Mark and I spent the afternoon tromping around the Cuyamaca Peak area. It turned out to be a great day for a hike. We checked two more peaks off our list and saw some cool stuff. The summit register on Japacha Peak looks like it's been there since 1979. That means that not a lot of people visit that peak--and that somehow, it managed to survive the fires.
Getting to Japacha is pretty easy, except for the last 200 yards or so. There's no trail to follow and the growth since the last fire is chaotic and dense. Mark and I came home very dirty and scratched. Good times!
The views from Cuyamaca were pretty impressive despite the bit of haze that was hanging around. We could easily see down into Mexico, out to San Jacinto, and if we squinted just right, maybe a Channel Island or two. We got a great view of Stonewall as the sun was setting on the way down.
We were treated to a little bit of wildlife, too. We got buzzed by a buzzard on the peak, and got to see some deer impressively leaping over the trail on the way down. A non-sighting turned out to be more interesting... mountain lion tracks.
We found just a little snow along the way, too.
As usual, here's the details for anyone who's interested. We left from Paso Picacho campground, and after all was said and done, I think we hiked a little short of 9 miles. I accidentally left my GPS on for the first 1/4 mile or so as we drove away. Oops. Click on the pics for bigger versions.
Nice work mountain men.
ReplyDelete