Hiking South Bay: Be Good to Your ‘Mother’

-


San Diegans tend to stick close to home on the weekends. Which is why driving down to South Bay to hike Mother Miguel Mountain this morning was a bit of a big deal. There just aren’t that many opportunities for a substantial hike in or around Chula Vista. And the Rock House Trail is probably the most popular and certainly best known. [Do not confuse it with nearby Mt. Miguel, which is no longer accessible.]

Until yesterday, I thought we had a local guide. My friend Happy was going to join us and show us the way to get around. But an 8 a.m. plumber visit nixed that plan. That’s when I started doing some digging into where to go and how to get to the rockpile holding up two flags that mark the summit. And here’s where I was reminded to closely examine reviews before drawing assumptions. Most called the trail steep and many recommended hiking shoes and poles, particularly going back down. And everyone seemed to remark about the signage, or lack thereof. But degree of difficulty seemed dependent on how much someone hiked.



Park officials seem to have heard critics; we found plenty of signage and barriers to keep you on the official path – which looked relatively new and designed to prevent further erosion and not disturb habitats. There are two trailheads, both close to each other. One is at the end of a cul de sac (Paseo Veracruz) and the other is at the end of a parking lot in Mt. Miguel Regional Park (also off Paseo Veracruz). We went via the park, which had open bathrooms we needed.

We followed everyone’s advice and brought plenty of water since the entire trail is exposed. We left the poles in the car trunk. I later regretted that since I was the one who kept slipping on scree and loose dirt. I also used the AllTrails app for the first time – it won’t be the last. Given the excellent cell reception, we were able to easily follow the correct path up. 



We passed some purple-flowered thistle and a lot of wildflowers holding on to the last of spring. I’d been warned about tarantula hawks but only saw one and it was at a safe distance. We currently have a den of coyotes living in my housing development, and the other day a trio of juveniles managed to corner me and my geriatric dog. We got away after I went all “alpha” on them, but all the coyote scat on the trail had me on high alert.

This is a busy place, though. And, thankfully, someone else scared off a baby rattlesnake on the path during our return.

The top is a social media maven’s dream: picturesque and pose-worthy. We took a fair number of shots, tried to find Tijuana and eventually headed back down before the marine layer burned off and the temps rose considerably. We started down around 8:30 a.m. and there were still plenty of people coming up.


I highly recommend taking the switchbacks both up and down. For starters, those are the rules. The last quarter of the trail is steep no matter which route you take, but the switchbacks aren’t just to make it easier on your legs and lungs; it’s to give the real residents--the wildlife--some breathing room. And to keep a fragile area from further deterioration by so many people forging their own preferred path.



We saw some motorized paragliders on the way down, which was cool. As we returned to flatter terrain, I noticed several trails to our left and wondered aloud if we should take one of them. No one heard nor heeded my recommendation, so we forged on. It took a good half mile of uphill to realize we’d picked the wrong route. (I won’t gloat about which one we should have taken.) 

That’s when someone remembered my app, and that’s how we probably saved ourselves more mileage and muscle soreness. All in all, I highly recommend adding this trail to your list, whether visiting or living here. It was well worth the trip south for us, and I suspect it would be for you too.


Popular posts from this blog

I Leave You With This

-
Image
There's this social media post some guy put up on Instagram. I almost scrolled past it, but I'm glad I didn't. It asked what question we should ask ourselves when we die. In retrospect, ChatGPT's response was basically pulling from Eastern philosophy, but, still, I couldn't stop thinking about it in the hours and days since I first heard it. Here's a partial transcript I cribbed using -- what else? -- AI. Some guy set up the prompt, which was long and convoluted. The following picks it up from there.  Some guy : I'm assuming most people would ask, 'Where am I going? What's next?' Something like that. Is that a good question?  ChatGPT : No, because they don't matter. Some guy : W hy don't they matter?  ChatGPT : If there's a heaven or hell or some next phase, you're likely already heading there. Asking won't change your destination. It's a wasted question.  Some guy : That's a good point. Um, what about 'Did I do en...
Read more

What's Your Slavery Footprint?

-
I just came across an app that immediately intrigued me because it brings awareness to something way too often overlooked in this country. It's called The Slavery Footprint , and I found out about it this morning courtesy of this post . Living in California, and traveling regularly through the Central Valley where a bulk of everyone's U.S.-bred fruits and nuts are produced, I became keenly aware of how poorly farmhands are treated in this country. I even blogged about it several years ago . Some of us tend to feel morally superior because of the foods and lifestyle choices we make. After taking this "test," perhaps that piety will recede a bit. After you take it, you can share your score if you wish. Personally, I'm embarrassed by mine.
Read more

Do Mom and Dad Make You Run?

-
I know of a lot of middle-aged running friends who are motivated by their parents to run. Their mother or father was in poor health for many years and it ultimately cost them their lives (or at least a higher quality of it), and so one reason they initially put on a pair of running shoes was to avoid the same fate. However, that's not the sort of parental connection outlined in a provacative post about the link between exercise and genetics in this morning's Daily Beast. It reflects a couple of scientific studies that show we may be genetically encoded to favor workouts. That means some of us will never enjoy exercising like others, nor will our children. If this is true, then those of us modeling good behaviors by eating well and exercising in moderation may merely be passing along the endorphin baton to those with our "exercise gene." And that might also explain why some parents who push their kids into sports end up disappointed that their child never "takes...
Read more