The El Capitan Hike - The hike of all san diego hikes

Brutal. And brutal all the way up. And brutal all the way down.

First Thoughts: Of all my past hikes, the easiest part of hiking was the one where you reach the top and then you back down to the starting point where its all supposed to be downhill and easy. Not quite so for the El Capitan trail. The 12 mile trail (with a sheer 4000 feet of elevation gain in just six miles) snakes it way across several smaller hills with really steep ups and downs before you get to the topmost part of the mountain and then back. As such, it gets pretty difficult on either directions. The trail is considered extremely strenuous even for intermediate-to-advanced hikers and you have to be not just in better physical condition but also well equipped with plenty of water, a hat and a snack to help you through.

My Gear: Having learned my lesson well from the last San Bernardo hike (where I attempted that six mile hike over an elevation of 1000 feet with just a 20 oz bottle of water and temperatures hovering at high nineties), I geared up fairly well for the El Capitan. A generously packed day pack (Futura Pro 42) with a snack, 100Oz water pouch (CamelBak 3L Unbottle), a few extra bottles of water just in case, a nice big hat and plenty of sunscreen.

Mistakes Learned: I still made a couple of mistakes by ignoring two more critical items (good hiking shoes, and walking sticks). Your hike shoes need to have a really good grip (and mine were basic nike running shoes) and those walking sticks can be a life saver. Because of those steep up and down climbs, those walking poles can you give you good support. It is very easy to slip and if you do, the trail is pretty rocky and one side of the trial often tapers in a dangerously sheer vertical drop. But I nevertheless did the trail without them and survived. A bad choice and I got lucky.

Solo all the way to the top and back: I decided to go solo on this hike since my hiking group consisted of pretty advanced hikers and I knew there was no way I can catch up to their speed. I also wanted to do it at my own slow pace (since I was a beginner hiker), and enjoy the scenery around and spare some time for photography.


The El-Capitan himself!!!


No wonder its called the old jeep's trail


Wild Flower


Somewhere close to the top


Burnt Trees - Remands of California Wild Fires


Wild Plants


Wild Flower


Trail Pointer


Wild Plant

Sailing on The JADA, the all-wooden sailing boat from 1930s era

It's actually been more than a week since the trip and I can't seem to remember much except that it was fun (like everything else). The JADA is an all-wooden sailing boat built in early 1930s. It was my first trip abroad a sail boat so I was able to see in person how the sails were hosted and the boat navigated via the sails. Really interesting. Brad, I think was the shippie onboard, and I also met a professional photographer who gave some splendid tips on photography.

Some of the pictures that I took while I was abroad the JADA:


Enjoying the sun:


Pirates Ahoy!!!


Sheesh..musta got on the wrong boat..THAT's the boat shud hav bin on:


Hmm...


Hmm....


Hmm...what do you think this is? titanic?


Hoisting the sails:


Ship engine/navigation control:


Cabin:


And I thought I had parking problems:

San Bernardo Mountain Hike (19th April, 2009)

Whew! While there was not much of scenery involved on the hike, this was to be my first seven mile hike over an elevation of about 1000 feet, and at day temperatures hovering at high nineties. The trail was a mix of flat dirt trails and some steep rocky climbs and way too demanding for a beginner hiker like me. But Stephen from my hiking group who turned out to be professional hiker gave me plenty of useful tips that I definitely intend to follow for my next hike.

I wish I could have taken more pictures along the trail but I was so dead exhausted and at one point, almost decided to turn back with the rest half of the group who couldn't take the high temperatures any longer. But Stephen, Jen and Martin stuck on to continue up the trail, and I am glad I decided to tag along. Nothing is more thrilling than the experience of reaching at the top. One more mountain conquered. Veni, Vedi, and Vici, my roman and non-roman brethren.

And yup, this time I learned my lesson. Plenty of sunscreen lotion, lots of water and some snack bars can really make a huge difference.

Martin, Jen and Stephen at the top of the bernardo mountain:


View from top:


Trail Path:


Poison Oak!

Cowles Mountain Hike (17th April, 2009)

My second hike trip came within a week of my first one. This time I picked up Cowles mountain. At an elevation of around 1600 feet, at the top of the mountain you get to see a panoramic view of the entire city of san diego. It's also supposed to be the highest hiking spot within the city. The trail covers a distance of about 1.5 miles snaking its way across to the top of the mountain. The altitude change is somewhere within 1000 feet.

I started off my hike at around 6.30. I was about 20 minutes late so I missed my hiking group who were already half way up the mountain. Since the trail wasn't too difficult and plenty of people around to help if I happen slip and broke my leg or something , so I decided to go ahead, solo. But starting at 6.30 was a bad idea as I tripped over a few rocks and sprained my ankle since it became pretty dark on the way back. Definitely would advice anybody to avoid night trails unless you are really familiar with the trail itself.

Cowles Mountain is also an excellent place if you are into stamina training. It would be one of my main reasons to be go back there on a regular schedule.

Some more pictures of this place below:

Torrey Pines Glider Port Hiking Trip

Hardly 3 days after moving from East Coast (New Jersey) to West Coast (San Diego), I decided to check out some of the more notable hiking spots closest to my new home. And I picked Torrey Pines Glider Port Park for my first hike in San Diego. And ohboy! I certainly wasn't disappointed.

The drive to the hiking spot itself was something to appreciate about, as I cruised along the Torrey Pines Scenic Drive Road. At the end of the road you arrive at the Torrey Pines Glider Port park which seemed to be a pretty popular area for handgliders, paragliders, beachgoers, surfers, and hikers alike. If you happen to be into paragliding, definitely check out this website (http://www.flytorrey.com). I found plenty of parking space at the gliderport despite a large crowd. However the road inside the park is unpaved and very dusty and its just too bad if you washed your car recently because it most likely is going to end up with a nice coat of fine dust when you leave.

The hiking trail, leading from the top of the cliffs at the north end of the gliderport down to the bottom of the cliff leading to the beach (Black's beach) is over 350 ft high (according to Brett). And the views, like Brett promised, was simply breathtaking. While it does not take much time to walk down the trail and back up, but do it a few times in a row and you'll know how challenging it becomes. There is a also a side trail that splits somewhere in the middle (I believe its called the goat's trail or something) that is way more challenging (I was literally walking on fours on my third trip up but via the goats trail).

Some pictures of the trail below:

Picture from top


A broad view



Sideview from top


Steep and rickety rickety


Paragliders at dusk, on top of the cliffs