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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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