was
completely dry and free of ice.
Bob was first to the summit for his final, number 97, DPS peak. Probably the longest effort by any DPS List finisher - 45 years! As we relaxed on the summit, Bob entertained us with some of his many stories of past DPS trips and many desert adventures. The day was pleasant and we enjoyed the summit views as clouds periodically blew up against the south side of the summit. Bill was nowhere to be seen - we later met up with him on the way down and learned he had explored a direct route down off the west side of the summit. He reported it all went fine except for one 15' pitch which unfortunately makes a direct route to the summit impractical for groups.
As we reached the bottom of the wash, darkness arrived and the night balmy as we enjoyed our leisurely final hour walking across the desert and back to the vehicles. Two of Bob's friends had waited at the vehicles and kept flashlights on as Bill scouted the way so that we easily made our way directly make to camp.
At the cars, we had an hour around a great desert campfire as we celebrated Bob's List completion with the usual assortment of delicacies before everyone went their own ways. On the way out in the darkness at different times, we all missed the sharp turn at 3,200' where the 4-WD road turns south and drops steeply in leaving Jacks Pocket. On a future trip, it would be good if someone could place a few boulders across that false 50' of road which leads past the turnoff to prevent a possible accident particularly for people who end up driving out in the darkness.
The evening was so pleasant that Bob and his two riders elected to stay and camp at the roadhead to enjoy the desert nighttime wonders. Of course, you know the rest! At 3:00a.m., another big storm hit and ... well, you'll be hearing about it from Bob on an upcoming DPS trip.
