Forum Index > Trip Reports > 34 Peaks in 25 days Jan 13-Feb 6, 2022
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostSun Apr 17, 2022 2:52 pm 
Sort of. Actually, the first 2 “peaks” are sub-300p. Furthermore, there were 8 non-hiking days in this stretch. So a more accurate title might be 32 peaks in 17 days, but that’s fairly misleading. Whatever… January 13 I had been saving this group of peaklets for a number of years. The sandstone in the area is high quality and the scrambling top-notch. There was nobody better to do the loop with than Paula and she acted sort of like a guide for me, since she has done these ones so many times. She showed me special route variations and made the trip extra fun. We ran into Harlan Stockman in the parking lot, and I got to meet the local legend for the first time. Red Book Peak - 4608'
West Calico Tank Peak - 4850
Calico Tank Peak - 4880'
Turtlehead Junior - 4920'
photo by Paula Raimondi
photo by Paula Raimondi
1-15 Coyote Mountain – 6529' I connected with Craig, Craig, Hans, Jodie, and Sung for Coyote and I was glad to not solo this one. It had been years since I hiked with this crew and I was pretty happy to see them again and meet Sung for the first time. Coyote has a reputation for bad brush and a long route. We didn’t think it was all that bad and it went much faster than anticipated, however Jodie did try the lower traverse route variation and didn’t make the summit. She emerged later in the day covered with hundreds of cactus thorns.
Baboquivari and Kitt
Baboquivari and Kitt
Kitt
Kitt
Babo
Babo
1-16 Ragged Top – 3907' Nice peak. Traverse to southwest chute. A little bit of scrambling at the top.
Ragged
Ragged
southwest chute
southwest chute
Wolcott Peak – 3327' After Ragged, I returned to the saddle and scrambled up Wolcott which was mostly class 2.
Wolcott
Wolcott
Ragged from Wolcott
Ragged from Wolcott
1-17 Squaw Tit – 4000’ Matthias came to join me for the day and drove us into the Sand Tank mountains. Hiking the old road for the first mile we came to the base of the north slopes. These were gentle and we did a single class 3 move to cross a barrier, on the way to the summit.
Squaw Tit
Squaw Tit
Blue Plateau – 2920' The road coming in from the east to access the south side of Blue was rough and very slow going. Not possible with a Subaru. We ascended the southwest ridge which was basalt and had minor scrambling. Afterward, driving out the west side was not much better and we hoped sincerely that it would connect with some larger roads. There were sandy stretches.
Blue
Blue
1-18 Peak 1689 Steep loose cinder cone near Signal Mountain.
Signal Mountain – 2182' I decided to try a variation and went over the pass west of point 1454, rejoining the standard route above 1700 feet. Traversed west and then south under cliffs and followed ledges and loose slopes until reaching the base of the southeast ridge between the main peak and an impressive little spire. The scramble up the ridge was steep and exhilarating. This is a fantastic peak. The summit is a long narrow fin with heavy exposure.
Signal
Signal
Woolsey
Woolsey
impressive little spire
impressive little spire
came up this way
came up this way
Signal
Signal
1-19 Sawtooth Mountains High Point – 2630' I started with the highest peak in the range which came highly recommended by Matthias. The route was intricate and had some good scrambling, but not a lot. I was actually more excited to explore Peak 2614 (locals call it Submarine Rock) which looks like the toughest in the area. I headed over that way but it started to rain, so I sat under a palo verde for 40 minutes. I knew the rock up there would be wet for quite a while, so I detoured around it and spent time on the other ones in this group.
traverse left under summit
traverse left under summit
Peak 2473 North ridge, avoiding various cliffs.
Peak 2467 Southwest slope. Many cholla! Plentiful thorns in my fingers. Loose class 3 near the summit. Descended northwest directly toward the next peak.
Submarine
Submarine
Peak 2334 Southeast slopes. More cholla.
Peak 2334
Peak 2334
Submarine Rock - 2614’ By now the rock had dried out, so I went back to explore this seldom climbed peak. A ramp on the northwest side offers the only passage through the large cliffs that encircle this peak. I scrambled easy class 3 to reach the false summit. The view of the main summit from there was jaw-dropping. Like Barad-dûr, this is an imposing beacon. The rock along the ridge was trustworthy and non-perilous. A great addition for the scramble list!
Peaks 2473' and 2467'
Peaks 2473' and 2467'
Submarine
Submarine
1-20 Wildcat Peak – 2533' Before leaving the Sawtooths, I did one more little peak. The southeast gully is steep and loose, especially near the top.
Wildcat
Wildcat
West Silver Bell Mountains High Point – 3100' Standard northwest draw. Afterward, I met Andy Martin and Rob Woodall for a burrito in Tucson. Rob and I agreed to do Dos Cabezas the following day.
1-21 Dos Cabezas Peaks – 8359' This peak has access issues. There are houses near the start of the main access road. We decided to avoid all that by going cross country and avoiding the private property. We followed a wash and then rejoined the road further on. No prohibitive signage. There is another house about half way up with barking dogs and a security camera next to a combination gate. We walked right past the owner when he was at the security gate with his truck and said hello to him.
Passing over the southern bump where the radio facility is, we entered some brush and made our way, sometimes painstakingly through the brush, to the base of the summit block. This block is massive and looks like a real climb, but there is one route on ledges which keeps it to class 3. I was glad to be sharing the experience with Rob, who I don’t get to hike with very often. We climbed up a chimney under a chock stone and then up some pretty steep rock to the summit.
Rob climbing through the chockstone
Rob climbing through the chockstone
the other Cabeza
the other Cabeza
two thumbs up
two thumbs up
1-22 Tillotson Peak – 3374' Matthias came to join me again for the day and we started with Tillotson which turned out to be a lot easier than we had imagined. East ridge, mostly class 2.
Tillotson
Tillotson

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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostSun Apr 17, 2022 2:52 pm 
Hat Mountain – 2854' This peak is seldom climbed because it’s technical, dangerously loose and on the military base. I brought a couple of 30 meter ropes and webbing plus some assortment of nuts and cams. We hiked up the southwest slopes, through strange volcanic rocks, to the base of the summit-butte.
Hat
Hat
On the east side, the cliffs are shorter than the rest of the butte, which makes climbing it in a single pitch possible. The first half is horribly loose class 3 and 4. Holds pulled out with very little provocation. The upper half is more solid basalt, with some detached boulders around the top which require special care. I was doubting my ability to lead trad since it had been a number of years, but I thought it was worth the try. Once I reached the basalt, a couple cracks gobbled up my pro nicely. There was an unexpected slab which had to be climbed, with scant holds, and this is certainly the crux of the climb. During this process, I noted that some mean clouds were forming behind my back. Thunder was another indicator. I belayed Matthias who climbed up much faster than me.
weather incoming
weather incoming
We signed the register and the rain in the valley was clearly moving in our direction. I told him we had to get off immediately. I used a large sling around a bunch of rocks and then rappelled next to a massive teetering boulder. I showed Matthias where the rope placement should be when he came down to avoid rope-drag and not disturb the precarious boulder.
At the bottom we tugged at the ropes while the rain was building intensity. After 15 minutes I decided it was futile. We were soaked but out of harms way, and the peak was worth it. If not for the storm, I would have used some other tactics to save my old ropes.
Matthias rappels
Matthias rappels
Matthias in the rain
Matthias in the rain
1-23 Nipple Mountain - 4158’ My predilection for the Organ Pipe area brought me back for another day, before needing to return to Vegas to pick up Bryan at the airport. The nickname for this peak is fitting, when you see it from afar. With no beta, I decided to approach from the south. There is a well-worn smugglers trail going up to the pass east of the peak, although it is hard to see unless you’re right on it. It’s on the far west side of the draw (not my gpx track). The nipple (summit block) has a weakness through cliffs on the north side.
Nipple
Nipple
Montezuma Head
Montezuma Head
Pinkley Peak – 3145' This is an impressive looking little peak and an enjoyable scramble. There are just enough cliffs to make it complicated. I used beta from Matthias on the way up and made a slight variation on the way down through the cliffs. The traverse on the upper southwest slope was very loose. The route has some class 3.
Pinkley
Pinkley
Pinkley
Pinkley
1-30 Tumarion Peak – 2084' After the enjoyable ascents of Gold Dome, South Dome, and Havasuper with Sean and Steven, I had been itching to return to this area. When Bryan came from Alaska for a visit, we went straight there. As Stav had assured me, Tumarion is not as high-quality as the aforementioned, but it is still worth the visit. We went up the east ridge, avoiding the crest. There are some class 3 breaks in the bands of rock. At the top, the route is on the north side, with more loose class 3 with some exposure.
Peak 1024 Next we tried to get to Pulpit Rock, but determined that it would involve swimming through reeds. We went up and over Peak 1024, which is a bit tricky on the route finding and probably has the best summit views of the whole area.
South Dome
South Dome
Peak 1144 We crossed the sand dunes and scrambled up the northwest ridge of Peak 1144. Great rock on this peak.
Peak 1024
Peak 1024
Tumarion
Tumarion
1-31 Peak 2236 Down in the Cabeza Prieta, this peak sits literally on the border of Mexico. Don’t drop anything off the summit, because it will fall into Mexico. We ascended the obvious northwest gully to the notch between the two main peaks. The west one is highest. Climbing out of the notch was not at all obvious. We first tried to get around a towering gendarme, on the Mexican side. This did not go nicely, so we returned to the notch.
Peak 2236
Peak 2236
notch
notch
Mexico
Mexico
Bryan decided to wait there for me and I went to explore the northern side of the ridge. It was at first narrow, slabby and covered in loose sand. There is enough exposure at the start to make a slip lethal, so pay attention. Higher up I came to an awkward area in a corner which required a few committing moves to cross a slab. Above that I rejoined the crest of the ridge and scrambled pleasantly solid rock with lots of exposure. I was bitterly disappointed to find that the register had been stolen.
Pinacate
Pinacate
Lighthouse Peak – 2068’ Not much beta for this awesome looking peak. Bryan opted to wait out this one. A series of long diagonal ledges crosses the southeast face. The uppermost ledge will put you right at the base of the summit pinnacle. Matthias had found a steep class 4 route by going around the north side to the west. Right at the first corner, instead of dropping down, I went up through a narrow cleave and scrambled solid class 3 to the summit. Very happy to get this lovely peak.
Lighhouse
Lighhouse
2-1 Tinajas Altas – 2764' Northeast route. Some good scrambling in the canyon and near the top, but a lot of boulder hopping down in the canyon. Bryan took a minor spill on the way down and bruised his leg.
scramble route
scramble route
Trump wall
Trump wall
Peak 2740 Bryan decided to take it easy on the leg, so I went solo again. Ascended the steep northern canyon, which is class 3 at the top. Passed through a notch and descended slightly to a pass and then up the northwest ridge. Big rocks and scrambling along the ridge.
northern canyon
northern canyon
northwest ridge
northwest ridge
2-2 Major wind/dust storm. No peaks. shakehead.gif 2-3 Cerro Pescadores – 3543' After discussing the possibility of Mexico, Bryan was keen so we pulled the trigger. The road into Pescadores is not that bad most of the way, but the last part is very loose sand and requires an adequate all terrain vehicle. Bryan decided to skip this one and rest the leg.
I made quick work of the approach hike. The loose rock on the lower northeast ridge is disconcerting. I didn’t do any research for this peak, so when I came to some shining-bright granite obstacles, it gave me pause. I should have known that as a former DPS peak, this might not be easy.
granitic obstacles
granitic obstacles
Going over the top of the obstacles turned out to be technical and around the left side looked highly improbable. I found a narrow exposed ledge of the right side crossing the face. This is a memorable spot. Beyond that there were more scrambling route puzzles before I emerged onto a more straightforward bit of upper ridge. I found the register in a big plastic tube.
exposed ledge
exposed ledge
2-4 Pico Risco - 4987' Again, since we hadn’t planned to go to Mexico, I didn’t research this peak whatsoever, but there was basic info cached in my phone. I drove to the hotsprings and as we were packing for the follow days hike, I read cached reports and looked at the track files. The stats for distance and gain were much more than we were anticipating. A lot of people had used ropes for class 4 and taken between 14 and 16 hours round-trip. Usually I keep the rope in the car, but at the moment they were both hanging off the summit of Hat Mountain. rolleyes.gif I wondered if we would even have time to drive to the next peak afterward. I know from experience that you DO NOT drive in Mexico at night. To further complicate things, I had blown all my cash at a road-side honey stand. Bryan had a little cash, but staying at the hotsprings was pretty expensive, so it was impossible for us to spend a 2nd night there. Because this peak would be a considerable undertaking, Bryan decided to spend his time enjoying the hotsprings instead. I psyched myself out for a big day. Starting in the dark, I chose to try the longer route, which sounded like it might be more straight-forward. It goes the long way around the east and south sides of the peak. There was no continuous trail, or if there was, it was very old and I kept losing it in the dark. The eastern escarpment of the Sierra Juarez rises much like the eastern Sierra Nevada. When I came to the steep section, I found a switchback road. No longer maintained, this road apparently predates vehicles and was build only for foot travel. I wondered about the history of it. Despite being in poor shape, it sped up my ascent time. At the top of the plateau I left it and followed a wash to the peak.
summit rock up there
summit rock up there
the opening just above the center of the photo is the very exposed jump-across
the opening just above the center of the photo is the very exposed jump-across
After ascending steep loose terrain I got the base of the peak on the west side. Trip reports mentioned a class 4 chimney with 2 chock stones. Finding that took me a long time. Several of the ledges were thick with brush and didn’t go anywhere helpful. I had no idea where the chimney was. In hindsight, there are three giant summit-slab rocks. Most hikers only visit the northeast one, which overlooks the valley, but the DPS asserts that the southwest one is highest. After scrambling around, I found the chimney located somewhere between the two. In approach shoes, it was not very challenging. I passed through an opening to the other side of the mountain and turned right, crossing some slabs and entered another chimney which is full of vegetation, and looks impassable until you are inside it.
double chockstone chimney
double chockstone chimney
The final big summit slab is only accessed by a horribly exposed jump across. At the summit, I found the new register box carried up by my friend Laura. I was the first to sign it. Thanks Laura! I tried to be quick on the way down, so that Bryan wouldn’t have to wait. 8h15m round-trip.
Pico Risco from the hotsprings
Pico Risco from the hotsprings
2-5 Cerro del Pinacate - 3937' It seemed like the “Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar” might be officially closed, and I was not able to get an answer, so we just drove in the back door, from the north. At the time I had no idea where the official entrance gate was, but on satellite I could see a cattle gate on the north side. We entered there and then drove a maze of roads in the dark to reach the starting point. After a day of soaking in the hotsprings, Bryan’s leg was feeling better so he was ready to hike. We found a sign near the start which was pretty funny with an unintentional english meaning. This peak is steep and loose near the end, but the summit views of the Sea of Cortez are worth it. On the descent, we had some fun looking into the lava tubes, and dropping rocks into open chambers along a fissure.
do not hike out
do not hike out
Sea of Cortez
Sea of Cortez
DPS 97/99
DPS 97/99
lava tubes galore
lava tubes galore
hollow fissures
hollow fissures
When we tried to drive out the main southeast gate, the caretaker was semi-amicable, but would not unlock it for me to pass through. He told me I had to drive the∼46 kilometers of slow dirt road we had come in from the north (which would take 2+ extra hours). Pavement was just meters away, on the other side of the gate. Back in the car, on satellite map, I saw a dirt road bypass that circumvented his whole facility, so I used that. As we passed by his buildings again he was shouting-angry and waving his arms in the air. rant.gif As we were exiting Mexico, I got caught speeding. The police officers informed me, to get my drivers license back, I would have to go to the municipal building and pay $200 (likely the following day), but I noted a hopeful gleam in their eyes, so I offered them the rest of my pesos from the ATM, worth about $25. Sold! And we were on our way. moon.gif lol.gif 2-6 Diablo Mountains High Point – 3372' Soon Bryan had to catch a flight back to Alaska and I was departing for Argentina, but we had time for one more little peak in the Organ Pipe. North ridge.

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Now I Fly, Route Loser, reststep, awilsondc
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raising3hikers
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raising3hikers
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PostMon Apr 18, 2022 6:19 pm 
More desert goodness! Thanks for the pkbagging TR's

Eric Eames
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John Morrow
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PostFri May 06, 2022 12:36 pm 
Looks like this particular group of peaks had an emphasis on good long scrambling, Adam. How hard would it be for you to do one of those road travel route maps in the chronological order for all of these when you return from the south?

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”-Mary Oliver “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.” ― MLK Jr.
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Gimpilator
infinity/21M



Joined: 12 Oct 2006
Posts: 1684 | TRs | Pics
Location: Edmonds, WA
Gimpilator
infinity/21M
PostWed May 18, 2022 9:30 am 
Consider it done! Scroll to the top.

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