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Bloated Chipmunk Cock Rock Searcher
Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 2993 | TRs | Pics Location: Margaritaville |
What to do for MLK wknd.? Only 3 days is a little limiting, & 2 is even more so. This was originally planned as a 3 day trip but MM couldn't get the 3rd day off so we had to squeeze this adventure into 2 days...ouch. Well, 2 days would be easy for a normal person, but for a slow mofo like me it was quite taxing.
I decided I wanted to scratch the Sawtooth Mtns. HP off my list, & after having done the nearby Red Top & more recently a partial exploration up the valley, I had some idea what was in store. Once again online research didn't produce much, but I did read in one report that the last bit may not be advisable unless you have roped protection.
Once again MM & I drove up to the (newly constructed) TH off of the NFK Indian Gorge Rd., & took off toward the low pass.
TH MM starting up from the car Sombrero Pk. The low pass
I noticed some pottery shards as I climbed the trail up the drainage. They were bigger pieces than what I normally see.
Heading up to the saddle Pottery shards Pottery shard
Before long I was at the pass, & paused a few mins for MM to catch up. He took a little time to improve a slippery section of trail along the way.
Canebrake Valley & Inner Pasture beyond
We made our way down the other side, & passed by some big rocks w/what looked like the beginnings of some grinding holes. At this point, they were more like little smoothed out depressions. This time we found a nice wash to follow on the east side as we made our way down to the valley.
Cholla ball Smoothed out places on the rock 2 labels Looking back @ the pass we came over More evidence of grinding
We reached the old Canebrake rd. & turned left. Here is where we walked on & on....& on....
The old rd. heading up the valley Flat rocks Square rock Pt. 4684' hidden back up there somewhere Looking west to the edge of the Laguna Mtns. Afternoon sun on the valley The south end of the summit of Red Top 3 labels Campsite to be on the far right, beneath the saddle MM headed up the valley South end of Red Top Pepperwood Canyon Pt. 5532' Pt. 4436' Unnamed canyon heading up to Thing Valley
We walked all the way to the end of the valley, aiming to camp near the "spring" marked on the map. We saw an area of bushes, presumably where water resides sometimes. We found a nice little spot a little west of Pt. 3011', getting there shortly before sunset.
Sunset
The next morning was bright but chilly.
Making b'fast Morning camp
We got a day pack ready & headed up the drainage behind the tent, west of Pt. 4684'.
Leaving the tent for the day Heading up the gully Red Top across the way X marks the spot MM partway up the gully A little further to go
My map showed the pk. just above this saddle, so we started going up the south ridge. Like Red Top, the boulders got bigger & bigger, & before long we were making use of secret passageways / rock tunnels.
A little further to go The white ball Heading up the south ridge of the false summit MM in one of the secret passageways More big boulders ahead Crawling through another gap in the rocks Nice ass Rocks on the south ridge
Once we topped out on the ridge though, we realized there was a higher point just to the east. D'oh! This wasn't the 1st mislabeling I've found on this particular topo map.
Atop the false summit to the west of Pt. 4684' THAT'S the real deal ;-)
We had a quick snack & then pressed on, passing by some snow patches left over from the previous wknd.'s storm. We dipped down a bit, circled around the back (north) side of the pk., then made the final steep push to the summit. I practically tripped over the summit register, which was placed at the bottom of the south summit rock.
Penis rock View east to Red Top Canebrake Valley View back over to the false summit; Lagunas behind View northish View NE
Indeed there was a near-vertical "10' exposed Class 3 crack" that was mighty sketchy. There were pretty good hand- & footholds to go up, but a fall would not have been pretty. I considered it, but it didn't take long for me to realize that it wasn't worth the risk. MM however, managed to work his way up that thing.
MM on crack MM atop north summit rock
Meanwhile I went back up & over & down the south summit rock, & signed the register, which was a tiny roll of stapled paper inside a film canister, inside the usual aluminum can. This tiny roll of paper held entries covering the last 32 yrs. So yeah, this pk. doesn't get visited too often!
Summit register dates back to 1981 Looking for a different way down 2 labels MM takes a look down the nearby gully Zoom of Red Top's summit rock MM gets the camera ready on the south summit rock Granite Mtn. to the NW False Sombrero pokes up Whale Pk. BC & MM atop Pt. 4684'. It looks like I'm grabbing his crotch but I'm not. ;-)
On the way down, we took a slightly different way, which may or may not have saved time/effort. There were still lots of big boulders to go up/over/down/around, & my arms were used a lot to lower myself down. It took longer than I hoped to get back to camp.
Heading down More pottery
We finally reached the tent not long before sunset. It would've been a great time to relax w/some booze & dinner but no, we still had to hike out 6ish miles, most of which would be in the dark.
Looking back @ the pk.; highpoint no longer visible Another way up Sunset
The moon was about 2/3 full, so we actually didn't need the headlamps until we were going up & over the pass...& even then we got away w/using the red lights. Once back on the regular trail, it was a breeze.
Absolutely no other peeps sighted the entire trip. Aaahhhh, Canebrake!
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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BirdDog Member
Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 1067 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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BirdDog
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Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:06 am
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Beautiful! I love desert hiking. Appreicate you posting these TR's as reading them keeps me half sane while living in the grey gloom of the PNW.
"There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country."
Teddy Roosevelt August 6, 1912
"There can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country."
Teddy Roosevelt August 6, 1912
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Bloated Chipmunk Cock Rock Searcher
Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 2993 | TRs | Pics Location: Margaritaville |
Home is where the hiking is.
"Peaks that have come and gone four times should halt a man in his steps." -- William O. Douglas
A balanced diet is a margarita in each hand.
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the Zachster Member
Joined: 17 Jan 2007 Posts: 4776 | TRs | Pics Location: dog training |
Really fascinating landscape! Thanks for the report and cool pics!
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
"May I always be the kind of person my dog thinks I am"
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Gabigabs Trail Breaker
Joined: 07 Nov 2007 Posts: 841 | TRs | Pics Location: Seattle |
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Gabigabs
Trail Breaker
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Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:58 pm
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Beautiful scenery.
Life is simple... Eat, Sleep, Hike!
Life is simple... Eat, Sleep, Hike!
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