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| Hiking | 12.42 Miles |
3,486 AEG |
| | Hiking | 12.42 Miles | 6 Hrs 12 Mns | | 2.63 mph |
| 3,486 ft AEG | 1 Hour 29 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | This wasn't really on my radar until a month or so ago, when two different hazzers told me about it. Apparently the challenge is getting close to it, rather than actually summiting it. So I did my research and found what I thought was a likely route.
We made it farther than I planned to go in the dark, knowing the road gets sketchy, but nonetheless, it was too sketchy to make it the whole way. So we randomly camped on the road, and finished the drive with daylight the next morning.
The hike is straightforward, and relatively easy. This is ranching country, and there are plenty of cattle around. There is a cattle-track that leads almost all the way to the summit. It is so well traveled, I can honestly say that I have seen official forest service trails that are not in as good condition, nor as easy to follow as this!
Still, there are a lot of miles and elevation gained, and it takes a while to get to the summit. Once there, we were disappointed that the only register was placed only two years ago, with only one group signed in.
The sunny morning had become increasingly cloudy, with scattered showers visible in the distance. The wind picked up, and it actually got cold for a while as we began the descent. The trip down was quick and uneventful, until Blanco decided to get a little extra exercise  .
Back at the truck we relaxed a few minutes before embarking on the 90 minute drive back to highway 93 (25 miles). Once the first 30 minutes of miserable road is over, the next hour is smooth sailing. For the record, the last 4 miles are awful, but not as bad as White Box/Hanging Gardens (for reference). The first 15 miles are a piece of cake. The middle 5 reasonably good.
Not the most scenic or exciting mountain I've ever climbed. But there's something cool about it's remoteness. There's nothing out there but cows and views.
Great day with good peeps and pups. |
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Goldwater Tank |
51-75% full |
51-75% full |
| | | I think you could take a jet ski out on this one! | | _____________________
| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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