On Friday, March 7th, it was time to challenge our fitness level and attack El Cajon Mountain (El Capitan) a 12 mile round trip strenuous hike with over 4300 feet of elevation gain. Located near Lakeside only about 30 minutes from Santee we arrived around 10am and parked at the trailhead parking lot and started up the road past the private Blue Sky Ranch, a haven for local mystics. Soon we hook up with the old mining road, a precariously steep road bulldozed by miners years ago, no switchbacks just straight up and down. It twists and turns over a scrubby, boulder-punctuated landscape. We reached the STOP sign at 11:45am and new we could continue to the top and still make it back by 4:30pm when the gates close. Onward and upward we went and at 5.5 miles, the road arrives on a saddle where we finally found some other hikers resting before heading back down. We continued on for 1.4 mile trek over a severally eroded and partially overgrown roadbed. Then through thick chaparral and around jumbo- sized boulders to El Cajon’s Mountain summit (3675 ft) with views of the ocean, islands, and innumerable mountain peaks. We stopped for a very short rest and had some snacks then turned around and headed right back down to get to the parking lot before 4:30pm.
Well, we made it by 4:15pm only to discover the passenger window of the jeep smashed and my purse stolen from the floor. Thank goodness I had my phone, license, and a credit card with me. However, they did steal two other cards and all my insurance cards. Not a great ending to a strenuous day on the mountain.