ELEVATION: 3,675 FTDISTANCE: 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 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.
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."
