Rabbit Peak, Martinez Mountain

1956

By: Bob Bear

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The KNAPSACK TRIPS TO RABBIT AND MARTINEZ PEAKS down in the Santa Rosa Mountains came off in good fashion. But I'm ashamed to admit this is a second-hand report. The weatherman warned me against Rabbit, and I did enjoy the scouting trip to Martinez with the Mertens and Dick Kenyon the week end before the scheduled trip.

It was really wet and cloudy over Washington's Birthday week end when John Robinson and Frank Sanborn led the first trip up Rabbit Peak ever scheduled from the Salton Sea side. Eighteen of the gang were so discouraged by the clouds Saturday morning, following the rain Friday night, that they decided to return to their cars without completing the ascent. Undaunted, the other eight climbed to the peak, unwilling to give up after knapsacking two-thirds of the way up the mountain. This group included the leaders and Peg Sullivan, Andy Smatko, Doug Ingle, Eric Thompson, Grant Haddon and Bill Sanders. When returning to their cars, the eight peak climbers were pleased to discover a trail they had been unaware of on the ascent, which reduced hiking time back to the cars to an amazingly quick two hours.

Walt Heninger's bus trip to Martinez was the usual popular success, Dick Kenyon did a masterful job of leading the group. He enticed over half the group of approximately 40 knapsackers to the top of Martinez on Saturday, and guided the last weary hiker to the bus rendezvous near Valerie Jean's by 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The hikers were blessed with a beautiful, balmy, clear day Sunday, to ensure maximum enjoyment of the hike down Agua Alta and Martinez Canyons. Recent rains found the desert bursting into life amidst forests of ocotillo, palo verde and smoke trees.


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