| Unusual: Best Overall: |
John McCully. John McCully. Rumor has it that John has been perfecting this recipe since January. It paid off John! Congratulations. |
After the votes were counted, Igor and I made the official announcements. Prizes were awarded to all winners. Maris Valkass and George Peck were runner-ups and will hopefully perfect their entries and try again next year. A vegetarian category in past years has been competed in, but this year we had no entries. However, J Holshue's apple pie and Karen Ferguson's mint cake were voted as this year's best vegetarian entries.
Campfire frivolity was up to usual DPS standard. There were conversations about everything one could imagine. The fire was warm and plentiful, and the stars were far too numerous to count.
Bright and early Sunday the hikers carpooled the half-mile back out the dirt road to the start of Route B for Black Butte. From here the group of 12 started out for the peak. The climbers "scrambled" 1200 feet up the difficult slopes and rocks about 1 3/4 miles to the point east of 3051 ft. mentioned in the guide. Then descended about two miles and 600 feet before starting up the final 3,300 feet of gain. In between this descent and reaching the final slopes of the peak, they lost six experienced, strong hikers. This was a tiring route! Delores Holliday, newcomer Isa Labrada from the Canary Islands, Ron Young, George Peck, Igor and Ron summited in 6 hours.
Ron had led this peak directly from the Corn Spring campground 6 or 8 years before and didn't recall it as such a difficult hike. Checking the topo he spotted his previously used route and they followed this for a 4 hour return directly to the campground. This is a much more pleasant route and the description goes as follows:
From the campground, follow the large and long drainage bearing about 205 degrees gradually up a mostly sandy wash bottom, with some detours around boulders in the drainage. This wash passes about 0.1 miles west of point 2844 ft. located at approximately UTM 533185 and ends less than 0.2 miles beyond. Climb south up the 50 foot sandy slopes to the small saddle at 2760+ feet (UTM 535184). Descend southeast down easy slopes to the Ship Creek drainage at 2200 ft. (just north of point 2381) and proceed up the drainage to the N ridge of Black Butte and on to the summit. 4060 feet elevation gain (3500 in, 560 out), 11 miles, 7 hours.
Several who remained in camp enjoyed the interpretive nature walk that points out several forms of desert plant life and Indian pictographs. Others hiked to Aztec Well to see the abandoned mines. There wasn't a hint of rain and it turned out to be a beautiful day spent in the desert.
We were sorry to leave our BLM campground hosts, but life at home was calling to us. We were on the road westbound and were lucky to find no traffic. I did think how nice it would be to be home when we pulled off to get gas on 22nd street in Banning. Lucky you, Ron Young!
A big thanks to Ron, Igor and Suzanne for their assistance and leadership, and also to all of you who made the 4th a success. For those reading this, that didn't come because of the rain, I hope you don't make the same mistake for the 5th! In addition to those already mentioned, the following people added to the fun for this weekend: Carol Smetana, Bob Wyka, Gregory Morgan, Margie Hutton, Ed Lozano, Tom Ferguson, Ron Hudson, David Ress, Bruce Trotter, Bill T. and Pat Russell, Jan and Gary Heam, and Sue Leverton.
In closing, you might enjoy this quotation by Maynard Dixon we saw at the exhibit:
| "At last,
I shall give myself to the desert again, That I, in its golden dust, may be blown from a desert peak, Broadcast over the sun-lands. If you should desire some news of me, Go ask the little homed toad, whose home is the dust, Or seek it among the fragrant sage, Or question the mountain juniper, and by their silence, they will truly inform you." |
