El Cajon Trail, East San Diego

Toughest hike in San Diego? Bring it on! Although, I am not really sure if it truly is the toughest one, but certainly gets you all the way to the top of El Cajon mountain.

A little over 11 miles round trip and about 3,500 ft elevation gain is not a joke, especially when you are not simply going up there and descending coming back, but exchanging ups and downs throughout the whole hike.

The weather was fantastic though, so I surely would not complain today!

A nice breeze was rather welcoming, even in the morning when the temperatures were still low enough to wear a light long sleeve blazer. Very soon layers started to come off, and within the first 2 miles I was down to my last layer having nothing else to take off - this will have to do be enough to climb up top. 

The ground felt solid under my feet. My hiking companion was telling me that two weeks before, he went on the same hike, but in rain. I remember also signing up for that hiking and backing out the day before because of the weather. He said that mud was everywhere, and the whole group was almost ice skating in mixture of clay soil and water. Indeed, patience paid off this time...

There were three main hills/mountains, each would ascend rapidly and descend, just as quickly. I knew the way back was going to be tough.

Finally, as I reached the top after a rather steep and narrow path, the views unfolded.

The way down was hard, but not as hard as I anticipated. The sight of the parking lot was heartwarming!