| HAYFORD/STIRLING | OCT 12-13, 1991 | TIDBALL/JAMISON |
12 participants met us before sunrise on Saturday at the Hayford trailhead for this long hike. The walk up the old road to Wiregrass Spring went quickly with the easy terrain and wide track allowing for plenty of conversation. After a brief stop at the cabin we followed the peak guide ridge route to the summit.
On the summit Martha Flores announced that this was her List Finisher. We weren't prepared to celebrate properly with no liquids but water on hand. Congratulations were made by all on the summit, but the celeberation was delayed until back in camp.
For our return to the cabin from the summit we took the Peak Guide canyon route and would recommend it over the ridge route (less brush and loose rock).
With only about an hour of light left when we got back to the cars we elected to camp on the desert about 4 miles back down the road from the trailhead towards the park headquarters. We had a great view to the "Mummy" across the way. The happy hour celebration continued for Martha, and Bob Greenawalt provide some unique taped entertainment.
Sunday we had a smaller group on Stirling but we all enjoyed the short easy hike and the petroglyphs near the summit ridge. Many of us stopped off at the Tecopa Hot Springs on the way home.
| SENTINEL PEAK BACKPACK | NOV 22-23, 1991 | TIDBALL/OLIVER |
We had a total of 12 for this backpack up Suprise Canyon. Bill Oliver consented to act as the co-leader when Scot Jamison got poison oak on his shoulders while clearing brush in his yard and couldn't carry a pack.
Our trip was one short at the start when one hiker decided to get a head start on the hike. Instead of meeting the rest of us out at the Ballarat Road Saturday morning, he drove in Friday night and made a wrong turn in the dark and ended up at the mouth of Happy Canyon. He had quite a solo hike up the canyon before he realized that we weren't going to catch up with him. This was all reported over the phone after the trip was over.
The residents at Chris Wieht's Camp were upset at the Sierra Club because a S.C. group from Bakersfield had been up Suprise Canyon in Jeeps earlier in the year. In winching up over the waterfalls they had overturned some vehicles and had fouled the water supply with oil and gasoline. This was apparently the first time vehicles had been up to Panamint City since the road was washed out.
we had a pleasant backpack up the old road and had a chance to closely observe a group of 5 bighorn sheep during one of our breaks. The afternoon was spent exploring the old ghost town. Most of us camped in the old cabins after happy hour, and some reported hearing ghostly noises during the night.
Sunday we hiked up the mining road past the Wyoming Mine and then up the ridge to Sentinel Peak. There was a trace of snow on the North facing slopes which allowed for some boot skiing on the way down. The backpack out to the cars was uneventful. Thanks to Bill for filling in as co-leader and for leading the summit charge.
