Back to Cuyamaca

We made it to camp around 7:30, unpacked our tent, ate a JMT test meal, and fell asleep not long after the sun went down. Only 40 minutes from home and 4 miles of hiking led us to a secluded spot, away from all people, all city life and traffic, but unfortunately not away from planes which flew by every 20 minutes or so. When we awoke the next morning, we packed up our tent and set out before the heat took hold.

In preparation for the John Muir Trail, we planned an overnight trip in Cuyamaca State Park. We thought starting the hike at 5:30 pm would allow us to avoid some of the dry desert heat. We were wrong. It was still close to 90 degrees even as the sun was setting, but we shouldered our packs nonetheless and made our way down the trail.

The 4 mile hike to our small campsite was lovely, but with our packs filled with extra weight (to simulate the load we would carry on the JMT) it seemed like slow going at times. On every hike though there are scenes that make the effort worthwhile and as we made our way through a high meadow we witnessed two deer prancing through golden, knee-high grass that shimmered in the setting sun. It was, in all seriousness, magical.

Our secluded little camping spot

We hiked about 5 miles to Oakzanita Peak, nearly stepping on what we mistakenly thought was a dead rattlesnake near the summit. After our heart rates settled, we sat on the rocks near the peak and ate our breakfast in the morning sunshine. Soon thereafter, we packed up and continued another 3 miles back to the road and to our car before the heat or any other rattlesnakes could claim us.