Iron Mountain

DISTANCE: 5.9 miles

ELEVATION: 2,696 FT

DIFFICULTY: MODERATE

TIME: 3 HOURS

32° 58' N; 116° 57' W

Iron Mountain is one of the most frequented hikes in North County. Located near the border of Ramona and Poway off Highway 67, it is the southernmost peak in the range of mountains dominated by Mount Woodson. Iron Mountain has a great peak that offers a good viewing point to the south to Mexico, west to the Pacific, and East to Cuyamaca Peak.

Parking for this hike on a Saturday morning can be a problem. Turn right where Poway Road T's with the 67, and you will see a long line of cars parked along the road. Not only is it a favorite among local hikers because of the view, but the trail is well worn, gradual in elevation gain with several switchbacks, and the distance is just about right for a good day hike. The wildflowers can also be beautiful in the spring. This hike tends to be preferred over the shorter hike up Mt. Woodson just to the north presumably because it is not as strenuous.

The trailhead starts right on the 67, and leads straight east for about a half mile before gaining any real elevation. At one point during that first half mile there is a fork to the left where the remains of an old mine can be found (to this day I still haven't done it so don't take my word for it; I've just seen it on several maps).

After about 1.5 miles, you come to what I consider the halfway point to the peak. You still haven't really begun to scale the mountain, which is just south of this T intersection. The sign gives you the option of going left .9 miles to the Ramona Overlook (I've done this a few times and believe it to be more than .9 miles) or right another 1.5 miles to the top of Iron Mountain.

The path to the top of Iron Mountain swings you around to the east side of the mountain where you began the ascent via several gradual switchbacks. There is no shade from this point on, so be prepared on a hot day. Soon you'll reach the summit, and chances are you won't be alone. There is a mailbox with a log book, and also a picnic table (I'm curious as to how that got up there). If it's a dry winter day, you'll get a good view of the ocean.

This mountain can also be climbed via a longer 9-mile route that starts at Ellie Lane north of Poway Rd. along the 67. I'll save that for another post . . .

El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan)

ELEVATION: 3,675 FT
DISTANCE: 11 MILES

TIME: 6 HOURS

DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS

I remember the first time I saw El Cajon Mountain. I was 15 years old, and we were heading out to Pine Valley for a Scout campout. As we approached the Lakeside area eastbound on Interstate 8, suddenly a massive rock of a mountain came into view. It stood out among all the others, and was distinguished by it's granite surface and sheer rock dropoff on the southwest side, a feature known as "El Capitan." About a decade went by before the beast of a mountain once again made an impression on me as I viewed it from almost every other peak I climbed in San Diego. Although there are several other San Diego peaks higher than El Cajon Mountain, something about it's location in the valley in between Cuyamaca and Mission Trails makes it look enormous.

I studied up on it and soon learned that the hike to its summit was considered by several sources to be the most strenuous hike in San Diego County. There are even a few designated helicopter landing sites along the trail to rescue hikers in unfortunate circumstances. Postings by experienced hikers said things like "nearly expired from lack of water," and "would not have made it if some passing hikers hadn't given me some food."

What makes it so hard? Well, for starters:

-It's 11 miles round trip - a considerable distance

-There is lots of uphill and downhill; overall expect a 4,000 ft elevation gain/loss

-There is little or no shade, so it can get very hot

So why would anyone want to do this hike? I guess it's really the challenge that drew me to it, and the feeling of having conquered it whenever I see it from other peaks. Not only that, it can be a beautiful hike in the Spring, as a wide variety of wildflowers flourish here.

I was accompanied by Matt and Kent Sommer on this hike, as part of their preparation to climb Half Dome. We started from the trailhead located at Blue Sky Ranch off Wildcat Canyon Road at 6:45 a.m. Although overcast at first, by 7:45 the fog had completely burnt off, and it started to get hot. The first two miles of the hike led us past Blue Sky Ranch, up a series of switchbacks to a first peak, then past the base of Silverdome, the largest granite monolith (the whole mountain is one big rock) in San Diego. Up to this point, the hike was only moderately difficult.

The first real challenge came around mile 2.5, as we approached the base of the Mountain and begin a long steep climb up to the first saddle. We stopped to rest once along the stretch and then again when we reached the saddle. By this point, the backs of our shirts were already soaked in sweat. After downing some energy bars, energy gel, and lots of water/gatorade, we pressed forward.

All that elevation gain was quickly lost after about a half mile, when suddenly we began to descend rapidly down a slippery granite section of the trail. Around mile 4.5, we were required to hop a few chasms in the road formed by a spring in the mountain. Around the spring there was a lot of lush vegetation and a few unique flowers like the lilies show here.

Shortly after passing the spring, the uphill climb commenced again. We passed the rusty remains of an old jeep that somehow made it this far, but not surprisingly never made it back and was abandoned. Soon we reached a very prominent saddle, which gave us three choices, like a "Choose Your Own Adventure:"

1) The fork to the left (east) is a 1/2 mile uphill climb to the 3,675 summit up a narrow, difficult to follow trail

2) The fork straight ahead (south) through signs that mark private property is an additional two miles to the sheer south face of El Capitan

3) The fork to the right (west) leads .2 mile to a shorter 3,367 summit

Our goal was to conquer the mountain and enjoy the full panoramic view, so we went with option number 1. The 1/2 mile trail to the summit was narrow but fortunately frequent stacks of rocks confirmed that we were on the right path. The highest point of the mountain was a pointed boulder with just enough room for one person to stand.

After a brief lunch at the summit and some time identifying many of the other peaks within view, we began the trek back. The uphills we encountered on the way up now became slippery downhills, and a few times my momentum was tough to slow down and I almost took a few nasty falls. I recommend taking the downhill slow if you can. There was also plenty of uphill on the way back, which had us pretty burnt out after a while. We made it back to the car at 12:15, so the round trip time for us was 5.5 hours.

As Bear Grylls from Man vs. Wild would say, "This has been an incredible journey."