[John Morrow]

Nevada: Valley of Fire State Park Elbow Range, Desert National Wildlife Refuge Lake Mead National Recreation Area North Shore Getting Jerry and Drew to a location where they could begin the exodus north to Seattle was our priority leaving the Sonoran Desert. Neither had been to Valley of Fire State Park. We were a bit tired, and the short approach walks, cush campground, and showers sounded pretty good. It was completely the wrong direction for me, since I'd find myself back all the way south along I-10 once again a few days later. But I loved our choices of scrambles. Dec. 1: VOF A theme had emerged of scrambling things that Courtney Purcell, Rambles and Scrambles, gave a "4 Star" rating. Not much left for me to do in VoF but the 5-Arch and Gibraltar Rock had eluded me up until then. Great choices we enjoyed thoroughly.

The "Five Arch" on right

Trailhead art

Up ahead

Where's a route?

Drew back in sandstone scapes

the Five Arches

Looks intimidating

View north

View east

Class 3 ramp start

Class 4 face moves

crux exposure

west from on top

view south

through the crux

through the ramp

look back

back to the trailhead

Gibraltar Rock next.

On Gibraltar Rock

easy ground

View over Fire Wash

colors

awkward

descending the awkward

Dec 2: Leaving camp set up at VoF we headed to the Elbow Range, 35 miles west, to scramble its highpoint. The guidebook and interwebs seem to avoid a long interesting looking curving E/NE Ridge. We liked the looks of it and it turned out awesome. Long and with near continuous scrambling.

First look, in the back

We'll run the whole ridge

aesthetic scrambling

solid spine

limestone

knife-edge walk

lots more

long great scramble

a look back

still more

summit ahead

a steep buttress

great views

rest of the way mellows

almost on top

on top!

view sw

view north at Sheep Range

view west

headed down

finish in a canyon descent

dryfall scrambling

down

looking back up

with summit behind

parting shot

Elbow Range HP 4650'

Dec 3. Lake Mead Northshore, solo again. Time for Jerry and Drew to depart. I was comfy at the campground so I set out to the northshore for more fun scrambles. I chose a short loop of Polytick Peak and Murphy Peak. The south face of Polytick looked interesting and I found a nice corner to scramble on the SE side. Then on to Murphy's. The north side of Murphy really sucked, ridiculously friable despite a solid appearance. My descent on the South slope was far superior and I can recommend it. A quick run up a rib on the south face of something Courtney Purcell calls Glyph Point. The short little buttressy rib was solid and nice limestone.

Glyph Point first

central buttress Class 3

moon over the Muddy Mountains

Continuing on the Northshore Road to a high clearance turn off a couple miles up Calville Wash Road for the next two.

Murphy Peak last

Polytick Peak next

great limestone fanglomerate

rare selfie to show route

looking back at route

why locals wear gloves

(upper) route visible on left skyline

Scary loose NW Face

NW Face of Murphy, not recommended

Muddies over Bowl of Fire

Bowl of Fire

better Murphy route (south ridge)

Polytick-Murphy

[Eric Hansen]

Bowl of Fire is fabulous. I did a loop, ascending through Anniversary Narrow, bivied above the Narrows and descended through Bowl of Fire the next day. Hidden Valley also great (memory has you in there on another trip)

[Eric Hansen]

Bowl of Fire is fabulous. I did a loop, ascending through Anniversary Narrow, bivied above the Narrows and descended through Bowl of Fire the next day. Hidden Valley also great (memory has you in there on another trip)

[John Morrow]

[Randy]

Great looking scrambles. Love the class 4 shots!

[Ski]

nice!

[some names]

Very nice John! Thanks for posting these trips! Your pictures are really great - it's nice seeing that other season progressing so well down there to our south. It's also fun experiencing just a little vertigo in your great class 4 shots . . .

[timberghost]

John how long you going to be in the Desert?

[John Morrow]

Hello timberghost, I've been back since just before New Years. Enough time to get in a few ski tours before this awful avy debris, frozen chunder set in.

hoar frost/rime

Jim Hill right

Head of Nason Creek

safe skiing in trees

thin snowpack east

shot by Jake

Colin, Mill Cr Ridge 1/3