Saturday: get ready to ramble! Experience San Diego’s most beautiful and remote forests as we fiercely meander up to the highest point in San Diego County, Hot Springs Mountain, elevation 6,535’. This carcamp is on the Los Coyotes Reservation. Pre-day hike, we'll review basic navigation features on our map, and then practice "staying found" as we hike up 2,500’, following a densely forested fire road, starting in oak woodlands, climbing up into pine forest and remarkable boulder formations. The mountain top has an old fire tower. Scramble up a ladder and large boulders to arrive at our final high point and take in spectacular views. Saturday evening, we'll enjoy a potluck happy hour, a campfire, and spend the night in a beautiful campground. The dayhike is strenuous, about 10.5 miles, with several steep sections.
Sunday morning after breakfast we’ll do a tent tour, and if time allows, Dori and I will show you how to pack backpacks for comfort and efficiency. Then, we'll pack up and drive 20 minutes to our Eagle Rock trailhead where we’ll hike the PCT about 6.5 miles to an incredible rock formation. It’ll be a mellow wander along the open grasslands trail, ~988’ elevation gain & loss. This hike takes about 2.5 hours. Plan on arriving back to our park & ride by 3 pm.
Special Outing Requirements: Bring your car camp gear, 10 essentials. Hiking poles recommended. Bring 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast, & a snack to share. Bring good hiking /trail shoes, base layers for hiking, trekking poles recommended, warm jackets, windbreakers, gloves, hats, 20 degree F rated sleeping bag. It will be cold since we’ll be sleeping at about 4,000’ in a shady spot.
Water Requirements: Bring water for the weekend: ~2-3 gallons for drinking & cooking for Saturday & Sunday. |