Harmony Grove, North of Elfin Forest Reserve
July 31, 2001
Petroglyph Peak Cache - GC4DF
Frank's Peak Cache - GC130A
Having never been to the Elfin Forest Reserve, I had to check my trusty "Afoot & Afield in San Diego" to find out where the heck it was. Then I had to check my trusty Thomas Bros. to figure out how the heck to get there. When I got to the official parking lot, these two caches were to the north, across Harmony Grove Road, not in the Reserve at all. So I crossed the road and found the first likely looking dirt road and headed up, bravely, or perhaps foolishly, ignoring the "Private Property, No Trespassing" signs. Nobody stopped me or shot at me, so I kept going. Here is a map showing my GPS track and elevation profile.
The total distance hiked was around 6.4 miles, mostly on dirt roads. The single-track trails I took are marked; everything else was dirt road, for better or worse. The part I have labeled "Very Steep" seems to be the shortest way to the top of Frank's but I'm glad I didn't go up that way. It was slippery enough coming down. Here is a view of the parking lot!
I started toward the petroglyphs, then Petroglyph Peak Cache, then Frank's Peak Cache.
The petroglyphs were chipped on the top of a couple flat rocks a few feet off the trail. The photos don't do them justice but they will give you an idea of what they look like.
The Petroglyph Peak Cache nearly jumped up and bit me even though my GPS said it was 30 feet away. I just looked down and there it was. The view on the right is toward Frank's Peak, me next destination. It was a hazy day, so the distant views could have been better.
When I made it to the top of Frank's, there was a Jeep there with a guy in it! He must have driven in from the north! I figured I was going to be the first to find Frank's but I just knew this guy had already been there and logged the first log so I just glared at him and accused him of taking the easy way up. I circled around a little bit in case maybe I was wrong and he was just a regular Jeep guy. Then I headed toward the cache and found it easily. I was the first one there! The jeep guy was just having a peaceful lunch. He soon took off to go back to work I guess. Here are my Frank's Peak photos.
On the left, my big feet and bony knees as well as the Cache; in the middle, Stork & the Cache; on the right a view to the west over the Cache site. If you see this view and the antenna, you are close.
This is a view toward Frank's Peak. The fire road going from lower right to upper left is the one you don't want to take, at least not going up, unless you are part mountain goat. I think that's Mt. Whitney on the right.