Rass Benchmark

We made the short drive down from the Pena Springs Trailhead to the Hellhole Canyon/Maidenhair Falls Trailhead. I slipped the $10 into the fee slot, while Ted used the facilities that those fees help fund. Four cars were in the parking area already. I wondered if they were hikers out to view the falls early, or were they out hiking some grander adventure? This is the same trailhead that we use when climbing up to Webo Benchmark. After grabbing our gear and snacks, we set off. Soon we reached the junction with the California Riding and Hiking Trail and began our climb up toward Rass Benchmark.

The trail was in better condition than the section we were just on, as being lower, there was less water damage. We could see various plants and cacti starting to begin their spring blooms, but it was still just a bit too early for anything of note. After about 1.3 miles, I began scanning ahead, trying to spot the benchmark. The CRHT basically passes right over it, so I knew I would have to look too hard for it. There, just to the north of the trail, stood a small cluster of rocks. Checking our map, that appeared to be it, so I walked over and spied a reference mark. Welcome to the summit of Rass Benchmark.

Scrambling up, I found the actual benchmark and a register tucked down in the rocks. As I ate my snack, I thumbed through the register, reading many familiar names, and then on a blank page added our own. We snapped our photos and began our descent. The neck was doing ok, but we were starting to think about a real lunch. I had planned to hike over to Hans Benchmark which was nearby, but neither of us felt like doing it. Instead, I pitched driving over and doing Woods Benchmark. It is located near the Borrego Air Ranch, southeast of town. We made the short drive over, sticking to the dirt road that goes around the Air Ranch, and parked at the base of the bump. It really is just a bump on the desert floor. Although we could have driven up, we chose to walk the ¼ mile to the top. There was a concrete block with a mark embedded, so we felt somewhat rewarded.

We snapped a couple of quick photos, then back to the car and into town. We opted to try Carlee’s for lunch. With our hunger resolved, we bid farewell and made the uneventful drive home.

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.

Wee Benchmark

Initially, I considered hiking Volcan Mountain to get it done for this year’s 6-pack of peaks challenge. But I realized I could hike it almost anytime, so instead I looked at some options out in Anza-Borrego. I still needed to be mindful of my neck issues, so I settled on trying a few easier ones on the Borrego Benchmark club list. First up was Wee Benchmark. Ted carefully drove up the dirt road to the Pena Springs Trailhead and parked at the turnaround. We grabbed our gear and set off.

Our route followed the California Riding and Hiking Trail for about a mile, making its way up. Soon, Wee Benchmark came into view, we continued on until we were directly south of it, then made the short cross-country climb to its summit.

There we found the benchmark and two registers. I signed us in, while Ted wandered around snapping a few photos. We gazed over toward Hellhole Flats and the various summits that stood out. Since we were hoping to climb a couple more peaks today we headed back down. Once back at the car, we tossed in our gear and headed to our next adventure, Rass Benchmark.

Monserate Mountain Loop

With some unpleasant weather in the forecast, our planned hike out in Anza-Borrego seemed not to be the wisest option. So, instead, we decided to do something shorter and closer to home. Rick suggested, “Why not do Monserate Mountain?” That hike worked for me. As I pulled into the parking area a bit before 8, there were a lot more cars than I expected. I spotted a tent covering set up near the trailhead, so something organized looked to be happening. I grabbed my gear to investigate. It turned out that this was the conditioning check hike for the Wilderness Basics Course (WBC) participants. While hanging around I spied Casey Wear-Molean milling about. We had a brief chat before I spotted Rick and Andrea pulling in. I headed over to them and filled them in on the extra hikers this morning. They quickly grabbed their gear and were ready to head off. Most of the WBC hikers had left, so we weren’t in the thick of it. Andrea was feeling a little off, so she hiked her own hike. Rick and I would stop periodically to let her catch up. Meanwhile, I picked Rick’s brain about my water caching idea for doing the CRHT. He said it sounded solid, too bad my neck issues are keeping a backpack off me for the time being.

He picked my brain about various desert peaks that they need (and I need again for my x2). Once at the summit, we took a short break, had a quick snack, and snapped a few photos. I learned that the WBC hikers needed to summit within 55 minutes (1.5 miles), but since we stopped several times to regroup with Andrea I could not simply look at my elapsed time and see if I made the cut-off. Thankfully, Strava calculated “moving” time, and according to it, we made it to the summit in 43:23.

The rains had not come yet, so we opted to do the loop now that it was reopened. We made our way down from the summit and made a left turn toward the water tank. Part way down, a small spur trail led off to the side for about 20 feet, and according to Peakbagger, this tiny bump, Peak 1309, was in its database. Ascent recorded! 😉

We made our way down the stair section and soon found ourselves on the road that services the water tank. Following it down a bit, another trail to our right caught our eye. Checking out maps, this was a shortcut back to a trail that would loop back to the beginning, so off we went. It had a “fun” little bit of steep rocky section, but I prefer that over boring pavement any day.

Once on the connecting trail, we passed a wire-fenced trail to our left. Continuing our theme of exploration, we took it. After a short bit, it linked up with what appeared to be a trail that starts in the development to the south. We instead turned right, back toward the Monserate Mountain trail. The trail hugged the contour of the mountain and crossed several gullies with some nice wooden bridges. We reached a junction, and the main trail appeared to continue westward back to the development, while the other trail, we assumed, linked with the trail we started on. Our assumptions were correct, and we found ourselves back on the familiar trail. Once at the trailhead, Rick and Andrea offered me a cold Diet Coke, which I gladly accepted. We chatted a bit more, but soon those forecasted showers started, so we bid farewell before it really started coming down. Hopefully, the weather will be better next weekend and we can go climb something in the desert. The discovery of this new alternative section for the Monserate Mountain loop has my full endorsement. I logged this route at 3:93 miles with an elevation gain of 1,234 feet. The moving time was 1:51.

Woodson Mountain (via Fry-Koegel Trail)

With my usual hiking companions busy, I decided to start working on this year’s San Diego Six Pack of Peaks challenge. I debated between Volcan Mountain and Woodson. Since I did not feel like making the long drive out past Julian, so Woodson it is. I opted to ascend via the Fry-Koegel trail and descend via the service road. Unlike last time, I started after the sun rose. While cars lined the road near the usual trailhead, no one was parked near the trailhead for Fry-Koegel. It was chilly, so I did slip on my light fleece before setting off. The trail follows the backyards of some homes for the first part of the trail. This time there were some lovely smells of breakfast cooking…

Some mushrooms lined the side of the trail as I worked my way westward. After a bit, I shed my fleece and secured it to my waist pack.

A few folks passed me returning either from their earlier summit or a morning walk with their dog.

Reaching the junction with the old Fry-Koegel trail and the new Fry-Koegel trail, I opted to take the old route again, in part to compare my times.

Once on the trail that leads up from Lake Poway, I cruised toward the summit. But first I would pass by the “famous” Potato Chip. I have been out on it several times, so I could bypass the Disney-like lines to climb out on it. Now I did snap a photo with my San Diego Six Pack of Peaks Challenge Legacy badge before cresting the summit.

I slipped my rubber tips onto my trekking poles, as the rest of the hike would now be on asphalt. Streams of hikes huffed and puffed their way up the road. Some were clearly not happy about the steepness of the route they were taking.

Soon I found myself back along the road. A sheriff’s car was parked right at the trailhead, and almost all the cars had a warning flyer about keeping valuables either at home or out of sight. In fact, there was broken glass from two smashed windows near where I parked. Thankfully, I had no issues upon my return. I tracked my hike at 5.3 miles in 2:19, with an elevation gain of 1,410 feet.

Sentenac Mountain

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.

Ghost Mountain

These were to be my first desert hikes of the season. The plan was to hike a couple of easier ones to see how my neck does with some more intense hiking. I thought why not pick two that Ted needed to summit? Since the three of us (Ted, Susie Kara, & I) had not hiked together in some time, we had some catching up to do on the long drive out to the desert. After a quick bio-break, we continued on to the trailhead for Ghost Mountain, only to be reminded that Ted had done this hike before! D’oh! So much for knocking two out for his lists. We thought of pivoting to Pinyon Mountain, which I knew he needed but decided to stick with the plan.

We cruised up the mountain without issue. It was a tad nippy but soon turned to perfect desert hiking weather. After a quick stop at the Marshall South homestead, we pushed onto the summit. We signed the register, surveyed the view, and then headed back down.

Gaviota Peak

I previously had hiked Gaviota Peak after watching a SpaceX launch from nearby Vandenberg SFB. I found a spot in the parking lot, filled out my day pass, dropped my $2 into the slot, and slipped the stub on my dashboard. After gathering my gear, I set off up the trail. Since there were several cars in the lot, I knew I would be seeing other folks on the trail.

I opted to take the same route up as last time, as I was planning on using the Trespass Trail for my return from the summit. Since I was not racing to meet some friends for dinner, I also had time to take a short detour to see the hot springs. The spur trail was well marked, so off I went. The trail was a bit muddy, so a little care needed to be taken. A smell of sulfur hung slightly in the air from the creek as it flowed past. I came to the hot springs. The couple that had headed out as I pulled in were enjoying the waters. We chatted a bit before I let them enjoy their soak. The spur trail connected back to the road and I continued making my way up towards the summit.

A few runners passed me returning back from their summit, while I continued my journey upward. The ocean came into view and I knew the summit was just a short push more. As I reached it, another hiker was just about to head back down. She had come up the Trespass Trail, and I mentioned that I planned to use it for my route down. She asked about the other route as she always uses the Trespass Trail. I gave her the basic info about the route, and she headed down.

I snapped a few photos, had a snack, mixed up my electrolytes, and set off. Unlike the wide road that I took up, I was now on a traditional trail. While I did have some nice views of the ocean and the Channel Islands, the poor condition of the trail had me paying attention to my footing.

After a bit, the hiker from the summit decided to stick to her tried and true route and caught up with me. Oh, to have young knees…

As I reached the junction with the Tunnel View Trail, I opted to take it. I figured it would provide a nice view of the Gaviota Tunnel. Turns out I was right. I was starting to get hungry, so I did not linger. I soon rejoined the Trespass Trail, then shortly thereafter the main trail. I tossed my gear into the car, changed shirts, and headed to Figueroa Mountain Brewery for lunch and my free beer, courtesy of taking the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge. The stats for the hike were 6.4 miles, with a moving time of 3:12 and 2,138 feet of gain. Just one more peak to summit and this challenge will be complete!

Broadcast Peak

As the end of the year was drawing near, I knew I needed to focus on finishing my various Six Pack of Peaks challenges. I wrapped up the SoCal challenge a few weeks ago and was down to one more peak to complete the San Diego challenge (I am looking at you Hot Springs Mountain…). I still had three left for the inaugural Central Coast challenge. So I hatched up a plan to knock them out in one trip. I drove up and stayed in Carpinteria to help reduce the impact of the driving on my back. I would have camped somewhere, but could not locate an available campsite. I stayed at the same hotel I had back when I recorded courses for LinkedIn Learning (née Lynda.com). Woke up before sunrise and headed to grab my traditional pre-hike breakfast at McDonald’s. This McD’s no longer has a drive-thru, so it was either go inside and order or use their mobile app. With my biscuit, hash browns, and coffee, I set off to Broadcast Peak.

I exited the 101 at Refugio and headed up the canyon, passing a few farms before the road began climbing. Thanks to discovering the YouTube channel “Subietrails”, I knew that I would have a paved road almost all the way. As I wound my way up, a few quail would scamper across the road. Then I spotted a bobcat darting along the road before diving into the brush. That was a first for me! Once I reached the crest, I turned onto West Camino Cielo and worked my way eastward. Due to some poor planning on my part, I found myself staring straight into the sun at times. I would have to stop and put my head out the window to creep along until I could see properly again. You’d think after attending UCSB I’d remember those mountains run east-west!

Finally, the paved road ended not too far from Santa Ynez Peak. Broadcast Peak was about a mile away, so if I did encounter an issue, it was now easily hikeable. Thankfully, the road was in fine shape. Once at the turnoff to the summit of Broadcast, I debated whether should I park here and hike the last bit, or just use my nifty new tires and drive up. The latter option won. I navigated the first real rut of the trip, then parked at the summit.

The views were incredible. To the south, I could see 4 of the Channel Islands. Off to the north was Lake Cachuma and the rest of the Santa Ynez valley. I was fairly certain I could spot Gaviota Peak off to the west. I tried to see if there was a summit sign tucked away somewhere but did not discover one. I snapped my photos and headed back down. Along the way, I spotted 3 mule deer off to the side of the road. Once back at the 101, it was a short 15-minute drive to the Gaviota Peak trailhead.

Corte Madera

When I set out to do another round of the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge, I wanted to try to do some of the peaks in different ways, whether it was a new route or an overnight trip. I had initially planned to do Corte Madera as an overnight trip. I knew a few camping options along the route that would be perfect. In fact, one of Derek Loranger’s friends had done just that. With my back issue, however, I was not allowed to carry any weight on my back. I had been doing all my hiking with my Osprey Talon 6, and it was working out pretty well. So, if overnighting on Corte Madera was not an option, maybe there was something else. I had seen vehicles on Los Pinos Road near the Corte Madera trail, so maybe I could drive up Los Pinos, then down to the spot and start from there? I set out solo to give this a try. I was a bit apprehensive, as I was unable to get any details on the road after Tropical Storm Hillary hit San Diego. The road to the top of Los Pinos was in fair shape, but the road up Palomar was certainly worse. At the junction, I switched the car into X-mode and began the descent. The road was rockier, but seemed to be ok. Then I heard a very loud bang! I stopped, got out, and saw that my right front tire’s sidewall had completely blown out. Well, that really sucked. I nursed the car to the side so as to possibly leave some room for a car to pass (honestly, I doubted it was big enough for a car, but was enough room for a motorcycle). I then set about swapping out the tire. Unfortunately, the Outback does not have a full-size spare, so I was left using my ‘donut’. Once the tire was swapped, it was on to the next problem–there was no way for me to turn around. So, do I continue down to find a place to turn around and climb back up, or carefully back out? I had not gone more than 1/10th of a mile, so I thought that backing out was a better option. So, I worked my way back to the junction and headed down. I had a cell signal, so I called my wife to inform her of the issue and to have AAA meet me at the Buckman Springs Rest Area, as the donut needed some air to make it back into town. I made it down with no issue, and Bruce from Campo Towing arrived soon after I did and aired up the tire. Once back home, we upgraded the tires to a more off-road capable style, so as to lessen the chance of this occurring again…

Fast forward two weeks. I finally had a chance to return to Corte Madera and decided to try the road again. I did bring my compressor this time, just in case. A bit of rain had come through the day before, so I wondered what the road would be like. As I drove up toward the lookout tower, a few puddles remained, but overall, the road seemed okay. The new tires felt great. Once at the summit, I stopped and got out. I started down the road, focusing on the challenge ahead. I decided to walk it for a bit just to get a feel. That is when I got a good sense of how muddy it was and that a nice layer of pine needles also covered the road. The road up is almost completely exposed so that part had dried out more, while the west side of the mountain was fairly well covered in trees. I did not want to risk getting stuck in the mud or worse, end up sliding into something. So, with that, I retreated to the standard starting point for Corte Madera. I made a quick pit stop at the vault toilet at the Corral Canyon Staging Area. When I drove past it on the way up, it was empty. Now a minivan was there. Hum, I wonder if I would catch them. They had at best a 20-minute head-start. I grabbed my gear and opted not to put on my light fleece. While it was chilly, I knew I would warm up soon.

I slipped past the gate to the road that the few homes back here use and cruised up the road to the Espinoza Trail. A neat mushroom caught my eye along the way and I snapped a picture. A large white sign pointed at the trail junction and I began the climb to the Espinoza Saddle. Sections of the trail were pretty muddy and I could see foot slips outlined in the mud. This reinforced my decision that not driving down was the right one. I reached the saddle and got even more evidence about the condition of some of the roads. I then turned right to continue on Los Pinos Road for a short bit. Except for one large puddle, this section seemed drivable, but it was also exposed to the warmth of the sun. There were no ruts or washouts, so maybe next year?

I began the steeper section of the hike up and around Coulter Peak. It was there I caught the two hikers from the minivan. We chatted while they were catching their breath. I let them be and continued on. The chute was in pretty good shape, although you could see that one rock had moved and was stopped by another. From there, just a few minor ups and downs to the summit. Along the way, I stopped at one of the possible campsites to examine more closely possible places to pitch a tent. There were about 2-3 that looked pretty good.

I got to the summit, my pants and shirt a little damp from brushing against the vegetation. I snapped a few photos and had a snack and some well-earned water. About 15 minutes later, the two hikers joined me. We chatted a bit, and I helped orient them to the surrounding peaks. I bid them farewell, as I went to try to find one more possible campsite. Just off the main trail, I spied the clearing and went over to survey it. It also had about two possible spots to pitch a tent. It was very close to the summit, so it might be the one I opt for when I do this hike as an overnight.

On the way back down, I passed several more hikers making their way to the summit. Once back on the Espinoza trail, my main goal was not to slip on the mud and have to deal with that. Thankfully, my footing was solid the whole way. As I cruised down the road, I could hear the occasional jet flying high overhead en route to San Diego. Then I thought I heard a small engine overhead. Nope, it was a Nissan Maxima behind me. One of the residents was driving out. I stepped aside and he drove slowly past. I caught up to him just as he was closing the gate behind him. I asked about the sign onto the Espinoza trail–did that many hikers miss the turn? He replied, “more than you think”. We chatted a bit more and he headed into town for groceries and a stop at the library. I tossed my gear in the car and headed home. One more summit to go and I will finish the San Diego Six Pack of Peaks! I clocked 6.7 miles with a moving time of 3:11.

Lusardi Creek Loop

I decided to hike the Lusardi Creek Loop after work. The Black Mountain Sports Complex was quiet since it was the day before Thanksgiving and found a parking spot in the shade by the trailhead.

I made my way down the utility road until I reached the turn-off to the Lusardi Loop Trail. I passed a nice bench, perfect to take a nice breather, and just admire the views. The trail reconnected with the utility road, which I took as far as under the bridge. The creek was flowing, mostly from urban run-off.

I retraced my route, this time taking the other branch of the loop upon my return. Soon the sports complex came back into view. This was a great little hike with just enough to get your heart pumping.