Distance: 11.1 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 3679'
Prominence: 1974'
Elevation Gain: 3770'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.0
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 108 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free in parking lot on Wildcat Canyon Road
Difficulty: Strenuous
This was a cardio endurance training hike to El Cajon (SDC #55). It was my fourth summit of El Cajon, third by the main trail. I love El Cajon as a trainer. It's more than 10 miles with 3770' of gain, about 700' of which is on the return, so it adds a mental toughness component. In past hikes, I've added one or more nearby summits (Silverdome, Silverdome II, El Capitan). This time, the nearby summits were Kumeyaay Promontory and Stelzer Summit in Stelzer County Park. It was foggy when I started, but I got above the clouds near Silverdome II, then descended back into the clouds, before climbing out again near the top. It was the usual steady grind. Despite being cool, the humidity had me sweating like I was in a steam room, drenched from the knees up. I met several parties during the day, but was alone on the summit. The benchmark was still in great shape. I didn't look for a register. I noticed several new things since my last visit. There were water coolers set up along the trail in two places. All of them were empty. The final quarter mile of use trail had a lot of green trail markers to guide people to and from the summit. A nice addition. The clouds started to burn off on the way down. It was an uneventful descent.
I like the angry sun.
See Also:
El Cajon and Silverdome
El Cajon South Arete
El Cajon, El Capitan, Silverdome II
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