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| Hiking | 4.01 Miles |
1,740 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.01 Miles | 2 Hrs 45 Mns | | 2.02 mph |
| 1,740 ft AEG | 46 Mns Break | | | |
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[ show ]
| partners | | After meeting up with the New Year's HAZ group at Vulture Peak, a couple of us decided to work off the Cags and wieners by bagging a couple of nearby peaks. Bob had an eye on Red and White Picacho and I had a map, so we headed that way. Patrick left the child seats in the minivan and hitched a ride for the last stretch while Preston took care not to hurt his truck on the way to the mine.
It was fairly late in the day, but it's a short hike and we headed out, initially following some faint use trails before making our way more or less straight up. Bob opted for a route to the left of the drainage, almost immediately below the peak, while the three of us stayed right of the gulley before cutting back toward the peak on the ridge. I beat Bob up, so I'm guessing that the right side access is easier. 
Bob and I checked out two possible ascents, both with great holds but too much distance and exposure for our comfort on this day, while Patrick explored the route at the saddle. That route is by far the shortest climb, but has the least in the way of holds. I still think that it might be the best place to ascend. I think I'll try it next time, now that I know what I'm facing.
After settling with not bagging Red Picacho, Bob and I decided to head toward White, while the Yeti and the minivan mom headed back down because there was only an hour of daylight left (or something like that).
Getting across to White was pretty easy, and there was a good route up White with just a little bit of light scrambling. I went to the saddle and through a little notch to the north side where I realized there was no peak access, so I backtracked to the south side to scramble up an easy chute to the peak. The west peak is by far the highest of the two, though it doesn't always look like that when approaching from Red.
Up top Bob and I enjoyed a celebratory beverage and signed the rarely seen peak register which was buried deep in a pile of rocks. The sun neared the horizon and cast some nice light across the surrounding mountains.
On the way down, we headed into the gulley toward the east from the first saddle below White, and then began to swing around back toward the south. It got dark and more adventurous, but eventually we found a couple of single-track dirtbike paths which made the going a whole lot faster. Check out our GPS tracks on the satellite view and you can see the tracks. They are definitely the way to go if you are heading to or from White Picacho.
A great follow-up adventure on a pretty good start to 2013! |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
