Spaces filling up for ESP and Kilimanjaro Challenge
- Adam Kaye
- Jun 26
- 2 min read
Spaces are filling up fast for two unique San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy programs, one near home and one in Africa.
Close to home, Exploring Our Sense of Place (ESP) returns for 2025-26 with a series of eight excursions that dives deeply into the watershed’s natural history and reinforces the connections of participants to the nature that surrounds them.
Guided hikes bring participants to areas that are not accessible to the public. Guides lead rich conversations on the wildlife, geology and native inhabitants of each area. To lock in the participants’ own connections with nature, each hike includes a special “reflection time.”
Hikes are led by experts in the fields of wildlife, geology, Native Americans, birds, native plants and the ecology of wetlands.
Schedule: Sept. 10 (reception at Powerhouse Community Center in Del Mar); Oct. 4 (Volcan Mountain); Nov. 1 (Santa Ysabel Preserve East); Jan. 3 (San Elijo Nature Center); Feb. 7 (Lake Sutherland); March 7 (Clevenger Canyon South); April 11 (Piedras Pintadas); May 2 (San Dieguito Lagoon).
Enrollment for ESP is capped at 25 and closes Sept. 1.
Mt. Kilimanjaro Challenge
Far from the San Dieguito watershed and at 19,341 feet above sea level, hikers can explore Africa’s tallest peak as the Mt. Kilimanjaro Challenge returns for a second, epic adventure during summer 2026.
Last February, a group of a dozen hikers completed the first “Climb for the Conservancy: Mt. Kilimanjaro Challenge.” The seven-day hike followed nearly a full year of training.
The challenge combines the physical feat with a second goal for participants to raise funds to support conservation activities within the San Dieguito River watershed. The first trip netted more than $32,000.
Cindy Outlaw, a Conservancy board member, leads the hikes together with local guides. Outlaw has reached the Kilimanjaro summit 20 times and is all set for No. 21.
Enrollment for the Mt. Kilimanjaro Challenge is capped at 15 and closes when filled.
Enroll by calling the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy: 858-866-6956.
