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Author Full Detail Guide Leave No Trace and +Add a Triplog after your hike to support this local community. 2014-06-26 One-Way Notice This hike is listed as One-Way. When hiking several trails on a single "hike", log it with a generic name that describes the hike. Then link the trails traveled, check out the example. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.
Most recent Triplog Reviews
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
The plan was Weavers and then Bluff Mountain summit from the southwest ridge, back to Eli Anderson, Bluff and TH. Jackie and the pups came along for this one, however, with the expectation of being spectators for Weavers. It was apparent from the start that this was going to be a wet foggy day, however, I still held out hope that Weavers would be dry enough to summit.
Weavers was in fact dry enough and someone left a line behind making the difficult first part of the climb pretty harmless. The scramble up was slick in a few spots, but never felt in danger. Chilly, windy and zero visability on the summit. In fact, throughout the entire hike to the Needle, we never saw it until we got to its base. I kept thinking the wind might blow the fog out of there, but it never did and the fog lingered the entire day. No worries though, as I enjoyed the little climb and scramble up Weavers. After meeting back up with Jackie and the relieved dogs, we backtracked to Terrapin. I then realized that I did not upload the route of Bluff via the SW ridge, but not to be deterred, I suggested we at least walk down to that area and look for something indicating a route up. We turned off the trail at some cairns and found a few more, but I was not overly confident it was the route and felt we were most likely on the wrong ridgeline, from turning off too early. After that wasted endeavor, it was to a fun little set of waterfalls off Terrapin, where I then proposed we just complete the Dutchman, Peralta Loop since we had gone so far down Terrapin already. I told Jackie that, "I could not imagine the loop leading to more than a 12 mile day." We came in just under 16 miles after taking Terrapin down to the Dutchman and then across to the Peralta Trail for our return to the TH.
Despite the higher than expected miles and wet conditions (on and off light showers) we enjoyed the loop. We were finally able to enjoy some nice views of the relative surrounding area and the Needle around 3 p.m., the opening in the fog lasted about two hours and then it was back to 50 feet of vision for the descent down to the TH. We finally broke at 6:10 p.m. and put our head lamps on for the final few minutes on the trail.
In the end it was really nice getting out to an area in the Supes where it is hard to go wrong when there is flowing water. It could have been a little dryer, but we prevailed, however, spent several minutes discussing our regret in not bringing our rain pants. We only ran into a couple of hikers all day and never passed a person on Peralta. The loop may have been long and the conditions not ideal, but it was nice to achieve solitude in such a popular area of the Supes. The SW approach to Bluff looks cool, will probably be out there shortly, but with a route.
Weavers was in fact dry enough and someone left a line behind making the difficult first part of the climb pretty harmless. The scramble up was slick in a few spots, but never felt in danger. Chilly, windy and zero visability on the summit. In fact, throughout the entire hike to the Needle, we never saw it until we got to its base. I kept thinking the wind might blow the fog out of there, but it never did and the fog lingered the entire day. No worries though, as I enjoyed the little climb and scramble up Weavers. After meeting back up with Jackie and the relieved dogs, we backtracked to Terrapin. I then realized that I did not upload the route of Bluff via the SW ridge, but not to be deterred, I suggested we at least walk down to that area and look for something indicating a route up. We turned off the trail at some cairns and found a few more, but I was not overly confident it was the route and felt we were most likely on the wrong ridgeline, from turning off too early. After that wasted endeavor, it was to a fun little set of waterfalls off Terrapin, where I then proposed we just complete the Dutchman, Peralta Loop since we had gone so far down Terrapin already. I told Jackie that, "I could not imagine the loop leading to more than a 12 mile day." We came in just under 16 miles after taking Terrapin down to the Dutchman and then across to the Peralta Trail for our return to the TH.
Despite the higher than expected miles and wet conditions (on and off light showers) we enjoyed the loop. We were finally able to enjoy some nice views of the relative surrounding area and the Needle around 3 p.m., the opening in the fog lasted about two hours and then it was back to 50 feet of vision for the descent down to the TH. We finally broke at 6:10 p.m. and put our head lamps on for the final few minutes on the trail.
In the end it was really nice getting out to an area in the Supes where it is hard to go wrong when there is flowing water. It could have been a little dryer, but we prevailed, however, spent several minutes discussing our regret in not bringing our rain pants. We only ran into a couple of hikers all day and never passed a person on Peralta. The loop may have been long and the conditions not ideal, but it was nice to achieve solitude in such a popular area of the Supes. The SW approach to Bluff looks cool, will probably be out there shortly, but with a route.
2017-01-15 friendofThundergod
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
With afternoon obligations I needed to stay close to home. I did not want to just rack up empty miles in the valley so I headed to Peralta TH. Weavers has been on my mind latel and with the ridge line not feasible, it seemed like a viable option.
The steady rain on the drive to the TH coupled with a late Friday night had me thinking miners needle loop when I got there. However, I stuck to my plan. I decided I would still go to the base of the needle and assess the situation from there.
It was raining even harder once I got to the base and that first tough climb was nothing short of treacherous. Not to be deterred I gave it a shot and was able to methodically make my through that toughest first part. I was very careful and more reserved than usual because I was solo and it was pretty slippery, but I made it to the summit in relative ease after the nasty first section.
I have done much in the Supes and can't think of too many experiences better than having the summit of Weavers to one's self. It started to rain pretty hard once I reached the top and there were a couple nice crashes of thunder along with some lightning; things were looking pretty ominous in the distance and improvement did not seem near, so I retreated back to the base after a short stay on. Down climbing that tough stretch was extra fun with the slick rock, but I made it through just fine. The rain pretty much kept me company until I reached the TH.
In the end it proved to be the perfect little hike with some bang for its buck and I was happy to be home by noon.
The steady rain on the drive to the TH coupled with a late Friday night had me thinking miners needle loop when I got there. However, I stuck to my plan. I decided I would still go to the base of the needle and assess the situation from there.
It was raining even harder once I got to the base and that first tough climb was nothing short of treacherous. Not to be deterred I gave it a shot and was able to methodically make my through that toughest first part. I was very careful and more reserved than usual because I was solo and it was pretty slippery, but I made it to the summit in relative ease after the nasty first section.
I have done much in the Supes and can't think of too many experiences better than having the summit of Weavers to one's self. It started to rain pretty hard once I reached the top and there were a couple nice crashes of thunder along with some lightning; things were looking pretty ominous in the distance and improvement did not seem near, so I retreated back to the base after a short stay on. Down climbing that tough stretch was extra fun with the slick rock, but I made it through just fine. The rain pretty much kept me company until I reached the TH.
In the end it proved to be the perfect little hike with some bang for its buck and I was happy to be home by noon.
2015-06-06 friendofThundergod
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Weaver's Needle - Up West / Down East
So yesterday (1/17/15) I had the crazy idea of perhaps attempting the C4 route to the summit of Weaver’s. I had read JuanJaimeiii’s recent triplog covering his recent ascent and got my brain churning. I sent off a message to him asking about his GPS route and he was gracious enough to offer to offer his services in guiding me to the top. Joe Bartels made the journey with us as well and made the trip that much better/easier.
To say Weaver’s is a unique/magical experience is an understatement. I had always had a pipe dream of climbing to the top of this pile of rocks but never put much thought into it. Here I was, however, at 7am starting off into the morning twilight towards the jagged peak. We made a decent clip up and over the saddle into the wilderness. Upon reaching the base of the needle the fun really began.
The climb up the western face was intense. While the actually moving around on the rock wasn’t too difficult, the creeping thought of what would happen with a slip had to be kept at bay. I just focused on the few feet in front of me; hand goes here, foot goes here, etc. I was never so happy to remove my pack and shimmy through a tight place than when I reached the chock stone. The rest of the scramble to the top was fun, if not a bit unnerving at times with loose rocks and cliff edges.
We all spent a few moments at the summit enjoying the view before heading back down. We decided that the eastern approach would be best; I certainly did not feel comfortable down climbing the western route. Just about back to the saddle and I found myself going down a cliff I shouldn’t have been. I made my way down as far as I could before taking a leap of faith of about 4 feet onto a rock. I was no worse for wear other than a slight stumble.
The eastern descent went by really quickly and we soon found ourselves making our way back to the main trail. Overall this was one of my top hiking/climbing experiences and am quite fortunate that JuanJaimeiii and Joe Bartel allowed me to tag along on this adventure!
To say Weaver’s is a unique/magical experience is an understatement. I had always had a pipe dream of climbing to the top of this pile of rocks but never put much thought into it. Here I was, however, at 7am starting off into the morning twilight towards the jagged peak. We made a decent clip up and over the saddle into the wilderness. Upon reaching the base of the needle the fun really began.
The climb up the western face was intense. While the actually moving around on the rock wasn’t too difficult, the creeping thought of what would happen with a slip had to be kept at bay. I just focused on the few feet in front of me; hand goes here, foot goes here, etc. I was never so happy to remove my pack and shimmy through a tight place than when I reached the chock stone. The rest of the scramble to the top was fun, if not a bit unnerving at times with loose rocks and cliff edges.
We all spent a few moments at the summit enjoying the view before heading back down. We decided that the eastern approach would be best; I certainly did not feel comfortable down climbing the western route. Just about back to the saddle and I found myself going down a cliff I shouldn’t have been. I made my way down as far as I could before taking a leap of faith of about 4 feet onto a rock. I was no worse for wear other than a slight stumble.
The eastern descent went by really quickly and we soon found ourselves making our way back to the main trail. Overall this was one of my top hiking/climbing experiences and am quite fortunate that JuanJaimeiii and Joe Bartel allowed me to tag along on this adventure!
2015-01-18 syoung
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Weaver's Needle - Up West / Down East
After a solid hike yesterday jj mentioned crossing "over" Weavers with syoung. Albeit slightly drained I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet Sam.
Plenty of parking available at 7am in the main lot. We headed up at an average pace crossing Fremont. Only two chilling at the saddle. One was a photographer perched over to the right. Their interest perked up when they overheard needle chatter in passing.
We headed up to the gully. The slant to the upper part still took me two tries. After watching Sam make it look easy I got it on the second attempt... keep in mind this is getting "to" the climb.
jj headed up, moving well. Then slipped just a few inches back down at the crux. That pretty much sealed the "I'll be using the rope" ten million dollar question. Elvis possessed him. Twitchy leg syndrome was alive and well. With his previous experience he was able to overcome and punched it out like a champ!
Next up I watched Sam. He's a bit of a natural. Which was a good calming quality I needed to witness! He partially pawns it off on his approach shoes.
I was ready for the rope. jj said to give a shot first. Did, but my fingers lock up so I opted for the rope again. Without a harness this round I burned up a thousand calories in the next ten minutes. Luckily there was no one to witness the event from below. Which I'm sure was entertaining to put it mildly. Probably a 0 out 10 for the style judges but hey I made it... lol On the bright side I'm getting closer with a feel for what it takes.
Hit the summit and returned down the eastern c4 route. I used the rope after getting past the difficult part. jj was right. I thought it was closer to the bottom. Now I know and should be able to at least do the eastern side without help in the future. Being pro life I'll tenderfoot this stuff as long as it takes!
Peralta was busy heading back down. jj wanted to know what was possible timewise for future trips. Something about shaving the time down so he can knock this out before work or something. I barely managed to keep up since I don't have the BobP / jlp / Dave1 super descending powers.
Great little trip, glad I got out to meet Sam!
Plenty of parking available at 7am in the main lot. We headed up at an average pace crossing Fremont. Only two chilling at the saddle. One was a photographer perched over to the right. Their interest perked up when they overheard needle chatter in passing.
We headed up to the gully. The slant to the upper part still took me two tries. After watching Sam make it look easy I got it on the second attempt... keep in mind this is getting "to" the climb.
jj headed up, moving well. Then slipped just a few inches back down at the crux. That pretty much sealed the "I'll be using the rope" ten million dollar question. Elvis possessed him. Twitchy leg syndrome was alive and well. With his previous experience he was able to overcome and punched it out like a champ!
Next up I watched Sam. He's a bit of a natural. Which was a good calming quality I needed to witness! He partially pawns it off on his approach shoes.
I was ready for the rope. jj said to give a shot first. Did, but my fingers lock up so I opted for the rope again. Without a harness this round I burned up a thousand calories in the next ten minutes. Luckily there was no one to witness the event from below. Which I'm sure was entertaining to put it mildly. Probably a 0 out 10 for the style judges but hey I made it... lol On the bright side I'm getting closer with a feel for what it takes.
Hit the summit and returned down the eastern c4 route. I used the rope after getting past the difficult part. jj was right. I thought it was closer to the bottom. Now I know and should be able to at least do the eastern side without help in the future. Being pro life I'll tenderfoot this stuff as long as it takes!
Peralta was busy heading back down. jj wanted to know what was possible timewise for future trips. Something about shaving the time down so he can knock this out before work or something. I barely managed to keep up since I don't have the BobP / jlp / Dave1 super descending powers.
Great little trip, glad I got out to meet Sam!
2015-01-18 joebartels
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Just another awesome hike in what is turning out to be a very memorable summer hiking campaign. Took the invite from Bob, invited my friend Jim along. Jim has been an avid hiker in the Supes for nearly 20 years and has always dreamed of reaching the top of Weaver's Needle. Today he got his chance and he took full advantage along with the five of us.
Just a very cool experience! I thought the rental fee Joe was charging to use his rope was a little high so I chose to free climb up, and as much as I wanted to get some rappel action, I chose to free climb down as well. I am ready for the west side JJ ;)
Both climbs/scrambles went great, the summit was about what you can imagine and ten time more, the temps were perfect and it was nice to finally add Joe to my very humble hiking partners list. Likewise, I know Jim really appreciated the opportunity and enjoyed the hike, kind of hard to find new things to do in the Supes when you have been hiking them for 18 years, but I think we found something a little bit different for Jim today ;)
Only thing I would have changed was the amount of rope "I carried" out, carried out 60 meters of rope, probably could have left in car ;)
Just a very cool experience! I thought the rental fee Joe was charging to use his rope was a little high so I chose to free climb up, and as much as I wanted to get some rappel action, I chose to free climb down as well. I am ready for the west side JJ ;)
Both climbs/scrambles went great, the summit was about what you can imagine and ten time more, the temps were perfect and it was nice to finally add Joe to my very humble hiking partners list. Likewise, I know Jim really appreciated the opportunity and enjoyed the hike, kind of hard to find new things to do in the Supes when you have been hiking them for 18 years, but I think we found something a little bit different for Jim today ;)
Only thing I would have changed was the amount of rope "I carried" out, carried out 60 meters of rope, probably could have left in car ;)
2014-07-04 friendofThundergod
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Bumble Bee, Wiki Wally, F(T)OTG-LC-XYZ, "Jim" & I threaded the needle in celebration of our independance. Temps never cracked 91 degrees. The humidity felt thick at times. Other times it felt tropical when breezy. Cloud cover kept the sun in check for the majority.
Took my ridiculously heavy static 60m/10mm + heavy harness to keep things safer with more guys in the pack. Wally & primarily Lee deserve the scrolling credits for carrying gear. Not necessary yet nice and solid compared to recent rappels on the slightly dynamic 7mm with an ultra lightweight harness.
Bob zipped up first with the rope like a trooper as usual. Everyone made it up without issue. Lee ascended and down climbed without the rope. He had a couple wide eyed moments yet kept cool and moving.
The summit is 5-10 min from the chockstone. With the larger group we took more time on top. It was nice to check out the views and soak it all in.
It was great to meet Lee & Jim. Especially cool being there with Wally & Jim. They have probably pondered that needle more than most so I'm glad I got to join in on their journey.
Took 4 quarts, consumed 3. 6 vehicles in the lot near noon was shocking. We passed several groups returning on Peralta.
Took my ridiculously heavy static 60m/10mm + heavy harness to keep things safer with more guys in the pack. Wally & primarily Lee deserve the scrolling credits for carrying gear. Not necessary yet nice and solid compared to recent rappels on the slightly dynamic 7mm with an ultra lightweight harness.
Bob zipped up first with the rope like a trooper as usual. Everyone made it up without issue. Lee ascended and down climbed without the rope. He had a couple wide eyed moments yet kept cool and moving.
The summit is 5-10 min from the chockstone. With the larger group we took more time on top. It was nice to check out the views and soak it all in.
It was great to meet Lee & Jim. Especially cool being there with Wally & Jim. They have probably pondered that needle more than most so I'm glad I got to join in on their journey.
Took 4 quarts, consumed 3. 6 vehicles in the lot near noon was shocking. We passed several groups returning on Peralta.
2014-07-04 joebartels
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Wow, didn't think I'd ever get on top of Weaver's! Thanks again, Joe and JJ!
We were supposed to meet at Peralta TH at 4:50am but I was running about 5 minutes late. They had already started before I arrived so I had to play catch-up. Trust me, you don't ever want to have to catch up to these guys! We took Bluff Springs to the Cross Cut trail so we could access the east side of Weaver. I was expecting to take Peralta in both directions so I wore shorts. Big mistake. The off-trail part to the base of the needle is quite brushy.
I had been to the east side before about 3 years ago and didn't really feel like there was a "safe" route up so I was skeptical when Joe suggested it. But knowing J&JJ's route finding skills, I figured I should probably go. At the east side base, of course JJ went up right away. Joe was next but turned around about 15-20' up. Then my turn. Went up a few feet and knew I could do it but didn't like the thought of down-climbing it. Joe and I decided it would be best to have JJ set up the rope so we could rappel back down if needed. The 7mm ropes (one at 70' and the other 45') we brought are real stretchy so we tied the ends together and had JJ loop it through the existing anchored webbing so we could rappel with "2" ropes. So the first climb was about 75' and then it was another 30' or so climb in a notch to the top of the infamous chockstone. JJ was pretty excited to get to this point as he knew it was a relatively easy scramble to the summit from here. I was still nervous about going back down. Above the chockstone is a 12' non-exposed climb. It didn't give us much trouble. Beyond that was about another 300 vertical feet of mixed class 2, 3 and 4 to the top. Most of it is just a blur to me at this point.
It was very surreal being on top. Hard to believe we actually made it as the climbs all seemed to go by so quickly and were much easier than I was expecting. But with all the down-climbing heavy on my mind, it was difficult to enjoy the summit. We spent about 10 minutes on top and then headed back down. Everything went well and we even found a bypass to one of the more difficult down-climbs. None of it seem really exposed to me. Maybe just that one bypass part that sort of hung out over the west side a bit but even that wasn't too bad. Joe and I rappelled the last 70' while JJ stayed true to his "non-roped" ascent and descent of the needle.
We finished by looping around the base of the needle to the west side and then picked up the use trail to Peralta Trail and back to Peralta trailhead.
Can't wait to go back!
We were supposed to meet at Peralta TH at 4:50am but I was running about 5 minutes late. They had already started before I arrived so I had to play catch-up. Trust me, you don't ever want to have to catch up to these guys! We took Bluff Springs to the Cross Cut trail so we could access the east side of Weaver. I was expecting to take Peralta in both directions so I wore shorts. Big mistake. The off-trail part to the base of the needle is quite brushy.
I had been to the east side before about 3 years ago and didn't really feel like there was a "safe" route up so I was skeptical when Joe suggested it. But knowing J&JJ's route finding skills, I figured I should probably go. At the east side base, of course JJ went up right away. Joe was next but turned around about 15-20' up. Then my turn. Went up a few feet and knew I could do it but didn't like the thought of down-climbing it. Joe and I decided it would be best to have JJ set up the rope so we could rappel back down if needed. The 7mm ropes (one at 70' and the other 45') we brought are real stretchy so we tied the ends together and had JJ loop it through the existing anchored webbing so we could rappel with "2" ropes. So the first climb was about 75' and then it was another 30' or so climb in a notch to the top of the infamous chockstone. JJ was pretty excited to get to this point as he knew it was a relatively easy scramble to the summit from here. I was still nervous about going back down. Above the chockstone is a 12' non-exposed climb. It didn't give us much trouble. Beyond that was about another 300 vertical feet of mixed class 2, 3 and 4 to the top. Most of it is just a blur to me at this point.
It was very surreal being on top. Hard to believe we actually made it as the climbs all seemed to go by so quickly and were much easier than I was expecting. But with all the down-climbing heavy on my mind, it was difficult to enjoy the summit. We spent about 10 minutes on top and then headed back down. Everything went well and we even found a bypass to one of the more difficult down-climbs. None of it seem really exposed to me. Maybe just that one bypass part that sort of hung out over the west side a bit but even that wasn't too bad. Joe and I rappelled the last 70' while JJ stayed true to his "non-roped" ascent and descent of the needle.
We finished by looping around the base of the needle to the west side and then picked up the use trail to Peralta Trail and back to Peralta trailhead.
Can't wait to go back!
2014-06-26 Dave1
Weaver's Needle Summit - East c4 Route
Two days ago I stumbled upon Sid's crosscut triplog. He mentioned a c4 route on the east. jj had already done the popular west side and thought there may indeed be a c4 route on the flip side. Dave wasn't convinced as he'd gandered the east in the past. However I thought with his spanking new "I'm a Brahma Pimp" bumper sticker he's sportin' he might see it in a different light.
In the back of my mind I had a 60% success rate. For over a decade I've pretty much been able to take Sid's advice to the bank. On the flip side Brahma pushed me back a tad with a c4 route that required upper body strength outta my league. Big whoop... any hike in the Superstitions is a good hike in my mind so off we went to check it out.
From the bottom the route looked better than I'd hoped. jj went up the pitch. I threw him a 7mm before he got out of my stellar ten foot throwing radius. Next I took a stab. Going up wasn't that bad. After 15 feet I wanted to be sure I could get down. Stretching to a foot hold I got a foot cramp. That flipped the forget it switch.
Dave and I took a longer than jj approved time measuring ropes. "Hold tight"... "jesus what's going on down there". Okay concentrate... how do we tie a heimlich I mean klemhiest knot. We figured it out then both ascended in sound mind knowing we could get down without issue.
There is a lot more scrambling but nothing of major concern. The top was cool. I was pretty much in disbelief it was real and actually happened. jj free climbed down the pitch while Dave and I rappelled. I look forward to coming back with sleep and trying without the rope.
4 outta 5, it's not a Temple...
Took 4 quarts, consumed 2.
In the back of my mind I had a 60% success rate. For over a decade I've pretty much been able to take Sid's advice to the bank. On the flip side Brahma pushed me back a tad with a c4 route that required upper body strength outta my league. Big whoop... any hike in the Superstitions is a good hike in my mind so off we went to check it out.
From the bottom the route looked better than I'd hoped. jj went up the pitch. I threw him a 7mm before he got out of my stellar ten foot throwing radius. Next I took a stab. Going up wasn't that bad. After 15 feet I wanted to be sure I could get down. Stretching to a foot hold I got a foot cramp. That flipped the forget it switch.
Dave and I took a longer than jj approved time measuring ropes. "Hold tight"... "jesus what's going on down there". Okay concentrate... how do we tie a heimlich I mean klemhiest knot. We figured it out then both ascended in sound mind knowing we could get down without issue.
There is a lot more scrambling but nothing of major concern. The top was cool. I was pretty much in disbelief it was real and actually happened. jj free climbed down the pitch while Dave and I rappelled. I look forward to coming back with sleep and trying without the rope.
4 outta 5, it's not a Temple...
Took 4 quarts, consumed 2.
2014-06-26 joebartels
