My favorite peak to hike in San Diego County!  Also not surprisingly the toughest and sometimes most brutal workout that leaves my quads burning for days afterwards.  Total distance to the summit of El Cajon is approx 5.8 miles with an elevation gain of 3,200 ft.  You will gain about 800 ft in elevation on the descent due to the up-and-down nature of the trail profile.  This is what makes it exhausting!  It took me 5 hours to complete a total of 11.8 miles and 4,000 ft in elevation gain.  I also summitted El Capitan, a short uphill hike from the saddle, to round out the experience.  Today it was nice to see some of my fellow Tri-Club and Track Clubbers on the trail.

This hike completes my San Diego 2021 SixPackofPeaks Challenge!