This hike has a unique elevation profile. It has almost no level areas. You are always going up or down. It also has crazy signs. Every mile or so, there is an elevation profile with a "you are here" marker so you can see your progress. However, I got the impression the signs were really saying, "You can't do this, loser, go back home and eat twinkies on your couch". That was reinforced with a special stop sign and warning that if the time was already 12:30 PM, you should stop and go back. I've never seen signs like this on any trail. Maybe they've had to do a lot of rescues. Who knows? It was bizarre.
Full Report
http://ironhiker.blogspot.com/2013/11/e ... rdome.html
Informative or discouraging?
Stop, we don't want you here!
Approaching El Cajon summit
Summit view
On the way back, just before the 2 mile marker, I took a few minutes to estimate my chances on Silverdome, then forged ahead at the least dense section of brush. I quickly got to a slab of granite and climbed 100' or so before hitting more brush. It was a class 2/3 bushwhack from there, but all class 3 sections could be easily bypassed. In 30 minutes, I was on top where I found a cairn, but no benchmark or register. There were some interesting boulders on top and steeper drops on the other side. I made no attempt to follow the same route down that I used coming up. I followed animal trails where possible, then rocks/slabs if possible, otherwise bushwhack city. I hit the trail in a different spot from where I started for about a one hour side trip .
Start of Silverdome cross country
Cool boulder near Silverdome summit
Explorer ponders next challenge
