SoCal Hiking and Peakbagging » Blog Archive

DPS: #1
SDC: #17

Elevation: 3,960 ft.

Date Hiked: 2-12-10

Trip Report:
I attempted this peak just 6 days earlier in the rain and solo. I did not summit and wanted to return as soon as possible. This was a difficult climb and after completing it this week knew I had made the right decision by turning back last weekend. Although I had made it to 3500 ft. I still had hours of climbing before returning to the car. This weekend I attempted this peak again, this time with a climbing partner, Peter and in clear weather.

Indianhead Peak

For this climb we left at 8 AM 2 and a half hours earlier than last weekend. We arrived at the trailhead at 9:30 and began climbing 15 minutes later. The weather was phenomenal compared to the previous week. There was not a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the mid 60s.

The first ridge from the parking lot

We made good time over the approach to the ridge. When we got to the base of the ridge the climbing begins immediately. I tried the same method of climbing as I had the previous week, which was to climb at a good pace and try maintaining this pace. This worked well for the entire day.

Climbing the Initial Ridge

The climbing up the initial ridge was enjoyable, we stayed on the ridge proper to avoid the loose sand. The rock in this section is fairly solid and fun to climb. It took just about an hour to reach the top of the first ridge which joins the main ridge to the summit.

San Ysidro Mountain

We took a short break at the beginning of the main ridge and scoped out the route ahead. I was familiar with most of the route ahead because of my foray last weekend. We also had a great view of the palm grove which we would pass through later in the day.

Palm Grove

Looking Up The Ridge

Whale Peak

We made good time over the first 3/4 of the ridge. This section loses and gains elevation many times. We finally made it to the steep section before the final ridge to the summit. I had made it most of the way up this section the previous week before deciding to turn back.

Crux of the Climb

The Most Difficult Section

Looking Back Down The Ridge

This section of the climb our pace began to slow. It is very steep and there is not always an easy way up. More than a few times we had to retrace our steps and find a better way through a certain section. Finally we could see the top of this section. The top is marked with a metal pole known as the Lightning Rod. From here it was an easy stroll to the summit.

Borrego Springs

Lightning Rod

Looking Back To The Ridge

Where We Came From

Final Slope to the Summit

It did not take long for us to descend to the saddle and then ascend to the summit. The terrain from the top of the ridge to the summit was much easier than the ridge coming up. We reached the summit 3 hours and 15 minutes after leaving the parking lot. It was 1 PM. I singed the register, took some photos and took in the views. The view of the Santa Rosa mountain range is amazing. We could see snow atop Toro Peak from previous storms. It is amazing how fast the snow melts in the desert after a storm. Compare the next two pictures with the third.

San Jacinto

Square Top

Toro Peak

Rabbit Peak

This is the same mountain range 3 weeks earlier

Santa Rosa Mountains

Top of the South Ridge

We had discussed the way in which we were going to descend and thought the traditional route would be best. We thought it would take as long if not longer to descend the route which we came up. We descended the backside of the mountain and tried to find the best ridge to follow down to the valley. We ended up choosing wrong. The route we chose was very steep and definitely not the standard route. At times we almost stranded ourselves above 50 ft plus cliffs. We eventually found our way to the valley and were only about a mile past the palm grove.

Looking Toward San Ysidro Mountain