first fork, 2.0 miles just over a drainage crossing and turned onto a side road. 4.9 miles later you end up in the yard of a small Rancho. Turn right into a small obscure road, 0.6 go left onto "Desert Pavement Type Area", 0.3 left and cross the stream bed. This required a little pick and shovel work. I didn't get the mileage to the end of the road, but I guess its around 5 miles. To the right of the peak and about 1/3 of the way up, there is a red outcropping or knob. The road ends at the base of this. We had to leave an LTD at the crossing due to the long overhang of the car.

At the road end park the cars and head for the peak. You cannot see Pinacate as it is behind Carnagie. Cross the lava beds of around the right shoulder of Carnagie. Ascend Pinacate either directly or by contouring around the slope to the low saddle between Pinacate and Carnagie. 2 of our party chose to climb directly over the top of Carnagie and were only a few minutes behind the rest of us in reaching the top.

18 of us made this peak. We had left the cars at 0900 and were on top at 1145.

It was windy and cool on top and slightly hazy but you could see the crater of Elegante and the sea of Cortez.

On the way back to the cars we stopped and explored some of the lava tubes. Most people entered one tube about 6 feet high in most spots, 12 to 15 feet wide and 400 feet long past the place where it narrowed it opened up again but we didn't try to force it. There were many cactus, but only a few minor attacks except for the Ass't Leader who slipped and fell on one.

We caravaned out to the road and back to the Border. Some people ate in Mexico, some went to the Gringo Pass again and some of us went on to the campground at the headquarters of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. A charge of $2 per car was made. This ranger gets up early. One carload left after Pinacate. The weather was getting worse and that night it showered.

We met at the trail head of Bull Pasture Trail at 0700 which is on the Ajo Mountain Drive; a 21 mile loop drive East of the visitor center. The weather was cloudy, cold and windy. 14 people chose to do this peak while the others chose comfort. We hiked to the trail end at Bull Pasture, then cross country East to the Ridge and left up to the peak. I may mention that I have also done this peak from the bottom of Estes Canyon, but it is brushy. It also goes from Arch Canyon. We had started hiking at 0715 and were on top at 0945. It was windy and cold so we didn't spend much time on top. On the way down we all got to see a desert Big Horn, but couldn't get a good enough look to tell if it was a Ewe or a young ram. Ron Jones had seen another one on the way up. By 1245 we were back to the cars and off to Sells, Arizona.
Going East on Arizona 86 we were to meet at the cafe and Texaco Station at the turn off into Sells. The cafe wasn't open. There was a "Roach Coach" driven and operated by happy Paul who drove up and did a brisk business in hamburgers, coffee, etc. for a while though. I had to check in with the Indian Police to enter the closed area of
 
Page Index Prev Page 5 Next Issue Index