[John Morrow]

After the Muddy Mountains fine Peak scrambling I decided to seek more aesthetic summits. What I found was just that, plus: Pictographs, Petroglyphs, narrow canyons, joshua trees and cholla cactus, sunrises and sunsets, sweet camping, and finally summits of limestone, granite, and sand! Yes, even a sand summit. Mojave National Preserve has all this and much much more. It is a must visit!!!!! On Fri Feb 6th I took my rental SUV up six miles of crappy powerline access road to a neat BLM picnic/camping area. This is the start for the Clark Mountain 7907' climb. It is just off of I-15 in California and a detached unit of Mojave National Preserve. I did it as a pseudo loop with the East Peak 7897'. This entailed going up one southern rib, crossing an exciting, impeccable solid limestone knife-edge traverse to connect the summits, followed by a descent of a more western southern rib. I include a map.

ClarkRoute

Clark Mountain, Mojave National Preserve

Looking back toward I-15

The East Peak 7897'

View toward the Spring Mountains

Clark summit traverse

Mojave Wilderness, CA. Mojave National Preserve

Mojave Wilderness, CA Mojave National Preserve

Start of the Knife Edge

On Clark Mountain

Fantastic!

Goes and Goes

Impeccable limestone

The East Peak

On to the top

In good company

Don't be tempted!

Denied!!!!

Supposed Class 3 standard

Complete with rappel sling (yellow)

What stopped me

Fun descent along cliff base

My favorite rock art is the stuff I unexpectedly find without any pre-trip research. I will always share location info when I believe you visit a site with respect and appreciation.

Awesome find in alcove

BLM Picnic and TH

Mojave National Preserve

Back at Clark Mtns

Note my mistake, one must descend below the vertical limestone spine and not atop of it because there is not way off down below! Sat Feb 7th I did a big tour of the Preserve. That night I camped in Hole in the Wall Campground for a great night of stars, a bright moonrise, a fine sunrise, and moonset . Then I did the short Hole In the Wall Loop hike through volcanic tuff formations and petroglyphs.

Another fine camp!

Mojave National Preserve

Hole in the Wall Trail Mojave National Preserve

Petroglyph rock

Familiar rake shape

Mojave desert scene

Moonset over Wildhorse Mesa

Enter the Hole in the Wall

Mojave National Reserve, Hole in the Wall Loop Hike, also known as The Rings trail

The Hole

The rings!

Mojave National Preserve

Undecipherable petro

The Hole trail is cool

Look back

Afterwards I drove to Kelso Dunes for an interpretive walk and later summit bid of Kelso Dune 3114' which included my first ever barefoot descent run!

Providence Mtns

Kelso Dune grains

Mojave Wilderness, CA. Mojave National Preserve

Grain

View SW

Mojave Wilderness. Mojave National Preserve, CA

The Kelso Station Visitor Center

Then I did a sightseeing drive through lava flows and cinder cones until hiking up the granite landscape of Teutonia Peak 5755' near sunset. Bypass the north summit by walking that inviting tableland east of the ridge. Below the central summit look for a bouldery ramp trending NW. At the top of that go around the corner back to the SW and begin the final climb in back of the cul-de-sac. Some solid Class 3/4 friction-face gets near the top where a short jump over a gap leads to the summit. What I remark as Class 4 on the north peak is probably more like 5.0 in that slanting crack and then a friction back across to get to the top of it from the north.

TeutoniaPeaks

Cinder cones and lave flow

Black Tank Wash, Mojave National Preserve

tree and cholla

Mojave National Preserve, Teutonia Peak Trail

Teutonia J-Tree forest

Mojave Wilderness, CA. Mojave National Preserve

landscape

View SE

North and changing weather

Mojave Wilderness, Mojave National Preserve

Weather coming

Fun Cl 4 but wrong summit

There is great free camping on the other side of the Teutonia Trailhead on a granite dirt road up against granite blobs. J-Tree NP esque. Mojave NP is awesome, I will return! Still to Come: More Nevada wilderness travels 1. Bridge Canyon Wilderness 2. Black Canyon Wilderness Petroglyph areas Hot Spring Narrow slot canyons Non-technical canyoneering descents of dryfalls Summits of Basalt and Sandstone A big natural arch hike In the first place you can't see anything from a car; you've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk, better yet crawl, on hands and knees, over the sandstone and through the thornbush and cactus. When traces of blood begin to mark your trail you'll see something, maybe. Probably not. ---Edward Abbey

[Dean]

Great pics of Clark Mountain. I made my way up to the base of the so called class 3 section about 3 years ago and found it iced over. I was bummed although I knew that the snow on the road coming in and near the picnic area wasn't a good sign. Then, later that year, a friend of mine fell coming down the class 3 section and almost died. He was choppered out and spent a lot of time in the hospital and in re hab since he broke his pelvis, his leg and something in his back. He is now back to climbing but now treats even class 3 stuff with respect. I'd say its almost class 4 (for me anyway). Love all your desert stuff

[John Morrow]

[Dean]

John, I love to see your trip reports as they always have a lot of great pics too. My friend is back out climbing and I've done a bunch with him since then. His injuries slowed him down to the point that for a year he hiked about my speed. Now he is back to "waiting" for me but hey, I'm 74 and he's a mere 48.

[RichP]

Lots of desert variety there. Very tempted to visit the area someday thanks to your report.

[John Morrow]

I added a map above to Teutonia Peak from the trailhead off I-15 12 miles south of the interchange for Cima.

[ree]

Thank you so much for the trip report. I have not done much exploring between Baker and Needles - this area looks like it has heaps to offer. I esp. love the dunes shots, and amazing pictographs. This gives us a new region outside Vegas to go check out.