The Hill of Death

GOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES:
32*59'30.90" N
117*05'53.54" W
ELEVATION: 1,045 ft
HIKING TIME: 40 minutes
DIFFICULTY: Very Challenging

Why do I call it "The Hill of Death?" Although it takes only 20 minutes to get to the top, those 20 minutes are an extremely steep, rocky trail, straight up. This hike is more of a brief workout than an liesurely hike. The Hill of Death is a small hill (1,045 ft) that lies in a preserve just northeast of Black Mountain on the border of Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo. The trail starts where my street dead ends and follows along a creek for a few minutes, then wraps around to the east where the real elevation gain begins. The trail may be some kind of old service road, but it is very rocky. I think what makes this hill a challenging climb is that the elevation gain is exponential, and you don't get a break until you get to the top. It just gets steeper and steeper and rockier and rockier. Most of the time I come close to a painful fall on the way down because it is very slippery. At the top, you can see the ocean to the west (on a clear day), Palomar Mountain to the north, Mt. Woodson to the east, and Black Mountain to the south. I have seen a few good sunrises from the top. This is the hike I end up doing if I have to get back quick, or if I need a brief intense workout. Today it was a great hike (a lot easier to do mid afternoon than first thing in the morning)!

A view of the trail from the top