[Gimpilator]

The Fortress The Fortress is the least visited peak in the North McCullough range. The guidebook author only outlines two routes. One is loose class 4 and the other is a technical 5.6 climb. I had heard about another route, so I went to investigate.

Rattlesnake

huge cholla

I parked at the East Anthem trail head, 20 minutes from my house. I followed the trail system to the base of the west ridge of Rattlesnake Mountain and then turned southeast into the wash. After a half mile I turned southwest into a lesser wash.

The Fortress

After rounding a corner, I could see The Fortress towering above. This peak is not characteristic of the gentle lumps throughout the McCullough range. As I got closer and could make out the type of rock responsible for the sheer walls, I was reminded of Broken Top, an Oregon Volcano.

The key to this variation of the west route is finding the narrow gully which runs diagonal below the summit block. It wasn’t totally visible until I was right below it. I could see some difficulty ahead. The gully was blocked by two adjacent dryfalls. The right one was not an option but the left one might go. First I explored a work around option on the left, but it was no good, so I continued up to the left dryfall.

two dryfalls

left dryfall

There was 20 feet of loose volcanic rock and the upper half was near vertical. I climbed it it carefully and noticed a number of wiggling holds including one that seemed solid at first but failed completely and nearly put me off balance. Above the falls, the incline lessened and I continued up to a notch in the ridge.

5 foot gully on jutting rib

I could see now that there were a number of ways that a person could go. Only one looked easy, traversing level with the notch onto the west face and climbing a 5 foot gully with minimal exposure onto a jutting rib. I had saved a route photo on my phone, from the recent Harlan Stockman report. I examined that carefully. The lighting was different and it was hard to tell, but I decided that it was the same thing I was looking at in person.

diagonal ramp

I went over and scrambled up the 5 foot gully. It was very easy, much easier than the dryfall had been. From the top of the rib I followed a diagonal ramp covered in loose rock. It went up the west face and I paused to improve a couple of existing cairns along the way. The ramp dumped me just north of the summit.

guidebook author

In the register I found a 2008 entry by the guidebook author as well as a handful of other locals. This is the best view I have had of Black Mountain. I could see a vertical yellow band of volcanic rock extending along it’s eastern base. In those cliffs I noticed an eagles nest and heard the young bird or birds calling out for food as the parent came and left.

Black Mountain

looking back at the crux dryfall (trekking poles for scale)

On the descent, after carefully down-climbing the dryfall, I was starting to pick up some speed when I heard something behind me. An animal was running up behind me and had managed to get very close. I acted on instinct without a single thought. I turned around and raised my arms with my poles in the air. I was about to yell, but the animal came to an abrupt halt, just 10 feet away. It was a shocking moment on all accounts. A baby sheep, barely over a foot tall stood there looking confounded. I was equally perplexed. These animals do not like human interaction and do their best to go completely unnoticed. Further up the slope I saw a couple of older females watching the spectacle. One was making strange gurgling noises. After a few seconds the baby ran away and the two females followed it. It all happened so fast, I didn’t even get my camera out until it was over.

two female sheep, one gurgling

The adrenaline settled a bit and I spent a couple minutes watching the sheep. Part of the larger group was on a slope further away. I counted 15 in total and took a few photos before continuing my descent. My pants and shirt are close enough to sheep fur colors, but my green backpack should have been a dead give away that I am not your mother. Rattlesnake Mountain I returned to the base of the west ridge of Rattlesnake. There might be more direct ways to link up these two peaks, but steep loose volcanic rock slopes are worth avoiding in my opinion. I was hoping for a nice view of The Fortress, but an intermediate bump in the ridge obscures most of the view. I signed the register. The plastic case is broken and could really use an upgrade, so if you’re heading up, bring a glass jar.

Rattlesnake

The Fortress and Black Mountain

final glimpse on the way out

[raising3hikers]

interesting sheep encounter! the other day, on mt wilson, I saw 3 pairs of mama and baby sheep heading up the slabs