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| Hiking | 6.35 Miles |
1,247 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.35 Miles | 5 Hrs 38 Mns | | 1.45 mph |
| 1,247 ft AEG | 1 Hour 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This was a hike to the summit of Cortez Peak (elevation of 2,524 feet and prominence of 1,064 feet), which is in the Gila Bend Mountains west of Phoenix. The highpoint of the range is Woolsey Peak. I drove in on the well graded Agua Caliente Road and parked where Loudermilk Wash intersects the road.
I began by hiking in Loudermilk Wash, which is a good wash to hike in. It was very wide in the early going, and even when it narrowed there was not much vegetation. In one section of the wash it was basically slot canyon that was only 4-5 feet wide. I stayed in the wash for about 2 1/4 miles, and then began ascending toward the peak.
I started up a drainage that led to a ridgeline and high saddle that was southeast of the peak. The going was good for a while, but then it got very, very steep as I neared the ridgeline. Combined with some loose rock it was uncomfortably steep, and if you slipped the only thing to grab onto was teddy bear cholla. That gave me some incentive to stay focused on the matter at hand.
I finally got to the ridgeline, and from there I had to up another steep slope about 250-300 vertical feet to get to the summit. This was also very steep with a good bit of loose rock, so it was a gingerly ascent. There was a bit of rock scrambling just below the summit, but nothing sketchy.
There were great views and a Mac-Lilley register at the summit, so I hung out there for a bit, had some lunch, and enjoyed the views. There is another summit about 300 feet to the west that is likely almost as high as where I was, but I did not venture over to it.
On the way back, once I descended back to the saddle, I decided that I did not want to go down the steep slope that I came up. Thus, I continued on the ridgeline for a bit, and descended on another ridgeline that had a more gentle grade that the route that I descended. The descent worked relatively well, and I made my way back to the desert floor and then back to Loudermilk Wash.
Most of this hike was enjoyable, but portions of it were too steep and slippery to be real comfortable. Nonetheless, it was nice to summit a new (for me) desert peak! |
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Loudermilk Wash |
Dry |
Dry |
| | | I saw no water at all in the wash, even at Seep Tank. | | _____________________
| Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there |
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