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Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
Introduction
On January 6th one year ago, on the summit of Hamblin Mountain, I decided to move to Las Vegas and stay there each winter. It’s remarkable how sometimes the decision is the hardest part and after that things just fall into place. Today, January 3rd I get the keys to my new house.
The cherry on top is that several of my favorite hiking friends are coming here to live with me during the winter. But that is telling the end of this story first, so let’s go back to the beginning. The drive to Nevada seemed like a good time to do some hiking. I budgeted several weeks to transition south gradually.
Overview
Mount Patterson - 11,673
Potato Peak - 10,237
Glass Mountain - 11,160
Glass Mountain-North Peak - 11,123
White Mountain Peak - 14,246
Mount Barcroft - 13,040
Keynot Peak - 11,101
Mount Inyo - 10,975
Waucoba Mountain - 11,123
Saline Peak - 7045
"Black Mountain" - 3441
Piper Peak - 9450
New York Butte - 10,668
Scodie Mountain - 7294
Robbers Roost - 4100
"Cop Shop" - 3928
Owens Peak - 8453
Five Fingers - 5174
The Pinnacles - 1908
Sentinel Peak - 9634
Porter Peak - 9101
Winters Peak - 5033
Death Valley Buttes East - 2750
Death Valley Buttes - 3017
Boundary Benchmark - 5464
Chloride Cliff - 5240
Bare Mountain - 6317
Meiklejohn Peak - 5940
Charleston Peak - 11,916
Lee Peak - 11,289
Mummy Mountain - 11,529
10-30
Mount Patterson – 11,673
I had tried to drive up the east route for this peak once before, but that road is rough and driving slow made my Subaru overheat. This time I drove in from the west and parked near Lobdell Lake. There is a road to the summit if you have a burly vehicle. I hiked up. Views of the nearby Sierras were nice. I didn’t have enough daylight to go for Wheeler and it was already bitter cold.
summit Wheeler
10-31
Potato Peak – 10,237
This is a big peak behind the town of Bridgeport. You can drive fairly close to the peak where cattle are left to graze. There was a smidge of class 3 at the top.
Glass Mountain – 11,160
I’ve been interested in this peak for a long time. It’s famous for the presence of giant chunks of obsidian on the ascent slopes. Never before have I seen talus sized obsidian. It got me to wondering if this is where American Natives came to stock up for tools and hunting points.
obsidian obsidian northern Sierras
Glass Mountain-North Peak – 11,123
After the main peak, I continued over to the north peak.
11-1
White Mountain Peak – 14,246
White was one of my two main objectives for the journey. In past years the presence of snow has stymied my plans. But this year I saw a recent photo on SummitPost which showed snow free terrain. When I got there, the road was still open.
Barcroft station White tame sheep
White is another road walk, but up to 14,000+ feet. Along the way I passed the most tame bighorn sheep I have ever seen. They just stood there and looked at me. All other wild sheep I have encountered try to get out of sight as quickly as possible.
completely unconcerned
Mount Barcroft – 13,040
After White I left the road to go cross-country up Barcroft.
11-2
Keynot Peak – 11,101
Keynot, Inyo, and New York all have a reputation for being tough objectives with steep loose terrain and lots of gain. Most parties will require 2 days to get both peaks. The upper Union Wash road is washed out making Keynot/Inyo a bit longer. I slogged up the west ridge between the two peaks and then followed a small wash near the ridge crest.
Whitney across Owens Valley ridge south to New York Butte the small wash Whitney again smoke from CA wildfires
Views of the Sierras as well as Owens and Saline valleys are probably the best part of this hike. I thought I could just make out the Saline hotsprings and I wondered what it was like down there. I decided to do Keynot first. There was some difficulty near the peak when I stayed too high along the craggy ridgecrest. On the way back I dropped further along the north side. Eventually I came to the lowest saddle between the two peaks.
Inyo New York Butte from Keynot summit
Mount Inyo – 10,975
As I climbed closer to Inyo there were more rocks to hop across. I bypassed a subsidiary crag and then came to the main peak and ascended some class 2+. I was glad to have these two finished and looking forward to getting down. The descent went quickly.
looking back at Keynot Inyo summit
11-3
Waucoba Mountain – 11,123
I was very much on the fence about going into Saline Valley. The roads are long and rough and these kind of places always remind me that my model of car does not have room for a spare tire. In the end I decided to go for it and hike up Waucoba on the way.
obsidian chips
The base of the mountain is littered with obsidian chips. All over the place! I could see that some local tribe had spent many seasons here, in part collecting the bull pine nut. I tried a few of them and they were tasty. I was distracted for awhile collecting and eating the pine nuts.
Squaw Peak
The morning was cloudy and the mist was hanging around the mountain. I ascended an east rib with little to no views. The top of the mountain was flat and broad, but I could see some things by walking around.
summit area New York, Keynot, Inyo White
11-6
Saline Peak – 7045
On my 4th day in the valley I went to explore a seldom visited peak. The Zdon guide says this peak separates the normal sane hiker from crazed desert explorers. During the hike in I came upon a suspiciously well defined human trail. Too well defined for the scant modern day visitors to this area. Once I entered the small canyon there were numerous petroglyphs. It was my first time seeing petroglyphs carved into soft white volcanic cinder rock. It was also the first time I have seen the thunderbird symbol. Below several of the walls were obsidian chips and circles of stones where it appeared like someone might sit.
the eastern escarpment of the Inyo Range as viewed from Saline Valley with New York, Keynot, and Inyo peaks visible western foothills of Dry Mopuntain suspicious trail fertility symbol thunderbird obsidian chips and pictograph ink thunderbirds dead tortoise
Beyond the petroglyphs I ascended a ridge until I was again distracted, this time by coral fossils. They were all over the surface of the ground and very well preserved in the limestone. I continued upward, traversing around a steep promontory and then came to the upper slopes which were covered in chunks of basalt. On the summit I had a nice view of Eureka Valley. I made a mental note for some other rarely climbed peaks in the area.
coral Peak 6960, south of Sandy Point Waucoba and Squaw Dry Mountain
11-9
“Black Mountain” – 3441
On my 7th day in the valley I hiked up a little peak that the Saline people call “Black Mountain”. The have a loop trail called Ravens Nest which goes up one way and comes down a canyon near the new airstrip. I ascended a different wash and at the summit there was no sign of any recent visitation, no register or summit cairn or disturbed ground. I concluded that most people don’t go to the summit which is very far away from the loop trail.
"Black Mountain" from the east
While I was descending I came across a large circle, almost 30 feet in diameter, and perfect in form. With all the sign of indigenous cultural history in this valley (some unmentioned in this report), I figured there’s a fair chance that this circle is old.
perfect circle
11-11
McElroy Canyon
On my 9th day in the valley I decided it was time to go. I had come to the hotsprings intending to spend a day, but found it hard to leave. I imagine this isolated pocket of culture must be similar to the scene among the youth, all over the country back in the 1960’s.
Inyo Range New York Keynot Inyo
I stopped by McElroy Canyon on the way out. This is a wet canyon with lots of life taking sanctuary inside. Several waterfalls had fixed ropes that I used to pull myself up. I went until I came to a technical wall with a bolt anchor and no rope.
one of the fixed lines class 5 and bolt anchor
Saline Dunes
Across the road from the canyon, I walked a short distance to the minor sand dunes.
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Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
11-12
Piper Peak – 9450
It was another cold windy day. I found a bunch of apache tears on the way up Piper Peak. There were also a bunch of broken pieces of arrow points. The map indicates a large tarn near the summit, currently dry, but historically it was likely a good place to wait for prey.
White apache tears Silver Peak best find of the day (did not keep)
11-13
New York Butte – 10,668
Back on the west side of the Inyo Range, it was time to try New York Butte. There is a road from Cerro Gordo which runs to within a mile of the summit, but all research made me believe it would be dumb to try it in a car. Starting at the bottom, I hiked a road to Black Warrior Mine and then ascended the ridge to the northeast.
Whitney Olancha Owens dry Lake
After the first 5000 feet the grade lessened and the final 1500 was pleasant except for the thick sagebrush. There was a little class 3 at the end and then an awesome view. I could see the hotsprings below and I thought about my new friends, still down there. Someone has taken the register box, so if you are reading this and plan to go, please bring a jar or tube at the minimum.
Saline Valley (the hotsprings is the black dot in the white area)
11-14
Scodie Mountain – 7294
Scodie would be my 3rd peak to date in the Sierras. I have intentionally neglected this range for a reason. The hike was pleasant and the rock formations at the end were really enjoyable. The summit rock featured some nice solid scrambling. It’s interesting to see the desert plants growing along with a pine forest.
Owens summit rocks fun class 3 "Cop Shop" and Robbers Roost formations
Robbers Roost – 4100
Driving back from the Scodie trailhead I stopped to explore a rock formation which I learned is called Robbers Roost. It appears formidable but yields at easy class 3 from the back side. But before I got to the main summit, I accidentally climbed nearly all the way to the top of the harder north summit, on exposed ledges.
the north summit
"Cop Shop" – 3928
A half mile northeast of Robbers Roost is another tall formation. The terrain between the two is picturesque. I scrambled up this rock pile and decided to call it Cop Shop. It’s more challenging than Robbers Roost, but a class 3 route can be found if you search for it.
going to "Cop Shop" steep class 3 looking back down nearly there "Cop Shop"
11-15
Owens Peak – 8453
These southern Sierra peaks were not on my itinerary, but I had fun with Scodie so I decided to check out Owens. I noticed on the map some pictographs located not far from the trail. I went off-trail to look for them and found them in a cave under a large boulder. The cave had a floor of soft sand and would be a nice place to sleep, even if it was raining outside.
metate
I continued on up the canyon. After a brief section of talus, there were some granite slabs to ascend. I followed an obvious ledge to the left and ended up on an old trail which was not as well defined as the main trail. After climbing up loose dirt and rocks back to the crest I found the main trail and got to the summit. The bigger Sierra peaks to the north looked like white giants. The granite was so white that it looked like snow.
talus steep granite slabs Five Fingers below
Five Fingers – 5174
There was still a lot of daylight left so I climbed Five Fingers. After 1500 feet of loose sand on the southwest ridge I entered the notch between the main peak and the other fingers. I descended slightly and traversed around to the north side of the pinnacle. I scrambled some steep class 3 slabs and a gully and then topped out near the highest rock. I was disappointed when no summit register was to be found, but still pretty happy to get Owens and Five Fingers in a day.
main pinnacle and notch Owens scramble route above scramble route below crux overhang boulders lowers fingers to the southeast view back to Owens
11-16
The Pinnacles – 1908
I got into position to make an illegal ascent of Straw Peak inside Fort Irwin. In the predawn hours I learned that this kind of shenanigans is mentally easier when accompanied by other trouble makers. So I bailed. But I’ll be back and now I know where to park.
My impromptu plan for the day was Trona Pinnacles. I was a little depressed to have bailed on Straw, but after scrambling up the highest tower, I felt better. Afterward I drove to get into position for the biggest undertaking of this trip.
11-17 to 11-19
Sentinel Peak – 9634
The entire first day was approach. I hiked up Surprise Canyon, another wet canyon with plenty of flora. I even took a bath in the creek which was really nice. In the middle part of the canyon the creek went subterranean and in that section I found a desiccated mule and a long-dead hawk.
coyote gourd
Nearing the ghost town of Panamint City, I passed numerous rock shelters all in various stages of destruction. The city itself was fun to explore. I did not find “The Castle” until day 3. Instead I camped in a ramshackle central compound to ensure my tent was out of the wind. This building seemed like an old hacienda style hotel. I have read a lot of the history behind the Death Valley mining boom and it was really neat to see this place in person.
"the Hilton"
Beyond the point which the creek went below ground, there was no more water source. Panamint City was also dry. I had asked a friend who had been here were to find water and he described a holding tank fed by a small spring about a tenth of a mile up from the town. I found the tank. It had a layer of scum floating on top and in the scum were several rat turds. Even with iodine, I didn’t want to drink it.
I tried to get water from the feeder hose, but that didn’t work. Eventually I was able to get a single liter of sandy water from the slow trickle of the spring higher up on the slope. Later in the evening I explored a side canyon further up, which was labeled on the map as Water Canyon, and that’s were I found the upper creek and much better water.
On the second day I got up well before sunrise and hiked the road which climbs the slopes behind the town. I passed several large mines and dynamite holding alcoves with giant metal doors. When the road ended I followed the crest of the ridge through the forest. Not long after sunrise I was nearing the summit of Sentinel Peak.
Telescope south peak Porter and long connecting ridge
I took the time to hike the half mile over to the southwest summit. This point has the same contour on the map. Better to not leave any doubts, however the main peak looks higher from the southwest summit.
Porter Peak – 9101
From the main summit of Sentinel I descended some steep unpleasant terrain to reach the low saddle and start of the long north ridge of Porter. This ridge traverse is really a lot of fun. Considering how remote Panamint City and Butte Valley both are, I was really feeling like a desert explorer. I could also see down to Badwater and a lot of central Death Valley.
came down this Panamint crest traverse wave ripples
At one point I found some interesting rock layers with a definitive wave ripple pattern. It was fascinating and astounding to think that the rocks along the crest of the Panamint range were once along the shore of a shallow sea. Nearer to the peak there was a forest of dead skeleton burned trees. Many of them were turned upside down which seemed odd.
Porter Needle Manly Manly Mormon
Once I reached the summit I walked a short distance over to where I could look down on Mormon Peak. I had a very strong urge to continue down the ridge, but I checked the time and that would not be a wise decision. I signed the summit book and started my retreat back to the ghost town. This high traverse is a lot of fun and highly recommended.
Sentinel and Telescope Sentinel summit panorama Sentinel summit panorama
On the third day I explored the mine behind the mill as well as "the castle". I went all the way to the end of the mine. After that it was time to hike out.
"the castle" ore near "the castle" functional warm water bath
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Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
11-20
Winters Peak – 5033
The most fun part of the Schwaub and Winters peaks might be the drive in. Not to say that these are bad peaks. Quite the contrary. But the drive up Echo Canyon to the Inyo Mine valley is high grade fun. The road going up to the pass which is described in the Zdon book is closed and pretty much gone entirely.
Panamints
As an alternate route, I hiked up the main southeast wash to 4400 feet and then turned left to reach the saddle just southeast of the summit. Even though this peak is lower than Schwaub, it still has commanding views of central Death Valley. I descended a slightly different way to make a loop.
Smith Telescope Winters Schwaub driving down Echo Canyon
Death Valley Buttes - East Summit – 2750
With plenty of daylight left I went to check out the buttes. There’s a use trail most of the way on these peaks, except for where it is class 3.
Death Valley Buttes – 3017
These little peaks are very impressive when viewed, one from the other. The scrambling is solid and rock quality good.
Thimble and Corkscrew Corkscrew exposed narrow ledge walk back over the east butte
I thought I might be able to squeeze one more peak in to the day so I tried to drive to Chloride City, but the road proved to be too much for my Subaru, so I camped instead.
11-21
Boundary Benchmark – 5464
Having only made it a little more than half way with my car, I had a little extra distance on foot to reach Chloride City. There’s almost nothing left to see in this ghost town. I went over to Boundary Benchmark first which involved dropping down into a canyon and going up the far side. The summit register claims the name Stephen Peak.
Bare Stephen
Chloride Cliff – 5240
This little vista isn’t really a peak, but it has some interesting tunnels to explore.
Chloride Cliff
Bare Mountain – 6317
I drove to Nevada and went over Secret Pass and then up Tarantula Canyon to get to the northeast route for Bare Mountain. On the northwest ridge I was scrambling on limestone when I noticed some very nice clam style shells embedded in the rock. No take home sized rocks. These shells were in the wall.
Mieklejohn
Meiklejohn Peak – 5940
I drove back to Secret Pass and spotted some bighorn sheep along the way. At the pass some hunter were standing around looking for sheep with binoculars. The route up Mieklejohn is steep and fun. I went up class 3 and came down mostly class 2.
11-22
Charleston Peak – 11,916
After clearing up Volcán Iztaccíhuatl earlier in the year, Charleston was my biggest remaining failed attempt to date. I had tried to do it once with Heather and Greg K when I had a bad case of bronchitis. At the time there were ice flows and drifts of waist deep snow on the upper mountain.
When I finally reached my new home town, I didn’t want this bad memory looming over me, so finishing the peak was my first priority. I started in the dark and hiked up the Trail Canyon trail to the same exposed ledges I remembered from before. This time there was no ice or snow.
Charleston exposed trail
I passed under Lee Peak and Devils Thumb to reach the east face of Charleston. This is where the trail follows some very exposed and occasionally narrow ledges. It’s an amazing route with a high danger factor, considering it’s only class 1. A slip on the pebbles in a few areas would equal instant death.
Charleston summit Mummy exposed trail
I was quite happy to reach the summit and another man came up shortly after me who was also clearing up several previous failed attempts, also due to snow and ice.
horn coral fossil
Lee Peak – 11,289
In the early afternoon I noticed the effects of altitude. I had a slight headache as well as general malaise. I still pushed myself to reach the top of Lee, which isn’t very far above the trail.
Lee summit and Mummy behind Charleston exposed trail La Madre
Mummy Mountain – 11,529
After Lee I ascended a nasty steep loose scree slope to begin the standard route for Mummy Mountain. I still wasn’t feeling well, due to altitude, but I managed to deal with it.
key gully
Mummy was anticlimactic. There was an interesting little gully up through the broad cliffs around the summit, but overall I was unimpressed. I wandered over to the north summit which has the same contour.
above the key gully Looking back up at Mummy
Having finished the triple, it was time to descend into the valley and begin searching for my new house in Henderson.
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timberghost Member
Joined: 06 Dec 2011 Posts: 1316 | TRs | Pics
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Sorry to see you go!! Don't worry about us up here will just trudge on without you.
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ree Member
Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 4399 | TRs | Pics
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ree
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Wed Jan 03, 2018 10:34 am
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Wow, where to begin...? Way to sock it all in!
You must be moving pretty quickly there!!! Looks like you started Charleston in the dark. That summit looks so cool and lunar.
And cool that you checked out Panamint City! Looks like that burro will be there for a while.
Congrats on the move. The desert is so wonderful this time of year. We'll reach out next time we are there. It'd be fun to do a scramble or hike out that way with you.
Not a hike, but if you like ghost towns/mining stuff, Gold Point is one of my favorites. (Off 95 between Beatty and Goldfield.)
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Nancyann Member
Joined: 28 Jul 2013 Posts: 2314 | TRs | Pics Location: Sultan Basin |
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Nancyann
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Fri Jan 05, 2018 12:07 am
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Fascinating trip report, Gimpilator. It took me a long time to read through it, but it was well worth it. Makes me want to head south!
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RichP Member
Joined: 13 Jul 2006 Posts: 5628 | TRs | Pics Location: here |
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RichP
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Fri Jan 05, 2018 8:32 am
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We were talking about you on our hike on Weds and are happy for you that you can pursue your passion in sunnier climes. I Imagine that some of your nwhiker friends will be stopping by in future winters.
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Jake Robinson Member
Joined: 02 Aug 2016 Posts: 521 | TRs | Pics
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Thanks for the report. After our recent trip, I understand your infatuation with the desert completely. So much hiking to be done down there. Congratulations on your new home!
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ree Member
Joined: 29 Jun 2004 Posts: 4399 | TRs | Pics
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ree
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Fri Jan 05, 2018 11:06 am
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A fun one-way trip (with a car shuttle) would be starting at Mummy trailhead and exit Griffin trailhead. We did Fletcher back in late Oct (off Mummy Mtn. trailhead). I really like that pocket of alpine stuff so close to Vegas. Very different than the blazing red rocks... and the bristlecone trees are a huge treat.
btw- Love the burro shot!
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iron Member
Joined: 10 Aug 2008 Posts: 6391 | TRs | Pics Location: southeast kootenays |
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iron
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Fri Jan 05, 2018 4:59 pm
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gimp will finish as the world's all time peakbagger leader!
1500 down. leader is currently at 6400.
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puzzlr Mid Fork Rocks
Joined: 13 Feb 2007 Posts: 7216 | TRs | Pics Location: Stuck in the middle |
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puzzlr
Mid Fork Rocks
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Fri Jan 05, 2018 5:45 pm
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That list is way more than most do in a year -- even many of the active hikers on this site. I'm impressed with how you can cram in all the research so you can find the trail heads and routes on all these peaks.
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raising3hikers Member
Joined: 21 Sep 2007 Posts: 2343 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, Wa |
you're living the peakbagger's dream! thanks for the TR's, lots of tall mtns that you can hike in the winter is pretty nice I just might have to make a trip down south for some hiking one of these days
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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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MtnGoat Member
Joined: 17 Dec 2001 Posts: 11992 | TRs | Pics Location: Lyle, WA |
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MtnGoat
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Mon Jan 08, 2018 4:21 pm
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Great stuff there Gimpy!
Got any ideas for the highest drive up in the area, with the steepest faces at the summit or along the way?
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock. - Will Rogers
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Gimpilator infinity/21M
Joined: 12 Oct 2006 Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics Location: Edmonds, WA |
timberghost wrote: | Sorry to see you go!! Don't worry about us up here will just trudge on without you. |
I appreciate the sentiment. Actually I am not leaving WA for good. I plan to be back every summer, and up to 6 months each year.
ree wrote: | We'll reach out next time we are there. It'd be fun to do a scramble or hike out that way with you. |
Please do! I have a lot on my calendar, but if it's an open time, I'd be happy to join forces. Also thanks for the tip on Gold Point.
RichP wrote: | I Imagine that some of your nwhiker friends will be stopping by in future winters. |
Thanks Monty. Yeah, so far Fletcher and Josh have visited me and my buddy Matt Below is here at the moment. I've also met up with Dustin and my CA friends Craig and Laura. So far, it's been so busy, I haven't even had time to do much house stuff. Want to come down for a hike or two? Bring your buddy Rich and I'll pick you guys up at the airport.
iron wrote: | gimp will finish as the world's all time peakbagger leader!
1500 down. leader is currently at 6400. |
That is not my focus whatsoever. I'm not sure how seriously to take your comment.
puzzlr wrote: | That list is way more than most do in a year -- even many of the active hikers on this site. I'm impressed with how you can cram in all the research so you can find the trail heads and routes on all these peaks. |
Wish I could take the credit for that. Have you tried the new free peakbagger app? You can cache beta from various sites as well as maps. It's much faster and produces less waste than the old paper method I used to use.
raising3hikers wrote: | I just might have to make a trip down south for some hiking one of these days |
Thanks Eric! Let me know if you want to get together sometime.
Bloated Chipmunk wrote: | Congrats on your move & welcome to desert country! |
Thank you!
MtnGoat wrote: | Great stuff there Gimpy!
Got any ideas for the highest drive up in the area, with the steepest faces at the summit or along the way? |
I can't really think of anything like that. Wish I could be of more help. There's Dante's View, but I don't recall any steep faces.
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