Feeling Sacred at the Viejas Mountain Summit

To me, the word Viejas in San Diego has always been associated with a casino and gambling. And so is Barona and Pechanga. According to a paper titled "Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians, a Brief History" which is based on the antropological studies of Florence Connolly Shipek, PhD, Viejas Mountain was so named when the valley which now constitutes Alpine was called Valle de las Viejas.
During the Spanish Mission years between 1769 to 1829, Spanish friars were directed to educate Native Americans to make them working class citizens of the Spanish Empire. The Kumeyaay group who inhabited the area were captured and forced to work for the Spanish invaders. 
To avoid capture, the Kumeyaays fled the valley  to escape capture by the Spanish mission forces. Spanish soldiers when searching the valley found only old women living in caves. The men and their  families had escaped leaving behind only older women who couldn't keep up with the hike. "Valle de las Viejas" or "Valley of the Old Women" was basically a no man's land. 
I was hiking alone and feeling the sacred solitudes that shamans and their band had after their rituals and holy smokes after following the trail to the northern summit. I had nothing to offer so I consecrated the glorious holy shit with the energy trail mix that has been in the pocket  of my Camelbak for the last six months since Djeline gave it to me while hiking the John Muir Trail at Yosemite. Standing on one shoe while the right pair had to be part of photo consecration, I didn't feel like an idiot at all. So this is how it feels to be sacred!
"Standing tough under Stars and Stripes 
We can tell
This dream's in sight..."
The flag that stands atop the southern summit of the Viejas Mountains indicates that the summit is a federal government area. This means that the Kumeyaays' Nation  are still a nation within a nation. 
"You've got to admit it, 
At this point in time that it's clear, 
The future looks bright..."

"What a beautiful world this would be
What a glorious time to be free!"
Lyrics from IGY by Donald Fagen 

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