Middle Peak - Peak #20
Middle Peak
Elevation: 5,883′
Miles: 6
Trailhead: Los Vaqueros Trailhead
Agency: Cuyamaca Rancho State Park
Date Hiked: 11/01/2009
Peakbagger.com Page
For those interested, here is a list of my gear that I have found works well for me. This is, of course, an affiliate link and your enjoyment of these may vary:
Update 2022 - Middle Peak is no longer part of the San Diego 100 Peaks Challenge and has been replaced with Glen’s View, due to lack of a view coupled with a really heavy bushwhack
11/01/2009
This is another hike where I was fortunate enough to have someone come along with me. The PD was eager to do a little hiking since he's been addicted to mountain biking for the last couple of years. The days have been still warm, but not crazy-hot like they've been over the past few months. It turned out to be a perfect day.
On the way to the trail head, we stopped off to see some friends off, as they were taking the Green Valley trail to Middle Peak and back on their bikes.
We were happy to see an abundance of wildlife that seemed to show itself everywhere we looked. We saw several groups of deer and many gangs of turkeys in the morning light.
We then drove to the trailhead and saw more deer cutting their way across a meadow. They were too far away for me to snap a picture. With nearly 1,300' of elevation gain, we were in for a morning of decent climbing. The views from the trail were very nice.
We continued up the trail, which became increasingly "powdery." Once again, the trees around us were completely charred from recent fires. The PD, who had been on the trail recently, noted that the Forest Service had been busy clearing "widow-makers" and fallen logs since he had last been here.
As we climbed higher and higher, I began looking for any sign of the trail to the actual peak, as the fire road merely skirts the peak on its northern flank. Once we got to the highest point of the road, we could see what looked like a thinning of the brush that appeared to completely cover Middle Peak.
We started going off trail, reassured by occasional rock ducks. It wasn't long before we came upon a wall of brush with no apparent way through. Looking behind me, I saw a strand of shiny silver metallic ribbon tied to a branch. Looking over the brush ahead of me, I saw another.
We both realized that it would be necessary to force ourselves through 7-8' tall brush in order to make our way to the peak.
It had taken us 45 minutes to get to the top of the fire road. It took us an additional 45 minutes to go through .25 miles of brush, searching for the elusive silver ribbons, to the summit, where we found a pile of stones and a summit register.
We made our way back down through the brush, which was slightly easier.
Middle Peak Trail Map
