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A visit to Backpack Ridge in the Jamul Mountains

Ground zero for discarding excess gear

Discarded backpacks near the border
Discarded backpacks near the border

No doubt I’m trespassing. An hour ago, I stretched a length of barbed wire, passing under a fence line and into this realm of green hills and rocky outcrops. Boats twinkle below on lower Otay Lake, a Twin Otter airplane spits out parachutes to the south, and Border Patrol outnumber civilian vehicles on Otay Lakes Road at this early hour.

I can see agents through binoculars…can they see me? Pushing toward the summit of an unnamed peak, bees are everywhere, working the blooms of Cleveland sage. The first discarded water bottles appear (south-of-the-border brands) and then the first backpack.

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I always check packs for money, mementos, whatever…my version of field archaeology. Some packs have been here for months, sun-bleached and torn apart by coyotes. Spiders and other crawlies are always a possibility when going through packs.

The first pack is empty, but the second pack is a bonanza: a tin of Nivea cream, paper scraps with L.A. and Fresno phone numbers (area codes 310, and 559), a Mexican coin.

At the summit, I find the mother lode of backpacks and discarded clothing. Ground-zero for shedding gear and pants. Fourteen backpacks: North Face, Jansport, Hello Kitty, Adidas, Roxy, most brands I don’t recognize. Most are empty and torn up.

From a rock pile, I carefully lift one and there is movement. A rosy boa, still cool from hiding under the pack, coils up. It’s calm, in no hurry. I touch its scaly surface, a beautiful snake, the first of the season. Spring is close.

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Discarded backpacks near the border
Discarded backpacks near the border

No doubt I’m trespassing. An hour ago, I stretched a length of barbed wire, passing under a fence line and into this realm of green hills and rocky outcrops. Boats twinkle below on lower Otay Lake, a Twin Otter airplane spits out parachutes to the south, and Border Patrol outnumber civilian vehicles on Otay Lakes Road at this early hour.

I can see agents through binoculars…can they see me? Pushing toward the summit of an unnamed peak, bees are everywhere, working the blooms of Cleveland sage. The first discarded water bottles appear (south-of-the-border brands) and then the first backpack.

Sponsored
Sponsored

I always check packs for money, mementos, whatever…my version of field archaeology. Some packs have been here for months, sun-bleached and torn apart by coyotes. Spiders and other crawlies are always a possibility when going through packs.

The first pack is empty, but the second pack is a bonanza: a tin of Nivea cream, paper scraps with L.A. and Fresno phone numbers (area codes 310, and 559), a Mexican coin.

At the summit, I find the mother lode of backpacks and discarded clothing. Ground-zero for shedding gear and pants. Fourteen backpacks: North Face, Jansport, Hello Kitty, Adidas, Roxy, most brands I don’t recognize. Most are empty and torn up.

From a rock pile, I carefully lift one and there is movement. A rosy boa, still cool from hiding under the pack, coils up. It’s calm, in no hurry. I touch its scaly surface, a beautiful snake, the first of the season. Spring is close.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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