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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Elevation: 6,560 ft.

Date Hiked: 10-10-2010

Trip Report:
Martinez Mountain is in the Santa Rosa wilderness in the desert of southern California. It is a difficult mountain to get to requiring a long approach. The most recent entry in the summit register was over a month and a half ago. For southern California mountains this is a long time. The plan was to bag both Martinez Mountain and Sheep Mountain with Mark, Florian, Lee and Paul from the meetup.com SoCal Hikers and Peak-baggers group.

Martinez Mountain

We started hiking at 6:45 AM from the Cactus Spring Trail head. The sun was just rising as started the hike, the temperature was cool which was perfect for hiking. The hike starts by descending into and out of a few steep valleys. There were trail markers along the way.

Trail Markers

As we ascended the last valley we got to the flats below Martinez mountain. After awhile on the flats we came to the intersection of Cactus Spring. We took a break here and enjoyed the views of the Santa Rosa mountains and the Desert Divide all the way to San Jacinto.

Santa Rosa Crest

Typical Trail

Around the spring area we saw a huge taranchula wondering the trail.

Taranchula on the Trail

We could see Martinez mountain as we approached the base. We talked about which gully we would descend after we had summited.

Martinez Mountain

The closer to the mountain we got the better the views of the Santa Rosa crest became. We had a good view of Toro Peak and could see the radio towers on the summit. As we moved toward the west ridge of Martinez Mountain the trail was easy to follow and provided some shade.

The Trail

Toro Peak Wide Angle

Toro Peak Close

Eventually we got the saddle where we turned up the west ridge. This is where we left the trail and tried to follow the faint use trail.

Mark Heading Up the West Ridge

Looking Back Toward Pinyon Flats

Toro Peak

Looking Up the West Ridge

San Jacinto and the Desert Divide

San Gorgonio

The higher along the ridge we hiked the better the views became. This hike up this ridge reminded me of the hike up Whale Peak I did last winter, the terrain was very similar. Eventually we crested the final false summit and could see the actual summit. It was only a few minutes and we were at the summit. The actual summit consisted of a 30 foot block which required one class 3 move to get to the top. The summit register was placed below this summit block. I made my way around the summit block and climbed to the summit on the west side.

Summit Block

Looking Down Toward the Summit Register

The views from the summit were amazing. We could see all of the Coachella Valley to the Salton Sea, we could also see most of Palm Springs. We could see all the way from San Gorgonio in the north to Rabbit Peak in the south. Cuyamaca and Stonewall Peaks were also visible in San Diego County.

The Salton Sea

Rabbit Peak

Stonewall and Cuyamaca Peaks

After awhile on the summit we decided to head down. We followed the trail a little ways and then on Mark’s direction veered off towards a gully which would make a much quicker descent.

Looking Down Toward the Gully We Would Descend

Florian, Mark and Paul Looking Towards Sheep Mountain

Looking Up the Gully

The descent was tricky trying to avoid the loose rock but eventually we made it back to the flat. Florian and I decided to skip the hike to Sheep, I had to be back into town earlier than the other guys and still had a two hour drive ahead of. We hiked back along the Cactus Spring trail and made it to the trailhead in 9.5 hours.

Martinez Mountain and the Gully We Descended

Martinez Mountain from the Trailhead

This was a great hike with great company, a perfect way to start the desert hiking season.

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Most of the couloirs I saw had lots of snow. The east side of the range had snow above about 8-9,000 ft. The snow in the Inyo Mountains had mostly melted.

The Beginning of the Owens Valley

Olancha Peak 12,123 ft.

Keynot Peak 11,102 ft.

Mt. Inyo 10,975 ft.

The Southern Sierra

Lone Pine Peak 12,944 ft.

Elevation: 4,229 ft.

Date Hiked: 2-13-10

Trip Report:
This was the second Omega Group hike I did and was also my second DPS peak. Although I have not hiked Jacumba Mountain I believe this peak to be the easiest DPS peak in San Diego county. This peak has two routes, a longer more gradual ascent from the west or a shorter steeper ascent from the east. We chose to ascend from the east.

Sombrero Peak Summit View

The drive is a long ways from anywhere in San Diego. It is off of S2 marked with the a sign that says Indian Gorge. To get to the trailhead you drive maybe 5 miles west on this road. I began the hike around 10:45 and made good time. I was still sore from the previous day on Indianhead but that left once I warmed up. I made good time up the initial ridge and could see the road going to trailhead below.

Road to the Trailhead

Once on top of the initial ridge the route climbs up another ridge which is about as steep as the first one. The terrain was mostly sharp desert plants and large boulders, perfect for climbing. When I finally reached the top of the second ridge there was only a small rise to the summit. I reached the summit at noon taking about an hour and 15 minutes to reach the top. The views from the summit were excellent. There was not a cloud in the sky and visibility was great.

Summit View East

San Gorgonio and San Jacinto

Monument Peak and Garnet Peak

The Summit

Mine Peak

Salton Sea

I stayed on top and waited for the group for an hour and forty minutes before descending. It took exactly one hour to descend.

The Trailhead

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

Our Descent Route Looking Down

Our Descent Route Looking Up

Palm Grove

Date Hiked: 2-6-10

Trip Report:
I had wanted to start hiking the Desert Peaks Section (DPS) list for awhile. This was one of the peaks on the list and was supposed to be a good climb with solid class 3 sections on the SE Rib route. The route climbs over 3000 feet from the desert floor to the summit in just a few miles on this route. This was also the third weekend in a row I had gone hiking. On Saturday February 6th it was raining throughout San Diego County. Since this peak was in the desert I gambled the weather would be better there.

Indianhead Peak

I left Escondido later than I wanted and arrived at the trailhead at noon. It rained the entire drive up to the decent to Borrego Springs. It was cloudy so I was hopeful the weather would hold. I left right away and began the approach over the flood plain to the SE Rib. The SE Rib is the left-hand ridge in this photo below.

The SE Rib

The ridge was difficult from the beginning, the rocks were wet and the rain began falling. The climbing was mostly difficult class 2 with a few class 3 sections up to the top of the rib. I made good progress arriving at the top of the rib in about 45 minutes. By this time the rain was falling harder and the upper mountain was becoming obscured.

Typical Climbing Along the Ridge

About 3/4 of the way up the initial ridge I was fortunate enough to see a Big Horn Sheep. I made some noise and it looked directly at me before scrambling up the ridge. This is only the second time I have seen an animal while hiking in San Diego

Big Horn Sheep

The rock was poor for most of the ridge which made the scrambling slightly more difficult. The angle eased up slightly once I reached the top of the initial ridge. I could see the route which lay ahead of me for the first time. It took just about an hour to reach this point. I began navigating the ridge until it joins with the summit area of Indianhead. This ridge was difficult to follow at times and had a few short class 4 moves.

Remaining Route

The rain was constant along this portion of the ridge. The clouds often obscured the remaining route and desert below. This reminded me of being on a high mountain somewhere even though I was only 2500 ft above sea level. The clouds would pass over the ridge and onto the desert. It was a surreal scene.

The Ridge

It took an hour to reach final section around 3500 ft. By this time is was 2 PM and I knew it would take at least 45 minutes to reach the summit leaving only about 2 hours to descend in the daylight. I decided to turn around, I was disappointed I did not reach the summit but I knew that I could come back another time for a second try. I knew this was the prudent choice because it was wet and I was by myself. Here is a photo of my highpoint right at 3500 ft.

Highpoint

I began to descend the same ridge I had ascended. Just as I thought this took just as long as going up. The clouds were still streaming past the ridge and the wind was beginning to pick up. I could see Borrego Springs thousands of feet below.

Borrego Springs

The Ridge Again

As I descended the sun began to come out and warm things up. This was a nice change from the rain. At this point I could also see the upper portion of the mountain which I had yet to climb.

The Upper Mountain

I continued to descend and made descend time. The route was so steep it I had to make sure each step had proper footing. While I was descending the ridge I saw a rainbow over Borrego Springs, unfortunately my camera was damp so this is the best shot I got:

Borrego Springs Rainbow

I continued down the ridge and decided to try and descend the right ridge instead of the left ridge which I used to ascend (right and left in perspective of looking at the mountain). This turned out to be a mistake, this ridge was very loose. Everything I took a step down I seemed to take part of the mountain with me. I will know for the future to use the left-hand ridge.

I arrived at the car around 4 PM taking 4 hours exactly from when I had started. This route reminds me the Northeast Ridge of North Maroon Peak in the Elk Mountains of Colorado, which I climbed a few years before. Although the elevation is vastly different the climbing is similar. The rock on both is poor and the climbing is very steep. Here are some photos from that trip:

Repelling Down the Ridge