Todd and Wendy returned to LA but the rest of us, after weathering occasional sprinkles during the night, set out the next day to climb Spectre, a magnificent rugged forbidding jumble of rock that John and I remembered very favorably from our first ascent five years earlier. From the road at the north end of the range, the traditional route goes east up the wide wash, over a low saddle, and then up the canyon that runs between the three main peaks at the north end of the Coxcombs. Of course John and I chose a different, more direct route. Just west of the low saddle we turned south up the canyon that heads directly towards Spectre. About one half mile up, a low ridge, thirty to forty feet high, crosses the canyon, with a crack less than two feet wide to let the occasional water through. It is easy to climb over the ridge, but also easy to miss it and wind up on the northern slopes of the range far from the peak. We had done that the first time, and so this time we were very cautious and reached the summit in a couple of hours. It was cloudy and cold on top so we didn't stay long, returning to the car by the traditional route and to LA in time for the traditional late dinner.

And so, although our plans were changed, we had a good time trip. The sight of the snow covered desert with more snow gently drifting down was beautiful indeed and worth the trip itself. The others must have agreed.- they are all coming back for more.


HUALAPAI EXPLORATORY - John Vitz

To quote the schedule write-up, "There are many beautiful ranges in western Arizona..." The Hualapais are not one of them. When you lead exploratories there is always the chance that you will lay an egg. Quack, quack.

According to the theorem postulated in the last NEWSLETTER concerning Vitz/Haven trips, nobody shows up for the good ones. So we had thirteen people drive all the way to Yucca, Arizona, for the ridiculously early starting time. No fifteen minute quads are available for the area (even the USGS refuses to hike in the area) so the caravan managed to get lost once before finding a suitable roadhead from which to climb the highest peak in the southern part of the range.

We quit climbing hundred peaks three years ago because we tired of hiking fire roads and crashing through brush only to arrive at a flat summit with no view except for that of the surrounding higher peaks. So, on a beautiful day, we hiked five miles up a road, crashed through two miles of brush along a ridge, and ascended to a plateau with a view of the higher peaks to the north. We spent a cool night at Hualapai Mountain Park, a nice campground beneath the impressive cliffs of the north peak, which we ascended the next morning.

We managed to avoid both the trail and roads which lead to the summit area by climbing a steep, brushy, somewhat loose chute to the summit block. There are two or three higher peaks in the area, beautifully covered with microwave stations, TV towers, and other assorted garbage. There. was no register, but as the peak was so fine we declined to leave one. We descended by a different route, pushing dead aspens over on our heads and slashing our bodies with wild roses. In all fair-ness (one of my lesser traits), the north end of this range, containing many rocky summits and thick stands of aspen and pine, would be very pretty if it were not so cut up by all the roads and buildings.

LOST

The section scrap-book and complete set of NEWSLETTERS has been missing for some time. The DPS would very much like to reaquire these important historical items. Any information would be muchly appreciated.
 
Page Index Prev Page 5 Next Issue Index