Introduce Yourself: Philip

[Philip Y]

Hello everyone! My name is Phil. I am a 53 year old retired Marine so I am no stranger to carrying a pack and going for long walks. In the last three years my drive for health and fitness has been reinvigorated. In 2015, I began hiking to add to my cardio and I probably logged about 150 miles or so. In fact I hiked the Marion Mt Trail to San Jacinto Peak three times in Sep and Oct. I am looking forward to continuing my hiking efforts this year and completing the six-pack of peaks. I am a bit sidelined at the moment (just had shoulder surgery) however, I am continuing to do whatever cardio I can and doing local walks/hikes in Oceanside (my home) that aren’t too stressful and don’t require a day pack. I’m thinking around April/May is when I will be able to start hitting it hard again. I look forward to hearing others comments throughout the year. Just a side note, the Marion Mountain Trail is not for the faint at heart. Make sure you work your way up to it before you attempt this trail. I’m in great shape and train hard. I went up with a group of about 8 the first time I did this trail. Long story short, it took us 12 hours to go 12.4 miles. My second trip (two weeks later) I went solo and completed the trek in 6 hours 30 minutes. I was trying to challenge myself and did. My third trip was with a group of 4. We had a nice easy trek to the peak and back and completed the hike in 8 hours 45 minutes. Plan your hikes and prepare!

[Jeff Hester]

None of the Six-Pack Peaks are easy — that’s why it’s a challenge! 😉

BTW, you can hike these peaks from any trailhead you choose. Yesterday I hiked San Jacinto via the tram. Granted, it was 100% snow all the way, but still much shorter and less vertical gain than the Marion Mountain route. Besides, the gate to the trailhead is closed right now anyway.

[Author]

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