52 Hike Challenge 2016 Adventure Series
6.75 miles | +1030'
North Fortuna Mountain, at 1291 feet, is the third-tallest
mountain in Mission Trails Regional Park after Cowles Mountain and Pyles Peak
but the most challenging to climb because of the steep ascent and descent. It
was certainly the most difficult hike my sister has ever attempted. I've been
slowly helping her complete the Mission Trails 5 Peak Challenge. Two down,
three to go.
North Fortuna is part of a long-arced mountain with two
peaks that was once called on century-old maps Long Mountain. North Fortuna is
separated from South Fortuna by a 910-foot saddle. This area has a long
military history beginning in 1917 when Fortuna was used as an artillery target
for training during WWI by the U.S. Army based at Camp Kearny, a few miles to
the west. The area was reactivated in 1934 by the U.S. Marines, becoming part
of Camp Elliott; ten years later, it was transferred to the U.S. Navy. Fortuna
was used for tank, artillery, and infantry training for both WWII and the
Korean War. After a cleanup for live ordnance, the land was transferred to the
City of San Diego in the 1960s. By the late 1970s, a master plan was created
for Mission Trails Regional Park. On rare occasions, live ordnance may surface
after heavy rainfall and should be reported and never handled.
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