a ride back up…

The peak was one of the bumps basically straight ahead of me in the distance, however, the trail turns northward for a while before returning to its eastward route. The advice I read recommended staying on the trail as long as possible before heading cross-country to the peak.

As the peak drew near, I eventually decided it was time to leave the trail and begin the actual climb to the summit. I unfortunately worked my way a tad too far south along the peak cluster. Navigating back to Peak 3339 from the south, I did not find any easy routes up. So, I worked my way back to the west side of the peak. There I found a nice route that took me basically to the top.

There I scrambled to the top of a nice block and enjoyed the view. I did not find a register. It might have been on the other block, but I was not comfortable scrambling solo to check it out.

After a snack, I headed down from the summit and began crossing the open desert to rejoin the trail. The windmills stood out along the ridge to the west, reminding me of the climb still to come to get back to the car.

Oddly, I never heard the sounds of any motorcycles, although I saw many being unloaded earlier. No complaints, as the quiet of the desert is always welcome. As I made my way back up the steep incline, I met a fellow hiker. With a copy of Afoot and Afield In San Diego in hand, he was out exploring as well. Turns out he is a fellow Gaucho. He graduated a few years before me with a degree in geology. We chatted for some time before we went our separate ways.

As I neared the end of the trail, I picked up two beer cans that were tossed to the side of the trail. Ugh. Although I had hoped to summit Al Holden as well, I did not want to venture out to it solo. But this was such a fun hike, I figured I would return with some friends to explore the area more another time.

Coyote Mountain

As my remaining peak list dwindles, solo hikes are in short supply. Coyote Mountain was one of the few peaks left. I drove out to Anza-Borrego in the early morning and was greeted with a gorgeous sunrise as I left Ranchita and began my descent into Borrego Springs.

The trailhead is off Rockhouse Canyon Road; I loved that Apple Maps told me I had to park and walk to it. Ha! Although it is a dirt road, a standard car would have no trouble.

Looking at Coyote Mountain from the Villager ridge (from a previous hike)

The skies were partly overcast, as a storm was due in the afternoon. I parked, and Coyote Mountain loomed before me. The route follows the ridgeline to the summit, so the only minor challenge is crossing the desert floor to it.

As I began working my way up the start of the ridge, I spotted this geological wonder.

I navigated my way up, and at times a clear use trail guided me through the rocks and sharp pointy plants. At other times, the trail would fade away, or I was working my way up a steep and rocky section.

The route would alternate between sections that burned your quads and easier sections that would allow you to catch your breath. As the summit looms over you, the route bends westward, letting you know that the end is close at hand.

At the summit, you are almost immediately greeted with a pole denoting the register and the benchmark is nearby.

I took in the views of Clark Dry Lake bed to the east, near where I started. To the west and south bits of Borrego Springs. I had a snack, then wandered over to a nearby bump to the west. Another register was tucked in a pile of rocks as well.

Then it was time to work my way back down because I certainly did not want to do this in the rain. About halfway down, about 14 hikers were making their way up. This turned out to be a guided hike led by the Anza Borrego Foundation. A bit behind them were two other hikers, and we chatted some. I mentioned what I was doing, and it turns out I was chatting with Greg Gerlach and Kelly Laxamana, two peakbaggers I trust on peakbagger.com. How I wish I could have picked their brain more about my remaining summits.

With about a mile to go, my knees started to really hurt. The steepness of this summit was getting to me. As I slowed my pace, I began looking for the best option to depart from the ridgeline and get back to flatter ground. I made it back to the car and was glad to be done and heading back into Borrego Springs for a cold beverage and some Mexican food. As I drove back home and crested into Ranchita, the rain started to fall. 83 summits are done, and looking forward to finishing them!

Bonny & White Benchmarks

Today’s hike was going to summit two peaks out near Ranchita. Along with the two official peaks, two additional peaks were along our route. I had done some of this hike last week, but the main summit of White Benchmark did not happen. This time, with Ted tagging along, we headed north along the use trail near the fence defining the boundary of Anza-Borrego and the private property to the west. We passed through the shadow of Bonny as we drew closer to White. Up the ridgeline, we pushed upward.

Atop the peak, we found the benchmark with no trouble. We enjoy the views. The Thimble and San Ysidro loomed over us, but those summits were for another day. Looking back southward, Bonnie, Clyde, Chimney Rock, and Hut were spread out before us. Off to the northeast, was Goat Benchmark (somewhere…). Next along our route was Clyde. This peak was a simple scramble to the top. There is no register nor mark. But if you summit Bonny, you have to do Clyde ;).

From there we angled back toward the west to explore Chimney Rock. Neither of us are climbers, so we just marveled at this spire from its base. Ted did scramble to the top of the mound to the north of it. I stayed below for the photo op.

The use trail quickly led us to the foot of Bonny. Approaching it from the east, we rounded toward the south, there a small ledge provided the route to the summit proper.

A short hop was required to find the Benchmark proper.

Once we were ready we continued heading south. Our final target was Hut Benchmark. Unlike when I was out here the week before, the route to the Benchmark was a simple approach from the north side.

We then worked our way down through the slightly heavier brush back to the car. This was a fun day wandering from peak to peak. For anyone wanting to cut their teeth on a trail-less desert hike, this one is perfect.

Wilson Benchmark & Pinyon Ridge

Today was going to be another two-fer, the primary peak is Wilson Benchmark and the secondary peak is Pinyon Ridge. I was able to convince both Ted and Dave to head out into the chilly high desert. We grabbed our wool caps and gloves and headed out. We drove out toward Ranchita, until we reached Wilson Road, from there we turned on to Old Culp Valley Road. Glad we were in the Subaru. We found the trailhead without any issues.

The trail is an old, partially overgrown jeep road, and it goes up and down through the sparse landscape of burnt trees, resprouting shrub skeletons, blackened yucca trunks, and granitic boulders. Most of the area had burned in the 2012 “Vallecito Lighting Complex” fire. Pinyon is just a short side jaunt from the main route out to Wilson. As we worked our way across the desert, we slowly started to warm up.

Pinyon was a fun little scramble to the top. We found the northeast corner easier to navigate to the top of the summit block. Found the register and signed in. The wind was a tad chilly, so we did not stay too long. As I was scrambling back down to fetch my poles, I found a patch of snow tucked between the rocks.

Rather than return directly to the trail, we continued across the open desert to the east until we intersected the trail again.

After about 4 miles, we reach the base of the summit. From there we worked our way up, past the boulders and burned trees.

Once there we easily found the benchmark and register.

Anza-Borrego was again spread out before us. We could see the Salton Sea in the distance. Although it had warmed up some, there was still a bit of wind blowing, so we did not linger.

The return to the trailhead and the car was brisk, as Dave needed to get home.

Indian Hill

After resting from summiting Piedras Grandes, Hahn and I headed north along the tracks toward Indian Hill.

We eventually headed west, unlike my first attempt, we went north around a small hill that resembled a pyramid. As we weaved our way past the chollas across the flat desert floor. We continued west for a bit as the peak rose up to the south of us until we found a nice route up.

Much like the ascent of Piedras Grandes, this was a steep rocky scramble up, but nothing too challenging.

Soon we reached the summit, I turn to Hahn and remarked that this was about 100x easier than what I had tried to navigate.

From the summit, I spotted the ravine that I had incorrectly taken.

Hahn said that if I had reached the top of that peak I would have summited Moan Benchmark. To which I said, if that was true you would have heard a middle-aged man moan…

We sat for a bit, enjoyed the views, signed the register, and then headed back down. I continued to pick her brain about various summits. We found ourselves back at the car and headed back into town.

Piedras Grandes

Earlier in the month, I had driven out to Anza Borrego to summit a pair of peaks, Indian Hill and Piedras Grandes. Unfortunately, I misread my route to Indian Hill and about halfway up a rocky ravine, I decided it too much and headed back to the car. I was not in the mood to attempt Piedras Grandes and drove home.

This time, I reached out to Hahn Asoy, one of the two 2017 finishers of the 100 Peak Challenge, if she would assist with my route finding. She gladly said yes, so back out to Dos Cabezas!

We opted to summit Piedras Grandes first since it is shorter of the two. We headed southwest across the desert floor until we reached the base of the peak. From there we picked our way up, past the rocks and cacti.

Quickly we found ourselves at the summit, looking across the desert, and the windmills near Ocotillo.

After a short rest, we headed back down and returned to the car before heading off for the second peak of the day.

Ghost Mountain

After Grapevine Mountain, I drove south to Little Blair Valley, toward the south end of the valley stands Ghost Mountain. For most people, this trail leads to the Marshall South homestead.

The trail quickly begins to climb up the side of the mountain to the ridgeline. From there it follows it toward the homestead, providing a sweeping view to the north and south as the trail continues its gentle climb.

After about 2 miles, I reached the remains of the adobe cabin. Marshall lived here for nearly 17 years. I spent some time examining the ruins before continuing eastward toward the summit.

It is clear the 95% of visitors turn back at this point, as the trail faded away. I picked my way through the rocks and plants until I reached the actual summit.

Here I found the Lower Peaks Committee register which I gladly signed.

I was feeling the miles from earlier, so I headed back down the trail to the car and back home.