Hard to get places in Anza Borrego which require 4WD or hiking
Goat Benchmark
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tekewin Posts: 371
9/10/2017
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I wasn't sure whether to post this under trip reports or here, but this is pretty hard to reach. Goat Benchmark is #45 on the Sierra Club San Diego Peak List. It is a small bump near the head of Hellhole Canyon and nearly invisible until you are right on top it. There are many small boulder piles in the area and picking it out without a GPS would take superior map skills. I used a GPS to find it, leaving from S22 and circling around to it from the north past the Thimble. I made a direct attempt in May from Culp Valley but ran out of time before reaching it that way. In one of the side canyons, I found deer parts and what looked like a juvenile deer head, still with some wet brain matter inside. Insects hadn't had enough time to clean it up completely.
Starting at sunrise
Goat is a small bump out there somewhere
Descending
Passing by The Thimble
Juvenile deer I think
As far as other wildlife, I startled a couple of adult mule deer, but they were too fast for me to get any photos. Jackrabbits and birds were in abundance. Bighorn scat was everywhere, but I didn't see any. It seemed like a long time before I finally laid eyes on Goat. Once found, the summit was an easy boulder. A higher mound stands just behind it. The register went back to 2001 and was quite thin. I was the fifth party to visit Goat in 2017. It doesn't see much activity. Unless you are chasing the San Diego list, there is no reason to go there. If you end up there by accident, you are probably in serious trouble. I don't know why the US Army Corps of Engineers decided to mark it, but I really appreciated the remoteness. It had great views, being sort of Hellhole Central.
Benchmark and register cans
Looking down Hellhole Canyon
Here it is circled from my trip in May, the direct route is pretty tough
On my way back, I climbed Clyde and Hut BM, I had done Bonny on a previous trip
edited by tekewin on 9/10/2017
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+1
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Rocko1 Posts: 597
10/3/2017
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Nice trip. Care to share any stats? Miles hiked, etc?
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ziphius Posts: 911
10/3/2017
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Not sure how I missed this original post.... thanks for sharing the backcountry adventure. That's an area I plan on spending time in. The scats you found are likely from deer. Deer scat looks about the same as bighorn scat and the area you were in is generally a bit west and higher than preferred bighorn habitat.
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http://www.coyotelearning.org
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tekewin Posts: 371
10/7/2017
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rocko1: 9.4 miles round trip, 2600' gain, took me 6 hours 10 minutes. I love this area, but it always seems more difficult than I expect.
ziphius: You are probably right about the scat. I saw several adult deer in the area and some deer bones. Please post your photos if you head out that way.
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