This is a rework of a write up originally posted on the Anza Borrego Desert Forum on Oct 25th, 2014

This morning my buddy Nick and I got to enjoy the sun rising over Jacumba Mtn and setting over Tule Mtn in one big run/scramble.
We left Sacatone overlook and climbed Tule Mtn just in time to see the pink sky spit out the heat-maker. From Tule, we followed its’ main N-NE ridge to Groan Mtn and all the way to the bottom of
Carrizo Gorge just below Goat Cyn. We then climbed up to the Trestle for an unnerving walk across one of its’ weathered catwalks.

Dos Cabezas Spring was to be the first stop we would make as we were anxious to know if it was dry or not. We started out with over a gallon each but found ourselves going thru it pretty quickly as the day heated up. I always enjoy a good palm grove and Mortero Palms was a great place to pause and relax while listening to all of the birds and critters that call it home. When we made it to the spring, we climbed into the forebodingly dry reeds…and then we heard a gurgle. The day had just gotten a lot better.
After a quick break to topoff water and to eat, we scrambled over multiple Valley of the Moon-like rockpiles full of cool caves, shapes, & climbs. This led us up to the main Jacumba Mtn ridgeline mistakenly about 0.6 miles north of Jacumba Mtn.
We were now behind schedule and decided not to risk climbing back out of the gorge to the car in darkness and skipped the peak, beelining it back across Carrizo Gorge to Tule Mtn. The ridges leading into the east side of the gorge are pretty steep overall but totally doable. Still, it was a little worrisome not knowing if our chosen ridge would get us down until we were actually standing on the tracks. From there, we got back onto the ridge on the other side of the tracks & continued to the floor of the gorge.
We crossed Carrizo Wash quickly, wasting no time looking up at the imposing hillside above us,  and attacked the west wall of the gorge and its’ ridges up to Tule reaching the car from the wash in an hour and 15 minutes.
What a great day of views, wildlife, and exploring.

Stats:

Distance————-16.2 Miles

Elapsed Time——-10 Hrs, 50 Mins

Elevation Gain——7,937 Feet

Strava GPS tracks