Reflect Forward...

  VOLCAN MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS PRESERVE Not just an exercise for the body, but also an exercise of the mind. The Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserve is rated "tough" in the SD County Tour Our Trails Challenge and is indeed, tough. It may be just a neighborhood stroll for some, but for us, we just had to think of that Julian Apple Pie to motivate us to finish.  This trail has the most impressive entrance. If you are an artist, read through the information from Volcan Mountain Foundation .  At the entrance, look down to check-out the time capsule buried in 2000 to be opened in 2100. We are so curious, but we will not see it opened. We can only hope the future generation of hikers would appreciate its history as much as we did.  As you climb up the trail, you will be surrounded by Canyon Live Oaks - young and mature. (We just learned that.) You will have a choice of going through the Service Road (go straight) or the Five Oaks Trail (turn right). We chose the latter. Th...

SANTA YSABEL EAST COUNTY PRESERVE   A hike through Santa Ysabel East County Preserve offers multiple views of the Santa Ysabel Valley, rock formations, and grazing cattle! This trail is rated "tough" on the SD County Tour Our Trails passport, but may actually feel moderate as the surrounding nature calms your steps.  Begin at the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified Santa Ysabel Nature Center . I just had to ask one of the park rangers, "Do you really not rely on power plants?" And the answer is, "zero net energy." And they have restrooms!  Check-out the sundial before your trek to mark your start-time. Head back to the parking lot and take the trail to your left (facing the Nature Center) parallel to Highway 79. This trail is part of the Santa Ysabel Loop.  As you follow this trail, Highway 79 becomes smaller and the beautiful Santa Ysabel Valley opens up before your eyes. We climbed California Live Oaks and  rock formatio...

  Definitely overshadowed by the popularity of Cowles Mountain, Pyles Peak at Mission Trails Regional Park can only be accessed once you summit Cowles. In-between the Cowles Summit marker and the radio towers, there is an unassuming trail marker to Pyles. After summiting Cowles, you really need to brace yourself for the down-up-down-up-down-up-up-up trail to Pyles. It's definitely not easy on the knees. However, leaving Cowles to Pyles also means leaving the crowd to a peaceful hike. We literally saw less than 10 people total in this hike.  Once you get to Pyles Peak, look to the radio towers at Cowles Summit.  Then, pat yourself on the back for venturing further than a mere photo-op at Cowles.   Cowles Summit view from Pyles Peak I still can't believe we did two hikes in one day - Cowles and Pyles.  But since these two were the last of the 5-Peak Challenge for us, we just had to... and show-off our badge of honor the next days as we rest.  Heading ba...