DESTINATION Guadu Benchmark - Cipriano Hills HP 1 Photoset
2024-01-28 | |
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| Hiking | 3.78 Miles |
1,323 AEG |
| | Hiking | 3.78 Miles | 4 Hrs 5 Mns | | 1.09 mph |
| 1,323 ft AEG | 36 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a hike to the Guadu Benchmark, the unnamed highpoint of the Cipriano Hills.
Apparently the Cipriano HIlls were once known as the Agua Dulce Mountains; today, the Agua Dulce Mountains are further west.
In coming up with the name for the benchmark, the surveyors likely used the following formula:
aGUA + DUlce = GUADU
I drove in on the Puerto Blanco Loop for just over 16 miles and pulled off the road and parked. The road had recently been graded to this point, and was in really good shape.
The route for the hike was straightfoward: hike one mile across the desert floor to a saddle; from the saddle hike 1/2 mile up a ridgeline to a false summit; and then hike 0.4 miles to the true summit. Unfortunately, things aren't always as easy as they appear from a distance.
The hike across the desert floor to the saddle was without any surprises. However, the hike up the ridgeline to the false summit was not an easy one. I gained 800 feet in elevation over the 1/2 mile ascent, and the difficulty was compounded by all of the basalt and boulders that covered the ground. Occasionally there was some bare ground without a rock or boulder on it, but there would invariably be a cactus or cholla growing. It was slow going but I eventually made it up there.
Once at the false summit, the heavy lifting had been done but there was still some work to do. It was relatively flat, and while there weren't as many rocks and boulders to deal with as on the ascent, it was still a bit rocky.
There were nice views at the summit and I took a well deserved break while there. I located the benchmark and one reference mark, but I did not see the other reference mark.
I returned the way that I came up. The descent down the rocky and bouldery slope was slow going. By that time the temperature was in he mid 70's, and it felt much warmer than that with the sun beating down on the black basalt rocks on the south facing slope.
I did not see many signs of indocumentados on the hike. Shortly after starting out, I crossed a wash and saw a mens jacket in the wash that looked almost new. A bit later I saw a couple of black plastic water jugs that looked like they had been there for a while.
On the drive out I was driving alongside the border wall and at one place there were dozens if not hundreds of people sitting in line with their backs propped up against the border wall. I am not sure what was up with that.
Synopsis
This hike was tougher than I thought that it would be, but that is par for the course for a lot of these desert peaks. In any event, a winter day hiking to a desert peak is a day well spent! |
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| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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