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Hiking to the top of Guatay Mountain

surfponto

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Posts: 1362

5/2/2016

surfponto

Administrator

Posts: 1362

In preparation of our upcoming Mt. Whitney hike we are attempting to summit many of the local peaks in San Diego.
Eventually we will have to up our game to get closer to the 14,505 elevation of Whitney but for now we are content doing local hikes. Our first hike was up to the top of Viejas Mountain so this would be our second training hike.

Guatay Mountain is just shy of 5000 feet and while we are very familiar with the area, we never done this hike. The mountain is home to a great selection of native plant species such as manzanita, scrub oak, yucca, sage and Tecate cypress trees which I have read are over 100 years old.

On our drive out , it looked like the cold, rainy weather might not be cooperating with our goal of summiting Guatay Mountain. Our friends who were accompanying us commented that had they been driving separately, they would have turned around at El Cajon.
"Babies!" I thought to myself.... JK Steve Just Kidding

The trail was very rocky and washed out in many places.

Blooming Yucca plant

Steve and Mary navigate a washed out section of trail on our way up

The higher we climbed, the thicker the fog.

Manzanita Berries

Shroud covered peak

Is this Indian Paintbrush?

Guatay Mountain

Log book and cache at top. Looked like somebody had summitted the previous day

You get a great view of the Pine valley bridge from a few vantage points along the hike.
edited by surfponto on 5/2/2016

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Hiking to the top of Guatay Mountain