| The peaks In the Chicago Valley
area were of Interest as I was scheduled to assist on a DPS-led climb there In
January. I hadn't climbed these since 1980 and I hoped to check out the roads,
but I forgot about the mesquite on the way in to Twelvemile Spring. Blundering
through, its thorns scritched full-length scratches along the sides of the van.
I vowed to return with pruning shears. Pahrump VABM 5740, 16 November The road to the peak is not shown on the Stewart Valley 15-minute topo, but starts near the "Iny 178 5360" marker. A truck can make it to the canyon opening. I parked the van 1-1/2 miles short. The canyon steepens radically and a faint trail on the right is taken toward a pinnacle resembling a small haystack. Ducks mark the route over a limestone rib to a gully and to the ridge, then 1/4 mile north to the summit. My sixth ascent was the first since a good friend had died here, and memories of him were with me during the climb. Stewart VABM 6264,17 November The "Old Traction Road" is farther from the mountain and 300 feet lower than the usual start near Mile 59 east of Stewart Pass. Of the two summits, the left one appears higher, but it is not. After hiking up the fan, near the entrance to the broad canyon usually followed, I decided to climb the adjacent left ridge. Black limestone bastions were easily passed, and easy scree led to the crest near the first hump. The true summit is a 3/4-mile ridge walk north of here. This ascent took three hours and was my third. Brown Peak 4947 Ft, 16 January I had the Scout this time because the route in from Eagle Mountain has deep sand. Five or six wild horses ran along In front while I concentrated on the fast run in 4WD |
through the sand. Starting near BM
2633 (Eagle Mtn 15' topo), at a lower point than during my two earlier climbs,
I crossed over the long fan with its desert pavement surface. I then climbed a
dolomite chute to the ridge. The main canyon running north was taken all the
way out, a classic desert canyon with dry waterfalls and algae-water pools. I
camped at the dolomite cliffs just east of Shoshone and heard the news on the
radio when we were two hours into the Persian Gulf war. VABM 3269,17 January In the morning I took lineman's pliers to trim the troublesome mesquite, and then drove south from Twelvemile Spring to check out the very rough road up the canyon south of Nopah. I published this route in 1979 and led a DPS climb in 1980, which cuts the usual long climb down to only 2-1/2 miles and 3000 feet of gain. Access is from the small Chicago Valley settlement (Tecopa 15' quad) with 4WD needed on the road up the fan. Later I hiked from the pass to Chicago Valley along the limestone ridge of the southern Resting Spring Range until the summit of VABM 3269, taking 1-1/2hours. Nopah VABM 6394,18 January I assisted Dale Van Dalsem in leading his DPS climb via 'Twelvemile Spring, and Dale will write this up separately. We climbed via the canyon just south of the central one (Stewart Valley 15' quad), then went down along the southwest ridge. A run to Tecopa Hot Springs by most of the group, or dinner in Shoshone, was followed by a nice camp fire at our now familiar dolomite cliffs camp. VABM 5912 "Smith Mtn", 19 January Dale led our 4WD caravan into Gold Valley (Funeral Pk 15') and we clImbed 2100' to the summit via the usual canyon route. |
