Woodson Mountian Dash

Date: January 28, 2021

Distance: 3.73 miles

Total Elapsed Time: 1h 31m

Total Moving Time: 1h 17m

Summit Elevation: 2,894 feet

Elevation Gain: 1,161 feet

Trailhead: SR 67 Trailhead

Previous Ascents:

• January 1, 2021 (Blue Sky Ecological Reserve TH)

• January 5, 2020 (SR 67 Trailhead)

Cistern on the Summit Boulder (to the right of towers)

North Peak, Middle Peak, and Cuyamaca Peak (R)

This was a spur of the moment hike back to Woodson Mountain this morning with the sole purpose of recovering Reference Mark 3 on the summit boulder (somehow I just overlooked it when I recovered the Station Disc and Reference Marks 1 and 2 on January 1st.)

It was a beautiful morning, seriously, look at that blue sky at the summit block! The temperature was in the mid-'40s and the sun was shining, I don't think I could have ordered up better conditions. The views were spectacular, especially looking back towards home and the Cuyamacas beyond that!

I had the foresight to toss my REI daypack and poles in the truck. Instead of my Osprey Stratos typically loaded with 25-30 pounds of stuff, I was going to be traveling light: a couple of bars, a bottle of water, my first-aid kit, climbing gloves, and a pullover. Since I am currently 'in-between' boots (new boots arriving Monday), I was wearing my Nike Air running shoes.

MT WOODSON RM 3 1938

I hit the trail at a brisk walk (I don't run unless something big and ugly is chasing me 🤣). I passed a few people on the road and maintained a good pace to the top, covering the 1.8 miles in 42 minutes. Since I had just been here a few weeks ago, I knew the fastest route to get to my climbing spot on the boulder, so I made a bee-line for the big rock.

I thought my Nikes would be the bomb for scrambling up the rock, but I found that I missed the grippy Vibram soles of my hiking boots.

The Nikes were light and comfy on the fast walk up the road, but they're really not made for gripping on rock faces, once on the top, I had to be mindful of that as I scooted around to get my pictures and record some video. I didn't fall so that's a good thing 👍🏻😉

Having recovered the final Reference Mark, I climbed down, gathered up my gear, and headed down the road. Activity on the trail was starting to pick up significantly and I found it easier just to keep my mask up for the descent. I got back to my truck completing the whole trip and reference mark recovery in just an hour and a half, the Type-A corner of my brain fully satisfied that I finally had ALL the marks recovered.

Don't forget, you can check out my companion post, Mt. Woodson Station for pictures and details of ALL the survey marks that I recovered for the Mt. Woodson Station.

Ramona Grasslands Preserve from Woodson Mountain