In which my opinion of Anza-Borrego State Park changed.
My limited previous experiences with that state park have been from the Salton Sea side. That (artificially-formed) lake has a certain odor, shall we say. A few years previous I'd tried to camp in the Badlands area and heavy wind gusts broke my tent poles.
However, the side with the peak in question seems to be a bit better, like Joshua Tree but with some green vegetation. And, a meadow.
Getting up at an ungoshly hour to make it there at 7am, I joined a large group for the scramble to the top. That was via an offtrail route up Smuggler's Canyon, with the return along a more distinct use trail. It was only Class 2, but it was boulder after boulder after boulder. The peak has good views and there's a sign and a register.
Named apparently by a park ranger due to it looking like a whale (OK), it's one of several HPS peaks in the area. It's also a range highpoint (the Vallecito Mountains).
After, we went partway up Ghost Mountain to the ruins of a 1930s/1940s homestead that belonged to writer Marshal South and his family. Unfortunately we didn't go to the top but it was an enjoyable trip nonetheless.
