Unfortunately I did not summit a 14er this year, this will be a goal for next year. The highest elevation reached in 2011 was Trail Peak 11,605 ft.

Mt. San Jacinto

New Peaks (Sorted By Elevation)
-Trail Peak
-Telescope Peak (DPS)
-Rogers Peak
-Mt. Harwood (HPS)
-San Ysidro Mountain (HPS)
-Granite Mountain (HPS)
-Wilson BM (SDC)
-Pinyon BM (SDC)
-Bell Bluff (SDC)
-McGinty Mountain (SDC)
-Fortuna Mountain (SDC)

Repeat Peaks
-San Gorgonio X2
-San Jacinto
-Mt. Baldy (HPS)
-The Thimble (SDC)

2012 Goals
-Two New 14ers (Including White Mountain Peak)
-Jepson Peak North Ridge
-Rabbit and Villager Peaks
-Baldy Bowl (If we ever get snow)
-Snow Creek on San Jacinto (Again if we ever get snow)
-A Few Peaks in Anza Borrego
-Charleston Peak NV

Some Of My Favorite Photos Of The Year

San Gorgonio

Granite Mountain

The Ridge to San Bernardino Peak

Snow Near the Summit of Mt. Baldy

Telescope Peak

Jepson Peak

Carrizo Overlook

San Jacinto Summit Looking South

Trip Report:
Hiking up San Jacinto has become an annual tradition on new years eve. This was the second year Eric and I hiked to the top from the tram. It was a beautiful day and a fun hike.

Mt. Baldy and San Gorgonio From The Summit

We made the drive from San Diego and arrived at the lower tram station in time for the 8:15 tram. I always love driving along I-10 past San Jacinto’s north face. This year it was void of snow except for the very top. Unless we get a few big storms Snow Creek may not be in this year.

The trail from the ranger station was packed down and icy until the Round Valley sign. Past the sign the trail was packed but not icy.

Snow Near the Ranger Station

Round Valley Sign

River Crossing

Packed Trail

Rabbit Tracks

Enjoying the Day

We made good time along the packed trail. We did not need snowshoes the entire day, although if we ventured off the packed trail the snow was 2-3 feet deep.

Low Snow Year

Jean Peak

Cornell Peak

Low Snow Year

Eventually Eric and I made it to the Miller Peak saddle. From here it was a short hike to the summit.

Eric Along the Ridge

Nice Packed Trail

San Gorgonio

We reached the summit about 3 hours after starting from the tram. We took a break, ate some food and enjoyed the views on the summit.

Looking South

Eric on the Summit

San Gorgonio From the Summit

San Gorgonio 2010

Mt. Baldy From the Summit

The Upper Tram Station

The Sign on the Summit

Slightly More Snow Last Year

Myself on the Summit

Eric on the Summit

Summit Benchmark

After eating and taking pictures we made our way to the top of Snow Creek.

Snow Creek

San Gorgonio From the Summit

Eric Checking Out Snow Creek

On our way down we walked over to the hut and went inside. Last year the hut was buried in snow, this year it was an easy find. On the way down we made a few “short cuts” which didn’t work out so well.

Eventually we made it back to the tram for a round trip time of 5:45, about 2.5 hours faster than last year. It helped that there was much less snow this year than last.

2011

2010

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Trip Report:
Canyon Sin Nombre is a gorge in Anza Borrego near the Imperial County border. It as well a the Mud Caves are located in the Carrizo Valley.

Canyon Sin Nombre

We left San Diego around 8AM and made it to the desert by 930AM. The view over Canyon Sin Nombre from the Carrizo overlook was beautiful. The air was clear and the temperature in the 60s. We began driving into the canyon to find one of the many slot canyons to explore.

Mine Peak

The Road Into the Canyon

Carrizo Overlook

As we were making our way into the canyon we had great views of the surrounding mountains, many of which I had stood upon and many of which are on my list to hike at some point in the future.

Sombrero Peak and Monument Peak

Rockpile in the Canyon

It was interesting seeing how water has shaped this canyon. We could see evidence of recent rains all along the canyon floor.

Canyon Sin Nombre

Eventually we stopped near one of the slot canyons and ventured inside. It was fun climbing through the canyons and finding our way to the top.

Rocks Near the Slot Canyons

The Slot Canyon We Climbing Through

Inside the Slot Canyon

View From The Top

Jacumba Mountain

Sombrero Peak and Monument Peak

After wondering through a few of the slot canyons we drove to the mud caves just north of Canyon Sin Nombre. I had never been to the mud caves but knew they are a popular place in Anza Borrego.

The First Mud Cave

The first cave lead to a giant room inside the mountain.

The Second Mud Cave

The second cave was much longer and lead out to the top of a hill. There was a nice trial leading back down to the canyon.

Above The Second Mud Cave

The Trail Down From the Cave

The Third Mud Cave

The Canyon Near The Third Mud Cave

The Canyon Walls

Commercial Plane

Canyon Sin Nombre Panorama

This was a great first trip to this area. I plan on exploring it more in the future.

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Trip Report:
I went for a short hike along the PCT on Mt. Laguna to see the snow and experience the wind. It was a beautiful but cold day. Here are some pictures.

Monument Peak

Trailhead

Snow Along The Trail

PCT Marker

Monument Peak

The PCT

Anza Borrego Desert State Park

Whale Peak

The Rocks We Hiked To

Snow in Mt. Laguna

Mt. Laguna Panorama

Southern California Satellite Image

All Highlighted Locations Could See Significant Snow

Winter Storm Warning Link
Weather Radar Link

Trip Report:
Valley of the Moon is one of the premier rock climbing destinations in southern California. There are plenty of established routes and it is never crowded, it is also a great place to hike and explore. This area contains the point at which San Diego county, Imperial county and Mexico meet.

Valley of the Moon

Photo by Bruce

After leaving San Diego we drove an hour and a half east to the valley. The road to get in requires a 4×4 and is rough the entire way in. After making it in the valley we began to explore a few of the rock piles throughout the valley. It was a cold and windy day but enjoyable, here are some photos of the trip:

Valley of the Moon

Photo by Bruce

Valley of the Moon

Photo by Bruce

One of the Climbing Walls

Photo by Bruce

Photo by Bruce

Bruce and Myself

Photo by Joe

The Trucks

Photo by Bruce

Photo by Joe

Looking Over the Valley

Photo by Joe

Descending Into the Valley

Photo by Joe

Target Practice

Photo by Joe

Photo by Joe

Looks Like a Face

Photo by Joe

Climbing Down the Rocks

Photo by Joe

Rock Formations

Photo by Joe

Photo by Joe

Standing on Top of the Rock Formation

Photo by Joe

Valley of the Moon Panorama

Photo by Bruce

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Elevation: 3,409 ft.

Date Hiked: 8-20-2011

Trip Report:
Bell Bluff is a mountain in eastern San Diego county near Alpine. There is a nice trail which will take you near the top but some off trail work is needed to get to the actual summit.

Bell Bluff

I met Mark near the trailhead around 1:00 on Saturday afternoon. There is not much parking around this trailhead. We both found a spot to park and left for the trail.

Bell Bluff From Near the Trailhead

We followed the trail until we were below the mountain itself.

Near the Turnoff Point

From here we headed off trail and began to bushwack to the summit. There are blue ribbons which mark the use trail but it is difficult to follow.

Viejas Mountain

Mark Bouldering Along the Route

Looking Back at the Trail

The use trail to the summit was overgrown and looked like it had not been used in awhile which makes sense because smart people dont hike this mountain in the summer.

The Trail

Looking South

El Cajon Mountain and Viejas Mountain

Cuyamaca Peak

Mark Heading Up the Mountain

Eventually we made it to the summit. The summit was flat and had a register which form what we could tell would went back to 2000. There were only 5 entries since the beginning of April, not to many people make it out this way when the weather is hot. We also noticed a rock formation which appeared to be the high point of the mountain.

The Summit

Mark Near the Summit

High Point?

We made out way to this rock and tried to find the easiest way to the top. Eventually we found a route to the top. The views were decent for this time of year.

Looking South

Otay Mountain

After spending 20 minutes on the summit we headed down the mountain. We used the same route down except for one section where we had to stumble through a large group of trees.

The Trees

After awhile we found the trail and made our way back to the car. This would be a great hike for the winter when it is not so hot.

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Date Hiked: 7-30 to 7-31-2011

Trip Report:
This was a trip with the peakbaggers meet up group. The plan was to start at the Momyer trailhead, hike to Saxton camp then hike to the summit. The total mileage was around 26 with an elevation gain around 6000.

San Gorgonio

Dave and I arrived at the Mill Creek ranger station around 8:15 and met the other guys in the group. The weather report said a chance of storms for the entire weekend. After driving to the trailhead we started hiking, the trip to Saxton camp was uneventful. It was humid, hot but the trail was nice. A few minutes before we arrived at camp the weather broke. We quickly set up camp as the rain began to fall. There was also quite a bit of thunder and lightning.

Yucaipa Ridge

Campsite

Plummer Meadows

Charlton Peak

After a few hours the storm let up and it began to slowly clear. Originally the plan was to wake up early Sunday and hike to the peak but after reading the weather forecast we decided out best chance at the summit would be this afternoon. We geared up and left camp around 3:15. The hike to Dollar Lake saddle was easy, the trail wondered through Plummer Meadows. The weather was much cooler thanks to the thunderstorm. There was still a chance for another storm so we all watched the sky and were prepared to turn around if needed.

Jepson Peak in the Clouds

The Ridge I Descended in March

The higher we hiked the cloudier it became.

In the Clouds

Michael Setting a Nice Pace

Chris Hiking Up the Trail

Eventually as we rounded Jepson Peak we could see the summit area of San Gorgonio.

San Gorgonio Summit Area

Jepson Peak

Around the time we reached the intersection with the Vivian Creek trail the clouds began to clear.

Jepson Peak

San Gorgonio Summit Area

Around 6:00 PM we arrived at the summit. It took a little less than 3 hours from camp to hike the 6 miles to the summit. The clouds were still clearing but the views were beginning to open up. As we were arriving at the summit Paul, Mark and Aaron were leaving they arrived awhile before us and were getting cold so decided to head back to camp. In our group was Michael, Chris, Gong, Dave and myself.

July 30th

March 12th

We stayed on the summit for about 15 minutes before heading back to camp. We did not want to stay to long because we were not sure what the weather was going to do. As we made our way down it began to rain steadily there was also some hail mixed in with the rain.

Gong Chris and Dave Headed Back Down

Rain Headed Our Way

Jepson Peak

Dave and Michael Headed Down the Trail

San Gorgonio Summit Area

Dragonshead

Jepson Bowl

Ridge Down to the South Fork

Little Charlton Peak

Jepson Peak

We made good time down the mountain reaching Dollar Lake saddle in just over an hour and a half. The weather had cleared up by this time and we finally got to see the sun again.

Little Charlton Peak

San Gorgonio

San Gorgonio Through the Trees

As we were headed down from Dollar Lake saddle we enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Sunset

We arrived at camp around 8:30 for a five hour round trip. We talked for awhile then went to sleep. Around 4:30 the next morning we heard thunder and saw lightning. This lasted for an hour and a half. As we broke camp and made our way back to car it rained most of the way. We were glad we decided to go for the summit the night before because there was no way we were making it today. We finally made it back to the car around 9:30 as it began to rain harder, we got out just in time. Overall this was a fun trip up a different trail to San Gorgonio.

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Elevation: 11,048 & 9,994 ft.

Date Hiked: 7-16-2011

Trip Report:
I had wanted to hike Telescope peak for a long time and finally had the opportunity this weekend. Eric, Dave and I drove from San Diego to hike Telescope and see Death Valley.

Telescope Peak

After a 6 hour drive through traffic we made to to Mahogany Flat campground around 10PM on Friday. We set up camp under the full moon and quickly fell asleep. In the morning we woke up late got ready and began hiking around 8:45 AM. The late start was not an issue because the weather was nice all day.

Mahogany Flat

Beginning of the Trail

After hiking a short while we were finally able to see Telescope Peak.

Telescope Peak

Eric and Dave on the Trail

As we continued to follow the trail the views opened up to the east. We could see Badwater in the Death Valley and Charleston Peak in the distance.

Death Valley and Charleston Peak

The Ridge to Telescope Peak

The Trail

Eventually we reached the ridge where the trail winds around the west side of Bennett Peak. From here we has a great view of the southern Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Nevada

Telescope Peak Still a Ways Off

We followed the trail around Bennett Peak and toward Telescope Peak.

Telescope Peak

Along the ridge there were many flowers in bloom.

Flowers

As the trail wound around the mountain there were many Bristle-cone Pines above 10,000 feet.

Bristle-cone Pine

The higher we hiked the better the views became.

Badwater

Eventually we reached the summit ridge and only had a short ways to hike.

The Summit

Eric and Dave Taking a Break

Eric and Dave Near the Summit

About 3 hours after starting we made it to the summit. The views were excellent in all directions. We could San Gorgonio and Mt. Baldy to the south, the Sierra Nevada including Mt. Langley, Mt. Whitney and Mt. Williamson to the west, White Mountain Peak to the north and Charleston Peak to the east. We could also see Trail Peak where I was last week.

The Sierra Nevada

San Gorgonio in the Distance

Charleston Peak

The Summit Register

Eric, Dave and Myself on the Summit

We stayed on the summit for an hour enjoying the views and eating lunch. Eventually we made our way back down the trail. On the way back we decided to hike up Rogers peak to explore the buildings.

Bennett and Rogers Peaks

A Look Back at Telescope Peak

Eventually we made it to Rogers Peak. It was interesting seeing all of the equipment on the summit.

Rogers Peak

Carine Along the Trail

Dave and Eric Hiking Up to Rogers Peak

Equipment on the Summit

We made it back down to Mahogany Flats for a 6 hour round trip time. This was a great hike and will be back in the winter when there is snow.

Charcoal Kins On the Drive Home

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Date Hiked: 7-9-2011

Trip Report:
Trail Peak is small peak near Horseshoe Meadows and can be reached with an easy day hike from the Cottonwood Pass trailhead.

Trail Peak

We left the trailhead around 8:45 under a sunny sky and warm weather. It did not take long to reach the meadow where we crossed the stream. From the meadow we had great views of both Cirque Peak and Mt. Langley.

Trail Peak Close Up

Stream Crossing

Cirque Peak From the Meadow

Mt. Langley From the Meadow

From the meadow the trail gradually winds to Trail Pass. Once we arrived at Trail Pass we could see Olancha Peak to the south and we also met a few PCT hikers. After leaving Trail Pass we followed a trail around the north side of Trail Peak.

Trail Pass Sign

Cirque Peak

After following the trail for awhile we were about 1,000 feet below the summit. We left the trail and climbed straight to the summit.

Reaching Tree Line

Cirque Peak and Mt. Langley

Horseshoe Meadows

Snow Near the Summit

Telescope Peak

Before long we found ourselves on the summit. It was windy and cool on the summit but the views were great. Although the weather had been stormy in the Sierra the past few weeks today the start of clear cooler weather.

Great Western Divide

Cirque Peak and Mt. Langley From the Summit

Olancha Peak

Telescope Peak

Summit Ridge

Benchmark

Interesting Rocks On the Summit

We stayed on the summit around 20 minutes then headed back down to the trail. We took a slightly different route back down to the trail.

Mt. Langley

Trail Peak

Flower Near the Trailhead

This was a great hike with great views. This also my altitude record so far in 2011.

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Elevation: 10,064 & 9,552 ft.

Date Hiked: 5-28-2011

Trip Report:
This was the 6th time I hiked Mt. Baldy but the first time I hiked Mt. Harwood. Every other time I hiked Mt. Baldy I had descended the Ski Hut trail. This time I decided to descend the Devils Backbone Trail and bag Mt. Harwood along the way. Eric and Evan we along for the hike.

Mt. Baldy From Mt. Harwood

We arrived at Manker around 9:30 and began hiking not to long after. There were more people hiking than I had ever seen on Baldy, not surprising since it was a holiday weekend. The weather was warm near the trailhead as we began hiking. We were above the clouds to the west. We made good time to the hut where we took a quick break. From the hut it took another hour and a half to reach the summit.

Above the Clouds

West Baldy

There were still patches of snow near the summit. The wind picked up on the summit and I had to put a jacket on. We could see snow on both San Gorgonio and San Jacinto.

Snow Near the Summit

San Gorgonio From the Summit

Cucamonga Peak

San Jacinto From the Summit

Iron Mountain

Mt. Badden-Powell

West Baldy

Pine Mountain and Dawson Peak

Looking Toward the Sierra

We spent about a half hour on the summit and then made our way down toward Mt. Harwood.

Descending From the Summit

Mt. Harwood

The Baldy Bowl

Eventually we made it to Mt. Harwood. There was some interesting GPS equipment on the summit. From the summit of Mt. Harwood is was a quick traverse downhill to the backbone trail.

GPS Equipment on Mt. Harwood

Mt. Harwood Summit

Summit Cairne

The Baldy Bowl From Mt. Harwood

Descending to the Trail

Once we intersected the trail we made our way along the Devils Backbone. I had never been over this portion of the trail. It looks like it would be a fun hike in the winter.

The Devils Backbone

Eventually we made it to the notch where the chair lift was located. From here we hiked down the road to Manker flats.

Baldy Notch

Clouds Along the Road

Mt. Baldy Summit Panorama

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This fire started on May 8th around 10:30AM and has burned over 150 acres. There are currently over 300 fire personal assigned to this fire. This fire has prompted the closure of both the Momyer and the Vivian Creek Trails. I had planned on hiking Dobbs and Jepson peaks from Vivian this weekend but I guess I will have to make other plans.

Momyer Fire Map

Image Courtesy of https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ftp/InciWeb/CABDF/2011-05-09-13:31-momyer/picts/pict-20110511-195033-0.jpeg

Informational Links
www.rotwnews.com
www.inciweb.org
www.kbhr933.com
www.socalmountains.com

Elevation: 1,291 ft.

Date Hiked: 5-7-2011

Trip Report:
Fortuna mountain is on of the four mountains on the SDC list in Mission Trails park. This is a nice training hike not far from the city.

Fortuna Mountain

There is not a whole lot to report regarding this hike. Here are a few pictures from the hike.

Beginning of the Trail

Looking Toward the Mountain

Small Pond Near the Trail

Trail Junction

SR 52

Mt. Woodson and Iron Mountain

Looking Toward the Summit

Ammo Cans

Cowles Mountain

El Cajon Mountain

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Elevation: 2,183 ft.

Date Hiked: 5-7-2011

Trip Report:
McGinty Mountain is located in southern San Diego county near the city of La Mesa. There is a nice 4 and a half mile trail to the summit from the trailhead.

McGinty Mountain

From the trailhead the trail winds past a few very nice houses and eventually crests over a ridge. There is an old road along this ridge which winds directly to the summit. Along the way we saw an old mine shaft built into the side of the mountain. This was a nice 2 hour hike not far from the city.

View From the Trailhead

View Along the Trail

Lyons Peak

Lyons Peak From the Summit

The Summit Boulders

Trail from the Summit

A One Point This Was a Sign

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Elevation: 4,614 & 4,586 ft.

Date Hiked: 4-9-2011

Trip Report:
Pinyon and Wilson Benchmarks are located along a ridge known as Pinyon ridge. There is an old 4WD jeep trail that winds along this ridge. We followed this road along the ridge as we made our way to the top of both benchmarks.

Flowers Along the Ridge

Mark and I drove from the San Ysidro trailhead south across S22 to the start of the old jeep trail along Pinyon Ridge. We parked and began the hike along the road. The trail was easy to follow and we made good time. We wanted to get back to the car before sunset which was about 4 hours away. There were a few interesting rock formations along the road that people had created.

Looks Like an Eel

Toro Peak in the Distance

The views were great in all directions from the jeep trail. To the south we could see all the way to the southern end of the Laguna Mountains.

The Laguna Mountains and Granite Mountain

The Volcan Mountains Near Julian

Eventually we wondered off the road and made our way to Pinyon BM. The final section to the summit required a few class three moves.

Mark Climbing To the Summit

The view from the summit of Pinyon BM was best I had seen in San Diego so far. Pinyon Ridge has a central location in San Diego county so has great views in all directions. What sets this benchmark above the rest is the view both north and south. To the north you can see into the Borrego Valley. There is also an excellent view of Indianhead. To the south there is an excellent view of Whale Peak as well as Granite Mountain. After a short stay on the summit we headed for Wilson BM.

Indianhead

Wilson BM a Few Miles Away

Mark Headed for Wilson BM

Near the Summit of Wilson BM

Eventually we wondered around Wilson BM and made our way to the top. The view from this benchmark was not nearly as good as from Pinyon. We did have a better view of Indianhead.

Indianhead from Wilson BM

A Plateau to the South

The Summit Marker

Wilson Benchmark

Whale Peak to the South

Flowers Along Pinyon Ridge

After a short stay on the summit we left along the jeep trail back to the car. By this time the sun was slowly going down.

A Look Back at Wilson BM

Thunderstorm To the North

Sunset

Finally we arrived back at the car just as the sun had set and it was getting dark. This was a nice hike with great views of eastern San Diego County.

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Elevation: 5,779 & 6,147 ft.

Date Hiked: 4-9-2011

Trip Report:
This was the third time I was visiting this area, both times before I did not summit San Ysidro Mountain. Mark had not summited the Thimble or San Ysidro so we decided to tag both while we were here.

San Ysidro Mountain

We met along S22 and drove to the trailhead. From our parking spot it was a short distance to both the Thimble and San Ysidro Mountain. This was also a recon hike for an upcoming all day hike we had planned. The hike to the Thimble was easy and did not take long.

Making our Way to the Thimble

Snow on Palomar Mountain

The Thimble Summit

Ice and Snow Near the Summit

Most Tree Branches Were Covered With a Coat of Rime Ice Near the Summit

Near the summit the wind picked up and it was much colder. There was a coat of ice on all of the rocks and trees.

The Summit Blocks

The Summit Register

Myself on the Summit

Mark on the Summit

Mark found an easy descent route down the west side of the summit.

Mark Down Climbing from the Summit

Once we descended from the Thimble we traversed across to San Ysidro. We tried to follow the directions from the HPS website but ended up making our own path.

Looking Back to the Thimble

Looking Up to San Ysidro

The Thimble from Higher on San Ysidro

Getting Close to the Summit

The Summit Blocks

Rime Ice on the Summit Blocks

Once we arrived on the Summit ridge there was a nice flat area to set our packs and take a look at the summit register.

The Summit Area

Rime Ice

The actual benchmark was on a large rock which required a few fun moves to reach the top.

San Ysidro Benchmark

Mark Climbing to Reach the Benchmark

The Thimble From San Ysidro

Toro Peak

Rabbit and Villager Peaks

San Ysidro Summit Ridge

Granite Mountain and the Lagunas

After signing the register we made our way down the mountain and back to the car.

Looking Back at the Thimble

Clouds Above the Thimble

San Ysidro Mountain Pamorama