Wiping the
toast crumbs from our chins, seventeen stalwart climbers met at the Shoshone
Cafe at 7:30 a.m. (opens at 6:00) and caravanned out 178 just under 6 miles to
the unsigned, unmnarked turnoff to the Greenwater Valley Road. We proceeded
slowly up this mediocre, rocky, but passable road about ten miles with only one
major impediment, a sandy wash about five miles in, where we detoured thru the
wash to avoid a bad drop-off and spun our wheels merrily; one car needed a push
but we all made it through. Noted the many E-Z access nice flat desert hard-pan
areas, some with fire rings, right off the road for campsites. At about mile 10
the Deadman Pass road (sic) meanders in from the right; a marker post a bit
beyond the turnoff along the C-V road is a clue. The Deadman road deteriorates
rapidly; we spent 2½ hours from Shoshone to the summit of the pass,
mainly in road building and maintenance work to get the low clearance vehicles
across the ditches, washes, gullies, etc. At least four shovels were
energetically employed . Decent "parking area" at the summit of the pass for
the cars. Took off about 10:15 for the peak, recognizable by its brown, banded
cliffs; contoured up ridges, circling counterclockwise, and side-hilled around
front of the pointy peaklet to the s-w of Brown, into the saddle, dropped down
into the canyon and followed it up N-E toward the peak, veered left along the
high ground and up the left ridge to the peak. Some loose rock but basically
class 2 to the summit. (Tin can register box, book about half full.) We dropped
down about fifty yards to eat lunch out of the wind, which blew with abandon
all day and most of the night. Our return route to the cars retraced our route
as far as the saddle, at which point we set off on a line-of-sight back to the
care, which involved a lot of up-and-down-and-up, not necessarily the best
choice. Back to the cars by 4, and a cautious caravan back down our re-built
road to the C-V road, where we selected a nice campsite and the winds kindly
diminished enough for a jolly Happy Hour with impressive hors d'oeuvres, and a
good campfire with song, poetry and guitar. Ferocious winds for the remainder
of the night and morning led to the Wise Leadership Decision to retreat to the
Shoshone Cafe for Sunday breakfast. Two climbers left to try for Avawatz; the
rest, revitalized, caravanned up 127 to the Eagle "roadhead" , another unmarked
dirt road turnoff about 17 miles from the 178 junction, and headed in for the
concrete abutments described in Mans Valkass' write-up. One bad ditch to
traverse just before the "parking" area. Fearless Leader, armed with Mans'
write-up and her own fading memory, headed confidently (sic) toward the large
notch just left of the summit where in due time the three watercourses became
apparent, and we started left of the left one, and as it ended, steered right
into the next, which in turn dwindles and ducks lead you into the next. We
followed this up, crossed right below the large dark bump on the ridge ahead,
up into a saddle. From this saddle, a use-trail of sorts leads around behind
the rocky ridge and out again onto another little saddle, and from here we
headed diagonally up the slope toward the obvious notch, well-ducked, from
which the summit is (gasp!) readily apparent. There are two possible routes
from here: bearing right, keeping at the same elevation, leads you to a saddle
and around behind (west) of a rocky gendarmey pinnacle; this route gets VERY
airy and exposed, definitely high class 31tho lots of fun if you like exposure.
The better part of valor is to drop down from the notch, go below the gendarme,
and scramble up to a small notch just beyond the pinnacle. We saw two fine
young bighorn scooting up this route just ahead of us, so determined it was the
"route of choice." From the notch we headed directly up the ridge line to the
summit: the first pitch is sort of exposed but very comfortable class 3 with
many good hand and footholds; a few climbers felt more comfy with a belay here,
so we were glad we'd carried our 100' of 7mm rope and a few slings. George Toby
gallantly did the honors. Onto the windy summit about 12:30; a brief windy
lunch and back to the cars, and off for a refreshing soak in the Tecopa Hot
Springs and a group dinner at Pike's (steakhouse not coffee shop - huge fried
chicken dinners!) Thanks to Owen for a very able assist; to George1and Jack
Koshear for helpful unofficial assisting, belaying, navigational advice; ditto
to Tom Ferguson, Doug Nevell, and Donn Cook for additional navigational
assistance, Keats Hayden for her 4x4 Blazer and poetry recitals, Margaret
Baldwin and Terry Rivera for their |