Cottonwood Mountains

3-Mar-56

By: Bill Henderson

The knapsack trip to the Cottonwood Mountain advertised as a beginners trip attracted many pro's as well as beginners. 26 knapsacks were hauled about 4 miles up a dry wash to our camp site in a broad saddle between the two high points of the Cottonwood mountains. Each peak was some mile and a half from camp. Eight vigorous souls hoofed over pre-cambrian metamorphics to the north peak and real high point of the range and returned before dark. A cold night was had by all. Sunday morning, under a hot sun, the group ascended the south summit for a grand view of the Salton Sea, Coachella Valley, Rabbit Peak, etc. The group felt this was a fine trip for beginners, (This was the first mountain ever climbed by two members of the party). Some suggested making this trip an annual affair.

An interested note was brought out when Bill Henderson, leader, asked that around the camp fire, each person introduce himself and give the first mountain, latest mountain, and highest mountain each had climbed. Mr. Smith's first mountain was in Asia Minor, back in the 1900's, while Jack Lasner took prize as the highest with Mnt McKinley.