Santa Fe Valley Trail

The past two times I had hiked this trail were after work. Since I was working from home this morning, I decided to do it bright and early. I pulled into the empty parking lot just after 6:30 a.m., grabbed my gear, and headed toward the trail. The skies were overcast as I cruised along the trail with the groundskeepers working the nearby golf course.

The trail crosses quite a few small bridges as it follows the San Dieguito River. Then the trail reaches the other element known for the switchbacks that carry you up from next to the river and toward a hill above it. You certainly are rewarded with some nice views after making the short climb. I snapped my challenge photo and retraced my route. Just one more hike and the 2023-2024 Coast to Crest Challenge will be complete.

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.

Cerro Noroeste

Since Campo Alto was just up the road from the trailhead, we made the short drive to see it. This was where we initially had planned to camp this weekend, but some campsites were closed due to tree hazards, and ours was one of them.

Dave parked near the summit and I took a short walk— first to the radio tower then over to the actual summit of Cerritos Noroeste. I looked to see if there might be a register, but given its proximity to the campground, I doubted it. I grabbed a few photos and went back to the Jeep and some more adventures…

Lake Hodges (via Sikes Adobe)

My second hike for this year’s Coast to Challenge was to hike from the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead to the Bernardo Mountain turn-off. I actually had this as one of my rehab hikes, as I had never done the section from the Adobe to where the trail connects with the bridge. I parked in the small lot across from the Adobe and set off on the paved trail. This section parallels the I-15, so be prepared to listen to the rush of the traffic. The trail ducks under the freeway. As I looked at the dry lake bed, I recalled sitting in my kayak at this same spot while calling my mom to wish her a happy birthday…

The trail now leaves the I-15 behind and links up to the pedestrian bridge. This is a trail I have hiked many times, so I just cruised along. A few runners passed by, along with a mountain biker or two. The trail is closed after sunset, as it is a designated wildlife corridor. I crossed the wooden bridge, which appears to have suffered some damage. At the junction with the trail that would lead to the summit of Bernardo Mountain, I took my required photos and retraced my route. I thought the hike was going to clock in about 4 miles, but my tracker logged it at 3.6 miles.

San Dieguito Lagoon Trail

Every summer the San Dieguito River Conservancy publishes their Coast to Crest Challenge. Each challenge is a series of five different hikes along the various trails that make up the entire system. While some new sections have been recently acquired, they are not ready for hikers yet, so we get to revisit trails that have been used in previous challenges. With the current heat wave, starting with the San Dieguito Lagoon Trail seemed like a smarter choice. I had recently hiked it with some friends as a “warm-up” before brunch at Viewpoint Brewery. Since this was a Monday, they were not open for a mid-hike refreshment. My wife and our dog decided to join me for this early evening stroll. We parked next to the ranger station, just to have a better recorded track.

We cruised along the wide and well-groomed trail, stopping from time to time for a water break for our dog. Instead of going all the way to the overlook, the turn-around point this time was the end of the boardwalk, just north of Viewpoint. I tried to get a selfie of all three of us but gave up as Rocky was just not interested. We cruised back to the car, passing just a few folks along the way.

Ramona Grasslands

After summiting Volcan Mountain yesterday, I knew I should keep my trail time to something more on the mild side, and Ramona Grasslands seemed to fit the bill nicely. I decided to try this hike with the dog.

The marine layer had already burned off, but a good breeze kept the temperatures nice and comfortable. Rocky was not on his best behavior, so a lot of corrections were needed as we strolled down the wide trail. We passed a few others out enjoying the area but had a lot of the preserve to ourselves.

I opted to do the longer loop, stopping at the picnic benches for a quick break in the shade and some water for Rocky. A few flowers still dotted the sides of the trail.

Once back at the trailhead, a ranger had set up a display about various wildlife. Turned out he was the same ranger from Barnett Ranch and he remembered me. We chatted some before I bid farewell. A nice Sunday stroll of about 2.75 miles in 1:02.

Hiking in Gonzales Canyon

I decided to do this hike after work since it is just about 15 minutes from my house. My daughter decided to join me for this jaunt. We parked at Torrey Highlands Park and headed to the north end of it. From there, we picked up the Nature trail and began our descent into the canyon. The route we chose became a touch rocky; since my daughter did not have trekking poles, she had to be careful.

We chatted about our upcoming road trip to see my sister and the new school year as we made our way to the selfie spot. I pointed out the poison oak that lined the trail. We took our photo and began to retrace our path. Instead of climbing back up to the trailhead, we opted for a different route. She was not pleased with the steep hill we had to climb, but she made it. With that, my 2021-2022 Coast to Crest Challenge was complete!

Pinnacle Mountain

While visiting my sister in Little Rock, my nephew-in-law, my son and I headed out to Pinnacle Mountain State Park to hike up the West Summit Trail. We started from the park picnic grounds and followed the rocky trail to the top of Pinnacle Mountain. From the top is a spectacular view of Lake Maumelle, the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachita Mountains, and west Little Rock.