This is where Hiking My Feelings started!
Join Sydney Williams, author of Hiking My Feelings: Stepping into the Healing Power of Nature and put the lessons she learned on the trail into practical application with a short hike to the summit of Cushi-Pi (aka Stonewall Peak). After we get our summit selfies, Sydney will guide you through some of the prompts for reflection from the book, then we will return to our starting point. Books available for purchase and signing.
HIKE INFORMATION: Cushi-Pi aka Stonewall Peak - 3.9 miles, 890 feet elevation gain
CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE TRAILHEAD (Parking is $10 at Paso Picacho Campground)
Want to see some of the best that Cuyamaca Rancho State Park has to offer? Hike up Cushi-Pi aka Stonewall Peak and enjoy the view of the surrounding park and nearby Lake Cuyamaca. The hike up the east side is a popular and relatively easy trail. The elevation gain is about 1,000 feet, but doesn't seem like it with lots of switchbacks surrounded by Cuyamaca's characteristic plant and rock scenery and ever-better views. When you reach the top, climb the stairs and behold the breathtaking 360 degree view. When you get your fill, you can go back down the east side, or head down the "back" side, which heads northwest and circles back around. When there's snow, the "back" side is where it lasts the longest, and you can enjoy an easy, meandering descent.
This excursion includes gentle switchbacks through canopies of black oaks, sycamores, and other coniferous trees. Great views of Anza Borrego, the Laguna Mountains, (on clear days) the Salton Sea, and 30+ miles to Palomar Mountains are the reward for all who make the ascent.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE ELEVATION PROFILE + MAP
FULL HIKE ITINERARY
8:00am: Meet at Trailhead parking lot to stretch
8:15am: Hit the trail!
FIRST GROUP STOPPING POINT: meditation
SUMMIT TIME: We'll bust out our trail journals and do a self-reflection exercise while we have our snacks.
WHAT TO BRING + WEAR
Plenty of water (I carry at least 2L)
Snacks
Trail journal (we can provide one with a donation of $10 or more)
Pen
Sunscreen + Sun protection (hat, long sleeves, sunglasses)
Comfortable shoes (if you don't have hiking shoes yet, we recommend Salomon - shop here)
Dress in layers, as it will can be around high 40's in the morning and warm up to 70-80 degrees by mid-day
What about the weather?
If we don't get to the trailhead, we can't hike. That said, we will not hike in dangerous weather conditions. We will plan to meet at the trailhead and if the weather is gross, we'll go to breakfast!
EVENT SPONSOR: LactiGo
Be in Nature, Without Soreness
At Hiking My Feelings, we are on a mission to improve community health by creating opportunities for people to experience the healing power of nature. Getting out in nature helps people reconnect with themselves, and make lasting improvements to mental, physical, and spiritual health.
With LactiGo, we want to help people get out more by taking muscle soreness and pain out of your journeys into nature. By reducing the soreness and burn in your muscles while hiking, all you have to do is focus on moving at the speed of your breath. LactiGo helps reduce the discomfort in your muscles, meaning you can hike more without the pain.
Don't let muscle pain slow you down from achieving your goals; get out there and enjoy nature!
"Last year I hiked up Mt Whitney, the tallest mountain in the lower 48, and experienced zero muscle pain or burn!" - Sydney Williams, LactiGo athlete
Questions? Send us a note!