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Informationen zum Autor Jerry Schad (1949–2011) was Southern California’s leading outdoors writer. His 16 guidebooks, including those in Wilderness Press’s popular and comprehensive Afoot & Afield series, along with his “Roam-O-Rama” column in the San Diego Reader, helped thousands of hikers discover the region’s diverse wild places. Jerry ran or hiked many thousands of miles of distinct trails throughout California, in the Southwest, and in Mexico. He was a sub-24-hour finisher of Northern California’s 100-mile Western States Endurance Run and served in a leadership capacity for outdoor excursions around the world. He taught astronomy and physical science at San Diego Mesa College and chaired its physical sciences department from 1999 until 2011. His sudden, untimely death from kidney cancer shocked and saddened the hiking community. Scott Turner’s various interests include psychology, photography, writing, songwriting, and music production. He serves a variety of populations as a marriage and family therapist, and he covers an assortment of hiking trails across California and beyond for modernhiker.com and locally for sandiego.org. He generally hikes more than 1,000 miles per year across much of California and frequently leads guided hikes independently or with agencies across the county. Klappentext San Diego County's premier trail guide for hikers, backpackers, and mountain bikers, this book presents 282 trips, from short and easy to challenging. Leseprobe Eagle Crag Distance 16.2 miles (out-and-back) Hiking Time 11 hours Elevation Gain/Loss 3,800'/3,800' Difficulty Strenuous Trail Use Suitable for backpacking, dogs allowed Best Times November–May Agency CNF/PD Recommended Maps USGS Aguanga and USGS Vail Lake Optional Map Cleveland National Forest’s A Guide to the Agua Tibia & San Mateo Canyon Wilderness (does not cover entire route) Notes Navigation required, moderate–difficult (near the top) terrain, bushwhacking This out-and-back route across Cleveland National Forest lands on Palomar’s north slopes traverses some wild and lonely country—in fact, some of the most remote territory found anywhere in Southern California. The destination is Eagle Crag, a granite outcrop upon which you can sit with dangling legs and contemplate the sheer drop of 1,000 or more feet below you. Be aware that the route begins outside the Agua Tibia Wilderness, and is only partially mapped on the U.S. Forest Service topographic map/brochure for Agua Tibia Wilderness. On the way, you’ll cross a number of small streams that may flow in winter and spring, particularly during wet years. Remember that this water must be purified for drinking purposes. Start off by descending sharply on the Cutca Trail into the shady depths of Cottonwood Creek, 0.5 mile. Climb to a saddle at 1.2 miles, then descend slightly to the Aguanga Trail junction at 2.1 miles. (The poorly maintained Aguanga Trail, which goes north, runs into private property near the Riverside County line.) Continue over rolling terrain, through chaparral and oaks, crossing Long Canyon and two of its tributaries. These streambeds occasionally have water until early summer. Nearing Cutca Valley, you strike Cutca Road at 5.0 miles. Walk 0.4 mile north on the dirt road into Cutca Valley, then resume westward travel on the Cutca Trail. The valley, with its flat, open spaces, is a good spot to spend the night if you’re backpacking. Rise out of the valley, cross the signed Agua Tibia Wilderness boundary, and follow a shady ravine with a seasonal, trickling brook. Sword ferns on the bank flutter in the cool and languid breeze. Switchbacks take you up to a junction with the Palomar-Magee Trail (7.6 miles), which is the old roadbed following the Palomar–Agua Tibia cre...
