Josephine Peak

Hiked: 12/26/2022
Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 5558'
Elevation Gain: 1900'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.5
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Clear Creek Ranger Station
Difficulty: Moderate

Leisa and I ended the hiking year on Josephine Peak (HPS #229). We got a leisurely start around 9:00 AM and had to park in the overflow lot at Clear Creek Ranger Station. A half dozen other parties were also getting ready or getting started up the Josephine Fire Road. The road is smooth and in great shape. The gain is steady but never steep as it switchbacks up the mountain. Near the top, it goes around the north side, then spirals around to the summit. There are some antennas on top, a full register, and a benchmark stamped "Mount Lowe". The official Mount Lowe is now near Echo Mountain, so Josephine must have been renamed after the mark was placed. Nice 360 views, especially of Strawberry Peak. We shared the summit with several other hikers, then made great time down. A pleasant hike in unusually warm weather.

Downtown LA, Catalina in the background

El Cajon (3x), El Capitan, Silverdome II

Hiked: 12/23/2022
Distance: 12.2 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 3675' (El Cajon), 3367' (El Capitan), 3177' (Silverdome II)
Elevation Gain: 4121'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.3
Round trip time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 100 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Wildcat Canyon Road
Difficulty: Strenuous

This was a training hike to log some elevation gain before year end. It was my third summit of El Cajon, and I picked up two new sub-peaks, El Capitan and Silverdome II. I parked at the normal trailhead on Wildcat Canyon Road and was one of a dozen cars in the lot. I followed the road up to the start of the trail. I had forgotten there were restrooms where the trail started, a nice convenience. I started at a brisk pace, going up and down the hills on the main trail. It's about 5.5 miles to the top of El Cajon and I made it in a single push. There was a new metal sign on the summit, but no register. The benchmark was still in tact on one of the boulders.

I descended back to the main trail, then took the signed trail to El Capitan. There was a metal shed near the top filled with trash. A metal pole marked the summit on a small boulder. I checked out the highest boulder on top and found no marks or register. It had a great view of Silverdome II, and I was tempted to head directly to it. However, with no trace of a use trail, I thought I'd probably regret it.

Final approach to El Cajon

El Cajon from El Capitan

Silverdome II from El Capitan
I returned to the main trail and dropped down and back up a few hundred feet to the saddle between El Cajon and Silverdome II. There was a short trail that led part way up Silverdome II, ending at three mine adits decorated with wreaths. Each went back only 20-30'. The next half mile or so was a moderate bushwhack. First, I started up toward the ridge, using boulders when possible. I tried to head around the first cliff on the right, but got bogged down in brush well over my head. Then, I headed left of the cliff and found lighter brush, mostly knee to waist high. I climbed up a false summit, then saw the true summit further away. The summit boulder was about 15', class 3 with good holds and minimal exposure. Below it, I found a register placed by Larry Edmunds in 2019. It only had 10 signatures, counting my own. Bob Burd signed it May 27, 2026. Now, I know his secret to prolific peakbagging, he is coming back from the future! Eric Newcomb bagged Silverdome II in 2014, so there have been others. I understand the dearth of visits, the brush can be disconcerting. I found a much better path on the way back. The descent had more gain than I remembered, but that was the point.

Bushwhack from here, lightest brush is left of the boulder line in the center

Summit boudlers

El Cajon from Silverdome II

Circle Mountain

Hiked: 12/16/2022
Distance: 2.6 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 6880'
Elevation Gain: 975'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Lone Pine Canyon Road turnout
Difficulty: Easy

A storm the previous weekend dumped some snow in the local mountains. I thought I'd reacqauint myself with winter gear on an easy mountain just outside Wrightwood. I wasn't sure from the NOAA snow map if Circle (HPS #122) got 2" or 8" of snow, so I brought spikes and crampons for a game time decision. The snow appeared to be 2"-3", so I left with spikes and no axe. I found a good use trail all the way up Circle and footprints from recent days. The south face of the mountain was completely melted, but the trail went up the NW slope where snow still lingered. At the top, I found a metal triangle marker, but no register or marks. Marks might have been under the snow. There were two benches installed for viewing. One to the north, and one farther away to the east. I visited the east bench, then came back for photos on the summit. The round trip from the truck was less than 2 hours. I was alone on the mounatin the entire trip.

Eastern bench

Mecca Hill Benchmark (attempt)

Hiked: 12/2/2022
Distance: 8.4 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 1600'
Elevation Gain: 1250'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.0
Round trip time: 4 hours
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Airport Blvd
Difficulty: Moderate (dangerous)

Mecca Hills are famous for their amazing geology and slot canyons, including the popular Ladder Canyon. Mecca Hill Benchmark is not the high point of the hills, but is difficult to reach from any direction. It is protected by badlands and broken terrain where topo maps and satellite views don't offer much insight. My friend Adam Walker found a route to the top of Mecca Hill on his second attempt, but it required climbing a loose, class 4 mud wall. It looked beyond my acceptable level of risk, so I tried to reach the same ridge line he used, but back at it's origin. I carefully studied the topo, and created my own route that deviated from his at the end.

I parked off Airport Blvd at a locked gate near the West Coast Sand and Gravel operation. Here is a Google Map from Palm Springs. I hiked past the gate toward Mecca Hill for about 2 miles before getting onto a snaking dirt road. Another mile or so got me to the base of the target ridge. I could tell as I approached it there was no easy way up. The start of the ridge was sandstone pillars uplifted vertically, wrapped in dried mud, and all of it severely eroded. I followed one of the canyons past the ridge and discovered one of the walls had collapsed, spilling giant monoliths into the path. I imagined this kind of collapse could happen at any time and anywhere on this mountain. I searched up a gully that I hoped would wind upward, but it ended abruptly at a 15' dirt wall. I returned to the ridge and spotted what I thought was an intentional cairn placed at one of the slot openings. I started up this slot, hitting class 3 early, and stopped at a large chockstone. It was an easy class 3 move to get over the chockstone, but I saw a crevasse on the other side of it, though there was a 3' ledge on the left. Everything felt too unstable and crumbled when I touched it. The ledge probably would have held my weight, but I was not feeling it. Had all of this been granite, I certainly would have continued. Instead, I flew the drone to get a better look at what was ahead. This slot might have gotten me to the ridge, but there were no guarantees. Maybe it was an easier way up, but I'm not sure. I doubt I'll make another attempt on this mountain, but I greatly appreciated the unusual geology.

Parked here

Start of the ridge

Wall collapse

Loooking back