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| Backpack | 13.35 Miles |
1,975 AEG |
| | Backpack | 13.35 Miles | 2 Days | | |
| 1,975 ft AEG | | | | |
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| partners | | Joel and Jon had this one in the works for some winter photography, and I'm not typically opposed to exploring more of the western deserts at this time of year so I decided to tag along. Instead of a day hike, the plan was to backpack and spend the night on the summit.
Of course, we knew there would be nothing glamorous as far as places to sleep go, and expectations were definitely met.
The first 3 miles on old 2 track is relatively boring, followed by a couple of miles in the prominent nw/se oriented drainage north of the summit. We managed to avoid sandy wash walking almost entirely as the adjacent desert flora was forgiving, and there are remnants of old two tracks that provided pretty good travel routes.
We cached some water at the bottom of the 1500-foot ascent and made our way up that final mile. This was a pretty enjoyable route. No crazy scrambles, and mostly firm footing until the final 200 feet below the saddle when there was some looser scree to negotiate.
From there to the summit the slope is steeper and more scrambly, and using hands for assistance became helpful with our heavy overnight packs. It wasn't long before we reached the summit block and the stunning views it provided.
It took some creativity but we were able to find spots for the each of us to sleep that were mostly ok and didn't involve too much danger of rolling off the mountain!
Sunset and sunrise views were outstanding and worth the effort of carrying water and gear up there. The wind picked up a bit overnight but mostly held off until we were back at the truck the next afternoon.
A helicopter buzzed 500 feet below us in the morning. We thought it might be BP investigating our overnight headlamps, but it seemed more interested in staying low and out of sight than in finding us. Regardless, it was the only sign of human life we encountered on the hike.
I'm really glad to have done this one. It was super enjoyable. |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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