Monday, March 24th, 2025, 0700-1400
Penasquitos canyon open space to Torrey Pines, mm154 End SDTCT, then 6 bonus miles along the beach to La Jolla, Elevation 0′
21 miles.
I was up bright and early to finally finish this hike. It took me awhile to realize the very cool theme of my start and end points: they all had something to do with plants. Saguaro National Park and Joshua Tree National Park were the official termini of the DWTH, and then I added Torrey Pines State Park to the mix. The other theme had been to connect the AZT to the PCT, which I’d already accomplished. But I hadn’t yet connected my footsteps all the way to the ocean, since I’d skipped down from Whitewater Preserve to start the SDTCT at the Salton Sea. So my upcoming plan to hike the desert section of the PCT would soon take care of that missing link. It would all be connected soon, which in my mind, made perfect sense. Yet when I tried to explain my journey to others, I got mostly blank stares. It was pretty complicated, I’ll admit.
Back on the path, I passed under I-15, again surprised to see another Trans County trail sign. I also passed a memorial for victims of violence and abuse, which was sad. Crossing Black Mountain rd, the route entered Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve, where there were a network of wide, multi-use paths following both sides of the creek. I decided to explore a bit and ended up at the historic Ranch House, which had been restored to serve as a visitor center for the area. What I liked about it were the toilets and barn yard animal displays. Notably, I got to pet some goats! Oh how I love goats.
The valley was wide through here, giving the appearance of being totally isolated from the surrounding developments. It felt very natural and undisturbed, even amid the sprawling coastal infrastructure. There were a handful of people out for early recreation (biking, running, walking, horseback riding), but it was pretty quiet on the whole. I pondered a few locations for stealth camping, even though such an activity was definitely not allowed. There were a lot of secluded natural spots, but given the number of people enjoying the preserve on any given day, plus the presence of rangers, I was glad I’d stopped short the night before.
I continued for about 7 miles of walking bliss through the lovely area, passing the somewhat underwhelming Penasquitos Falls. It was cool to see the rock formations, but the falls were just ok. The natural character of the valley ended pretty abruptly at I-5, where I turned to follow a series of streets under the interstate. At least the pedestrian walkways were decent and the route also led me past a high-end sandwich shop. I stopped to get a very delicious and fresh turkey sandwich, which really hit the spot. The place was also a bakery, so the bread was fantastic. Then a short walk past a businesses area led me to a dirt road and trail, following along the side of an estuary. Here I saw my first Torrey Pine and also enjoyed the beauty of the changing coastal habitat. I was quite surprised by this last natural path to the coast…it was a real joy, bringing me to the dunes and my long-anticipated close-up view of the ocean!
Just like that, I was standing at the Torrey Pines State Park entrance, vying for pictures with all the other tourists. I walked down the beach to the ocean’s edge and touched the water. I shed a few tears over my accomplishment, but not for long since I felt awkward about weeping on the beach alone, wearing a backpack. No one around me could know, or much less care, that I’d walked across the desert from Tucson. I wanted to shout it out to the world, to hoop and holler, but it seemed pointless. Other prolific adventurers might have gathered a crowd to cheer them to such a finish line, but I wasn’t one of those. After all my years of hiking, I barely had an Instagram following and only a handful of subscribers. I’d been pretty much alone at the end of most of my hikes, kind of left wondering “did that just happen?”
I just wasn’t good at marketing / leveraging my experiences and stories. I didn’t have the will, put in the right effort, or have the personality for it. Even the one hiking acquaintance that used to do these routes with me had abandoned me for a better, more interesting partner…in the middle of that route! The biggest punch in the gut was that they’d started the DWTH ahead of me this year. Unexpectedly seeing their names in the registry on my first day made me want to give up and quit. Their footsteps in the sand were a constant reminder, filling me with self-doubt and loathing that I was a sup-par hiker and friend, that I deserved to be alone in the desert.
But here I stood at the ocean’s edge, having completed the DWTH when they didn’t. Halfway along, their footsteps had just disappeared and I never knew why. By that point, I’d gained back my confidence. I could do this! I did do it, a difficult route during a challenging dry year, all on my own. I’d even gone the extra distance to the PCT, then the SDTCT all the way to the coast. So if I was feeling a bit down and lonely, I’d at least proven that I was capable of accomplishing hard feats by myself. And I would continue to do solo routes like this, because I felt certain in my abilities. I wasn’t perfect, but I was a good enough hiker to see it through and feel very proud of myself.
Of course, here I need to acknowledge the help and support I did get from people along the way. Josh got me off to a wonderful and productive start in Tucson, then Gary and Doug both spontaneously helped me out greatly with 3 water caches in AZ. Alan did the heaviest of lifting, driving me all over southern California to stash my food and water caches in the Mojave. I’m so grateful and in-debt to him, because those caches were absolutely essential. He also provided the sustaining human interaction I needed to be able to keep going at the time. His friendship really came to mean a lot to me. Thank you Alan. And to my life partner, who I rarely mention due to his privacy preferences. But he’s always there helping in the background, mailing me resupplies and lending an ear over the phone. He doesn’t take much interest in my hiking, but somehow puts up with me being gone all the time. I probably don’t deserve him. I guess we’re a lot alike in being loners, and therefore find a connection in that. Lastly, thank you to Brett and Melissa, who put together the fantastical DWTH, so that people like me might know what it’s like to become a feral desert burro. He-Haw!
But wait, there’s more! Not just from this day, but nearly 700 miles of re-hiking the PCT from Campo to Kennedy Meadows South (the entire desert section). I didn’t write daily blogs about my PCT section hike, but I did record short summaries of each day, which I will put up 2 long posts later on. Some of those miles were a part of connecting my footsteps in my larger DWTH plan. As for this day, I’d heard that a trip up the hill in TPSP was a must, so I just kept going south. I walked the road/trails leading to to the visitor center and wonderful views along the bluffs. It reminded me of the Oregon Coast Trail so much, which I also loved. So this kind of walking was a really great bonus ending.
From TPSP, I heading down a trail, back to the beach to begin a walk through Black’s Beach. This is a notorious nude beach and not to disappoint, I got my fill of half moons, full moons, and other bits and pieces! I walked an additional 6 miles down the beach, all the way past the golf course, Mushroom House, and Scripps Pier to La Jolla beach park. There, I waived a white flag, finally calling it quits for this leg of my journey. I’d originally planned to walk as far as Pacific Beach, where I was to meet the sister, Sheri, of my Miami friend, Debbie. She’d graciously offered to host me for a few days, while I worked out the logistics of trans-itioning (had to get in one last TRANS!) to the PCT. She also offered to pick me up at any point along the beach. I was officially tired and ready to take a shower after over 4 days without (which was nothing compared to previous desert stints).
I can’t describe how grateful I was for a newly-found friend to swoop me up at the end of such a journey. Sheri even gave me tour along the coast, so I didn’t miss out on what I would have seen on foot. Perhaps someday I’ll come back to walk the entire California Coast Trail (which doesn’t really exist), connecting my footsteps all the way to where I ended my extended OCT hike in the redwoods, south of Crescent City.
In the aftermath, I got to spend a fun couple of days with Sheri and her partner Glen in Pacific Beach. They were great hosts and we had some really fun conversations over wine. I lament that I didn’t get any pictures with them, which I guess gives me the excuse to go back to visit again. I also got in touch with Cynthia, a nearby Trail Angel who offered to give me a ride to Campo. She even picked me up a day before to make a run to REI. On Wednesday March, 26th, just 2 days after I finished the DWTH and SDTCT, I began the PCT NOBO at the Mexico/US border. To be continued…
Also, in previously mentioning people for their help with the DWTH, thank you also to my SDTCT-PCT Trail Angels: Randy, Barbara, Cache 22, Professor, Cynthia, Glen and Sheri! Also thanks to the SDTCT FB group for all the valuable info about the route. I will be writing a summary post about the DWTH and SDTCT, coming soon.