Hike Log

The Big San G

Trailhead:

Vivian Creek

Type of Hike:

Day hike

Trail Conditions:

Trail in good condition

ROAD:

Road suitable for all vehicles

Bugs:

Bugs were an annoyance

Snow:

Intermittent snow – not hard to cross

We got up early to get to the Vivian Creek trailhead by 6 AM hoping there would be parking.  No luck, the upper parking lot was already full.  Next time we hike this trail on Friday!  We started out at 6:20 AM, and those first switchbacks really hit some of our group hard.  I stayed with the slowest hikers to make sure they were OK.  The group was waiting for us at the Wilderness sign, and we got a group photo there.  They took off, and I continued to stay with the slowest hiker.  After 3 hours that person got dehydrated and dizzy, so I sat them down in the shade and told them to drink water and wait until I returned.  I caught the next slowest hiker in our group at High Creek, and hiked with them for 3 hours until they told me not to hang back with them any more.  I moved on and caught up to the next person in our group, and we finally made it to the top at 1:30 PM.  The other group members were still there, so we got our photos, ate some snacks, and headed down.  About 1/2 mile from the top we met up with the person who didn't want me to hike with them.  He wanted to keep going to the top, so I agreed to stay with him if he agreed to give me a ride home to Escondido from his house in Temecula, because I hitched a ride with some other people for this hike.  He agreed so we continued to the top.  We started down at about 3 PM, and he soon ran out of water.  Fortunately I was carrying extra water for emergencies.  We continued slowly down the hill, and reached the top of the first switchbacks as it got dark.  Descending the trail to the riverbed was quite dangerous in the dark with headlights.  That is not something I would want to do again.  This is a tough hike with many difficult areas.  It is not for the faint of heart, or those who are not in shape, or who are un-prepared.  Fortunately we made it down to the car after 9 PM, and I got home to Escondido close to midnight.

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