Volcan Mountain

Peak Name: Volcan Mountain
Distance: 5 miles
Date: July 8, 2017 (August 3, 2019)
Summit: 5,719 feet

The San Diego River Park had scheduled a hike for later in the morning that I had signed up for, but I saw the forecast and decided to go earlier and beat the heat.

The climb to the summit was nice, except for the shady parts. That is when the gnats would become bothersome under the incense cedar. Toward the summit, the ruins of the cabin still stood, and I learned that this was a potential site for the observatory (Palomar won).

 

 

Only saw three other hikers along the entire trek. I did encounter a dog along the trail. Finally got close enough to grab its collar and call the owner. Turns out he wanders the trail and region all the time.

When I returned to my car, the scheduled hike was getting organized. One of the volunteers was getting ready to cart up some water partway up the trail. I chatted a bit and gave them a current trail summary.

This summit is the ‘starting’ point for the 2017 Crest to Coast challenge. Although I only summited one peak, it was a twofer.

Updated

Decided since we have a bit of a heatwave, a shorter hike was in order, so I opted for Volcan Mountain out near Julian. Funny the last time I did this hike was also during a heatwave.

As I set out, a group of Cal Fire firefighters also set out for some training. I quickly made my way to the summit. However, the bugs were out even this early, so I grabbed my bug net and tossed it on.

Once I reached the summit, I enjoyed my breakfast on the picnic table with a nice view to the west. Afterward, I went hunting for the benchmark. I found the two reference marks, but not the true mark. It might have been the metal pole?

I was soon joined by a fellow hiker and his dog. We chatted while his dog took a short breather. Once his companion was ready, we set off back down the mountain. As we made our way, we meet several more folks heading up. 

It was a nice hike for my 50th peak in my #100PeakChallenge!