Distance: 9.5 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 3902' (Storm Canyon), 2086' (Troutman), 3247' (Square Rock)
Prominence: 982' (Storm Canyon), 346' (Troutman), 400' est. (Square Rock)
Elevation Gain: 3087'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 2.47
Round trip time: 6 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 102 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at turnout on S2
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined, route finding)
My first trip to San Diego County since completing the Sierra Club Peaks List was for Storm Canyon Mountain. It is a prominent and seldom visited peak at the mouth of Storm Canyon south of Vallecito Valley and north of the Sawtooth Mountains. On the way is the small Troutman Mountain. [FYI, Google Earth incorrectly labels Storm Canyon as Troutman.] If I had time, I'd explore two bonus peaks that sat below it, "Square Rock Peak" and "Sundown Peak". I drove south on S2 and parked in a turnout on the left that connected to a dirt airstrip. Troutman was about half a mile due south.
I crossed the road toward Troutman. Before reaching it, I had to pass through two barbed wire fences. I guessed there was a small inholding near the road before reaching Anza-Borrego State Park land. Note, you can bypass the two fences by following my return route just east of the parking area and ascending the south side. After four days of rain, the soil was soft. I went straight up the gully on the north side of Troutman, then turned right (southeast) to the summit. There were no marks and I didn't find a register, but there was a rusted chain on one of the boulders and I found some wire that probably held up a wooden post at some point. I had good views into The Portrero and Storm Canyon Mountain a couple of miles away. It was a steep descent down the south side of the mountain, then I headed over easy, open country toward the rocky northwest ridge of Storm Canyon.
On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair.
Granite Mountain on the right.
I never get tired of desert sunrises, they still move me.
From the turnout
Approaching Troutman
Storm Canyon Mountain from the Troutman summit
Another half mile and I ran into a third barbed wire fence. I started to wonder about property lines but was already committed to Storm Canyon. I stopped at the bottom of the gully for some energy, then began the steep trudge to gain the ridge. There were many deer and sheep trails around the gully, some of them going my direction. The ridge itself was mostly around 30 degrees with patches of brush and occasional light class 2. The hardest move was getting up a large off-width crack near the top. It was annoying going directly into the sun as it crested the summit. It was hard to see the path ahead even with sunglasses. On the summit, I found an unmarked metal pole and the register in a glass jar inside a red can. It was placed in 2006, but had only a small number of signatories. I like obscure peaks like this. There were extraordinary views toward Monument Peak and Garnet Peak, and the entire valley. The bonus peaks below looked challenging. As far as I can tell, only John Strauch, Eric Su, and Bob Burd have climbed them, but there might be others. After resting a bit, I decided to tackle Square Rock Peak, the farthest from my return path. I took some time to study the contours and make a plan of attack before descending to the major saddle below.
Gully
Monument Peak
Summit ahead, but blinded by the sun
Large crack
Looking down the ascent ridge
Sundown on the left, Square Rock on the right
My plan of attack on Square Rock
The descent from Storm Canyon was very steep, but the soft earth made it rather easy. It was almost like plunge stepping in snow. Once at the saddle, I climbed up to a plateau on the way to Square Rock. The gigantic outcrop of boulders above the plateau may have inspired the name. I passed a natural cave under stacked boulders and a wet pile of lion scat. I told myself it was wet because of the rain and not because it was fresh. Route finding was somewhat tricky. I pulled off a 20 pound chunk of rotten sandstone on my way to the top of the false summit, but the ascent never exceeded class 2. From the false summit, it was an easy walk to the summit of Square Rock where another pole marker had been set. There was no register or benchmark. On the way back, I thought about dropping directly into the saddle below Sundown Peak, but decided to backtrack on my proven route. When I got down, I found another pole marker on the main saddle between Storm Canyon and Square Rock. I had chewed up more time than expected on Square Rock and my provisions were low, so I decided to skip Sundown. It certainly wasn't going to be a quick diversion. I descended back to the open country and aimed for the east side of Troutman to bypass it on the way back. I hadn't expected to see anyone the whole day and didn't. It was a fun trip and desert triple play.
A square rock at the top of the outcrop on the left
Marker at the saddle below Square Rock
Other Reports:
Blair Traverse (Peaks for Freaks)
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