Not many cities in the world have a real mountain within the city limits.  Cowles Mountain in San Diego is a prominent feature in our landscape.  I can see it from the condinimum community where I live; and from Ed’s back yard in El Cajon this afternoon, looking west, the mountain rose impressively behind Grossmont College. It’s only 1600 feet high, but we count it as a mountain.  The hike from the parking lot on the west side is 1.5 miles long.  

I debated whether or not to include the geologic history of the mountain and decided to do it simply because I like knowing it and sharing it.  The mountain consists of Jurassic and early Cretaceous metavolcanic and exposed shallow intrusive igneous rocks.  These big rocks are a significant feature, especially on the west side.  They hint at the kind of terrain found on the mountains higher up  between El Cajon and Ramona.  I love the really big rocks up there that look as if they were thrown by giants in a big battle.