On December 20th 0400 hours, I headed out to Anza Borrego near the I-8/Ocotillo area for a grueling hike to the largest wooden train trestle in the USA. This would be the hardest hike i've ever done. As most of you know, i don't hike often or all that far. This was roundtrip of approx 7 miles from camp and basically straight up and over a mountain then down the backside. Tons of boulder climbing, steep faces and loose snow/ice. The "trail" was commented by others as to be somewhat moderate on the internet and i strongly disagree. For a novice like myself, i was happy to make it back to camp. Out of 16 of us , 8 made it to the trestle.
Excited to get started, hiking from camp to the trail head. Approx 1.2 miles.
We had quite the group. It was nice to know we had 3-4 spots, couple 2 meter radios, FRS radios and a couple of medics with us. One pair of group members even chose to stay back at camp to radio as base camp. We all basically had camel backs, plenty of water, food and resources. Basically we were over-prepared. This a good thing though.
Most of the trail looked like this. Boulders. Without the GPS unit you can get off track really easy. It happened to us a few times. The boulders really took a toll on my knees.
We had to hike up and over many waterfall sections. Im afraid of heights, so don't ask me how i made it. I just did.
We made it to the Oasis. It was beautiful.
Felt like we were in a jungle. It was crazy.
I took plenty of breaks. I didn't need to kill myself. I chose just to cruise at my own pace and enjoy the wilderness instead of trying to keep up with the pack.
Towards the top we started getting into some snow. It was epic. Desert and Palm trees one minute and snow the next.
The view of the desert floor down below was spectacular.
After making our way over the backside of the mountain we proceeded down to the trestle area. At this point the rocks and boulders turned back into waterfalls again and our stamina, strength and wits were tested.
After about 3-4 of these sections and having the tracks in view i had to call it. It took me longer than anticipated to get to the final leg and i wanted to make sure of two things. 1) Getting back to camp. 2)Do it before dark. So a portal member and I ate our lunch quickly, and headed back up the falls. It was challenging given that most were covered in snow and had ice on them. It was a wise decision. We made it back probably 45 minutes before dark. So it was the right call.
It was a great trip and one i will never forget. Thanks to everyone that put this together.
Photos courtesy of Mike and Richard. You know who you are.
If you'd like to see more pictures and more information on this hike please visit:
Expedition Portal Completed Expeditions
Mike-G's Photos on Flickr