American hiker strafed with gunfire & shot twice by suspected cartel terrorists in Jacumba, CA

Jacumba is near valley of the moon.  If you are going to climb there, it would be smart to pack heat.  Need tips on how to rack gear along with a holster.

https://x.com/USBPChiefELC/status/1882484312660222266

San Diego Union Tribune has a bit more detailed info. Sounds like it happened yesterday. I was out there last Wednesday (Jan 15th) by myself and it was a quiet and peaceful day. In the close to 30 years I've been climbing there I have never had a bad experience climbing and exploring Valley of the Moon. Like most people who climb & hike there, we see evidence of migrants crossing thru VOM. We can assume drugs as well as people pass thru these corridors. I have noticed a VERY dramatic increase in Border Patrol presence there in the last 3-4 months. A year ago, people were pouring thru daily by the 100's. Then around October 2024 the border was sealed air tight (on both sides). Interesting that this assault happened with this increased BP presence. BP does not have a real presence in VOM proper though. They mostly stay outside and will stop you as you exit VOM. I plan to head out this Saturday to do some climbing. My guess is BP presence will be dramatically increased in this area.

Has anyone else here had an experience close to what happened there yesterday? 

thanks for the info.  I mainly posted because of the headline but I would be quite comfortable climbing out there nowadays myself. 

How much “heat” does one need to fight off a cartel attack?  

A small Derringer?  Sig Sauer?  40 caliber?  

Guns are cool.  Carrying them is a legal right with certain provisos.  But what does a gunfight with career criminals actually look like.  Pretty bleak for most people who value their lives and have work the next day after taking kids to school.   Binoculars and a keen awareness of the surroundings might be a better defense.   Avoiding the area might be better

Don’t shoot yourself, don’t get shot by a family member and don’t get shot during a criminal transaction.  Those methods reduce your chances of being shot to near zero. Shoot first and ask questions later is pointless.  

Good luck with your ‘little friend’

Live Perched wrote:

How much “heat” does one need to fight off a cartel attack?  

A small Derringer?  Sig Sauer?  40 caliber?  

how accurate are you?

a .22 can kill an elephant 

ZT G wrote:

how accurate are you?

a .22 can kill an elephant 

Link?

I don’t have a link I’m just not stupid 

Live Perched wrote:

How much “heat” does one need to fight off a cartel attack?  

A small Derringer?  Sig Sauer?  40 caliber?  

Guns are cool.  Carrying them is a legal right with certain provisos.  But what does a gunfight with career criminals actually look like.  Pretty bleak for most people who value their lives and have work the next day after taking kids to school.   Binoculars and a keen awareness of the surroundings might be a better defense.   Avoiding the area might be better

Don’t shoot yourself, don’t get shot by a family member and don’t get shot during a criminal transaction.  Those methods reduce your chances of being shot to near zero. Shoot first and ask questions later is pointless.  

Good luck with your ‘little friend’

never been but gps for climb is

32.631, -116.0788

team of 3 : climber belayer overwatch

dope area first for ballistic calcs, climbing wall is high point for overwatch (green) adjacent high points 3-600m to South where theyre most likely coming from would be focus.

leapfrog in and out home in time for kids soccer practice ez peasy 

its also BLM so totally legal, if stopped your .338Lm is for quail hunting

jakob miller wrote:

never been but gps for climb is

32.631, -116.0788

team of 3 : climber belayer overwatch

dope area first for ballistic calcs, climbing wall is high point for overwatch (green) adjacent high points 3-600m to South where theyre most likely coming from would be focus.

leapfrog in and out home in time for kids soccer practice ez peasy 

its also BLM so totally legal, if stopped your .338Lm is for quail hunting

Pretty cool presentation.  Is this seven riflemen in prepared positions?  Not exactly what my wife and I take climbing.  Normally it’s the two of us and a double rack. When we go full luxury, we also take a softsided cooler with lunch and hop waters.  Two rifles, multiple magazines loaded with ammunition and five armed friends don’t make the list.  Intel on where cartels will be operating so we can prepare positions is not part of our prep.

In the US where some many people have rifles and have served in the military, I can imagine people being ready and able to do this.  The preparation for and consequences of this strategy just don’t seem consistent with a day out at the cliff.  

In my previous line of work, “strafed” would have a very specific meaning… like a full one second pull on the trigger would send out about 100 30mm shells from a few klicks away. 

Daniel Joder wrote:

In my previous line of work, “strafed” would have a very specific meaning… like a full one second pull on the trigger would send out about 100 30mm shells from a few klicks away. 

Do you fast rope or Aussie rappel instead of standard rappelling by any chance 

Climbing Weasel wrote:

Do you fast rope or Aussie rappel instead of standard rappelling by any chance 

LOL! None of that Army stuff… we are the ones who stay in nice hotels (or a nice gasthaus, BITD) instead of camping out.