Cuyamaca Peak

Great hike, and with the snow on the trail just a little more challenging as it is harder to hike with microspikes, well at least for those of us who are not used to it.

The trailhead was snow free, albeit a little muddy.  The creek crossings were relatively easy though the muddy sections gave me a little pause as I need to be careful because a fall can easily break a skin graft. 

About half a mile before reaching the cut-off to the access road, visibility became poor; my trail mate and I had a decision to make.  Turn back around because neither of us knew the trail beyond the cut-off and at this point the ground was completely covered in snow or try our luck and check out the status of the access road and re-assessing there.  We quickly decided that the snow-covered trail was no longer a safe option for and we decided to check out the access road. 

Upon reaching the access road we realized that the microspikes were still needed as there were large areas of snow-covered road and some ice patches were visible as well.  We proceeded with caution and ran into a group coming back down the trail who advised to keep an eye on the trail as some of the ice was actively melting.

We arrived at the summit safely, but it was windy and cold, so pictures were limited to a few minutes before we started working our way back down.  Even though I didn’t get to see the amazing views I saw the previous time I reached Cuyamaca Peak, I am still glad I was able to make it there and back safely.