6/25/93: Spirit: CLIMB: Yet
another perfect day, found us on the trail about 6 am. While I opted for the
tried-and-true wash route, Dennis decided he wanted to explore the peak's NE-SW
ridge line (which parallels the standard route on the SE starting near point
4579). I wished him luck, then easily gained the summit within an hour, Dennis
nowhere in sight. Canister and register are in good condition. After an hour or
so, he reached the summit proclaiming what an exhausting and circuitous route
the ridgeline was. Again, we had exceptional views of the DPS heartland and to
the W we could see a snow-capped peak we concluded was Mt. Baldy. We decided to
run the ridge on return. This is a more scenic, yet arduous route, requiring at
least several high class 3 moves if you want to stay anywhere near the top of
the ridge. Many pinnacles and gendarmes forced a sinusoidal path down the
ridge. Plan on doubling, or even tripling the descent time (and your "fun") vs.
the wash route. |
