juliaholland.org » The Great Outdoors

Mt Baldy via Ski Hut Trail

Julia — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:01:05 +0000

Nagging injuries and a long, tough hike the week before had us wondering if we’d actually be able to complete the hike but somehow we made it.

Definitely our hardest hike due to the elevation gain — summit at over 10,000 feet! Had a nice break at the top and in great spirits on the way back down via the Devil’s Backbone Trail.

Phil’s dad asked us to take the ski lift down for the last 3 miles and it probably was a good idea since I could barely walk for the next couple of days. Ha!

Time: 5:53 hours
Distance: 7.21 miles
Elevation Gain: 4,019 ft

Garmin Elevation

Snakes and a New Tire

Julia — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 05:36:40 +0000

Last weekend was our second camping trip to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It’s a great location. Just a few feet away from two of our favorite trails Cuyamaca Peak and Stonewall Peak. It’s also a good location to camp for trails in the Laguna area which are only a short drive away.

The first day we decided to hike Stonewall Peak in the late afternoon after setting up camp. Had a great hike and ran into our first rattlesnake. I’ve hiked in Cuyamaca and Laguna for years and this was the first time I’d seen a snake. Phil tried to get a picture but it rattled its tail and moved on.

The second day we headed over to the PCT and parked at Pioneer Mail. Walked a short hike over to Kwaaymii Point and then back south along the PCT to Garnet Peak. On our way back we saw another snake! Then at the car noticed a screw in my tire. Thankfully the tire held up for our trip back down the mountain.

No more hiking for a few weeks as Phil has a half marathon in August and we’ll be in serious training mode. Looking forward to the fall with cooler temperatures for hiking and camping. We might even try backpacking into our next campsite. Woo!

Anza-Borrego Palm Canyon Trail

Julia — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:00:29 +0000

So glad I made it out to Anza-Borrego this year to view the wildflowers. Many plants are in bloom right now but there were quite a few that haven’t yet so I’m sure the next couple of weeks will be beautiful too.

We walked part of the Palm Canyon Trail. It’s not far from the Visitor Center and parking was $8.

Birthday trip to Julian

Julia — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 20:59:20 +0000

For my 30th birthday Phil and I traveled up to Julian and stayed at a wonderful B&B Butterfield Inn. We hiked during the day and caught up on Lost at night.

The two hikes we made were both in the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. There was actually quite a bit of snow which we didn’t expect and made for some tough going on the trails. We managed to finish them both though.

Stonewall Peak Trail
~4 miles, Elevation gain of 900 feet. Took us about 2.5 hours. Sunny, beautiful weather.

Cuyamaca Peak Trail (Lookout Road)
~7 miles, Elevation gain of 1700 feet. Took us about 3.5 hours. Cloudy and cooler.

Mount Woodson via Lake Poway

Julia — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:59:33 +0000

Had a terrific time yesterday with Phil hiking Mount Woodson.

We started at Lake Poway and took Warren Canyon Trail until we reached the Mount Woodson marker. The entire hike took us about 3.5 hours and my Nike+ estimated 8 miles. Elevation gain of ~2000 ft.

This definitely was a more difficult hike than Iron Mountain (also in Poway). Worth the trek for the great views and neat boulder formations.

Iron Mountain Hike

Julia — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:00:38 +0000

The weather finally cooled off a bit (hopefully for a while) so Phil and I headed out to Poway yesterday to check out the Iron Mountain hike. It is mostly uphill/switchbacks but wasn’t too crazy. The hike up wasn’t too hard because of all the switchbacks and the trip back down was a great way to cool off before heading back to Carlsbad. There were lots of people on the trail (Saturday afternoon) so it would be a good hike if you were alone. My Nike+ calculated ~6.5 mi and it took about 2.5 hours. Elevation gain of ~1000 ft.

Garnet Peak Hike

Julia — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 19:52:59 +0000

We finally made it up to Mount Laguna yesterday to hike Garnet Peak. It was perfect weather and we made the hike in about 2 hours. Before heading home we stopped in Julian for dinner and picked up an apple pie – yum!

Some info about Garnet Peak:

Located at the Northern end of the Laguna Mts, Garnet Peak marks the boundary between the alpine mountains and the Borrego Desert below. Views include Monument Peak and the Stephenson Peak to the South, the Borrego Desert and Salton Sea to the East, San Jacinto and San Gorgonio to the North. On a clear day one can even see across the boarder into Mexico.