The Observation Post Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
This Cache is located at the summit of Sycuan Peak once used as an Observation Post, later as an Aircraft Beacon and now as one of the most beautiful spots in the East County.
Trail head and one parking spot at N32 44.808 W116 47.490
Sycuan Peak, midway between the inland communities of Alpine and Jamul, rises 2801 feet above sea level and overlooks miles of thinly populated valleys and hills. As part of a countywide effort to preserve native sage-scrub and chaparral habitats, much of the mountain's higher slopes are being managed as a California Department of Fish and Game ecological reserve. Hikers are welcome to try the single trail that darts up Sycuan's south slope. You'll waste no time in climbing a vertical 800 feet over the one-mile length of this trail.
Find the trailhead by following Lyons Valley Road east from Highway 94 in Jamul. Your car ascends gradually at first, then labors as the main road becomes the straight-but-steep Skyline Truck Trail Beyond the first summit on Skyline Truck Trail, make a left on Lawson Valley Road. Wind about on this road for 2.5 miles, observing the mix of older ranch properties and the newer estate-style housing that's popping up nearly everywhere out beyond the county's suburbs. At a point 100 feet past the 2.5-mile marker on Lawson Valley Road, note the rough road ascending on the left side. Park wherever the road shoulder is wide enough to accommodate the width of your car, and head on foot up this rough road. The low-growing chaparral vegetation hereabouts allows unobstructed views that get more panoramic as you are ascending on the old road. At one spot the roadbed becomes severely eroded, but you can bypass that nasty section on the right side. Nearing Sycuan's summit, the ineffably fragrant scent of Cleveland sage suffuses the air. You may find some still-flowering specimens of this grayish plant right alongside the trail.
It is reported that during World War II there was an Observation Post on the summit very near the cache .In the 1950s an aircraft beacon stood just west of the summit, when the peak was labeled on maps as "Sequan Peak." Disused electrical lines installed to serve this facility still climb to the summit. A visual survey from the topmost boulder on Sycuan Peak reveals nearby Loveland Reservoir in the northeast, Lyons Peak looming in the southeast, and Point Loma and the Coronado Islands to the west.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Tb whfg cnfg gur cbjre cbyr naq ghea yrsg qbja gur ebpxf svaqvat gur pnpur. Ab ohfujnpxvat erdhverq!