The hike was a lot harder than
anticipated. The round trip was probably 12 miles. There were many gullies to
be crossed which made the walk much more difficult. We still had a nice
campfire, but we retired early. Next morning most of us did not have the
ambition to do the second peak. We will do Little Maria another time.
Thanks to John McCully for assisting me and everyone else for the wonderful
camaraderie.
STEPLADDER (2927') & WHIPPLE
(4130)
March 12 & 13, 1994
Darrell Lee & Ed Lubin, co
leaders
by Ed Lubin |
Our group of eight consisted of the leaders and
Jeff Deifik, David Hammond, Ellen Lady, Eric Schumacher, David Welbourne and
Bob Wyka. Bob drove all the way from Los Angeles, just for Stepladder; David
Hammond all the way from Tucson, just for Whipple. The weekend weather was
spring-like and pleasant.
Stepladder: Our meeting place
Saturday, was on Turtle Mountain Road; on the east side of the wash. 5.3 miles
in from US-95. Some of us camped there the night before. The third edition of
the DPS Guide was used on the trip.
The directions led us to the saddle
immediately northeast of the peak. A chute, cliffs, cleft, zigzag ledges and
notch between the two summit masses, were then given as part of the route.
Instead, we took the ledges on the east side of the peak, and not those obvious
from the saddle. (It was later found that the topo in the first edition of the
Guide, shows a direct, almost due west, approach to the ledges we used, and
summit, which bypasses the saddle.)
We signed the register located on
the south of the two summit masses; a relatively tiny outcropping that does not
appear to be as high as the one to the north, which is only about twenty feet
away. Some "Desert Sage" reports have referred to there being both a "north"
and a "south" summit. This may not be as accurate as designating one or other
mass, "the summit" or "high point"
Bob Wyka used his new Trimbale Scout
GPS satellite receiver, to track our position within a few yards, as we
traveled. (He can also use it in his 4WD.)
Whipple: (Route A)
Our camp Sat night, was roughly 6 miles in on the dirt road that begins 13.8
miles east of |
Vidal Junction (Hwy marker 140). The
4.2 miles of dirt' road to the crossroads were excellent; then became fair. We
did not see an aqueduct. David Hammond arrived in his sports car just after
us.
Darrell, with assistance from Ellen Lady, prepared a delicious
chicken curry and rice potluck dinner; his and Jeff Deifik's treat. Darrell is
a very good chef; probably as good as any of the legendary ones in the Section.
A pleasant evening was spent around a campfire. About 8:00am on Sunday, we
departed for the drive to the trailhead on a road that soon deteriorated.
In order to avoid obstacles in the wash, it was sometimes necessary to
cross from channel to channel. The desert pinstripping on our vehicles could
have been avoided had we brought a saw and plant clippers. It may be possible
to drive a high clearance 2WD passenger car, but it is unlikely to be any
fun.
We followed "Climb Route A" only as far as UTM 394986 (el 2680+).
where we got off route. The main canyon divides here; one branch to the east
and one to the west. We should have taken the ridge on the south side of the
canyon to the west. Instead, we went into the canyon to the east, and then
almost immediately gained the N.S. ridge on the west side (See map). It is
initially steeper. A few minutes up canyon at the next bend, the slope is more
gradual. A good alternate route to the top of Whipple may have accidentally
been found. On top, there is a fine view of Lake Havasu and sprawling Havasu
City.
For our return leg, we contoured into the canyon south of the
peak, the aforementioned west branch of main canyon; passing two dry
waterfalls. Progress up the canyon is not barred by a very large
vertical dry waterfall, as indicated in the third edition. The fall in the
Guide is instead located on the north wall of the canyon, a few minutes up from
the mouth; and fairly unique.
Near mouth of the canyon, where it makes
an abrupt turn east, there is a berm partly across; through which erosion has
cut a gap in solid red rock around five feet wide by twenty-five feet deep. The
fall has a shear drop of about 100 ft. There was a trickle of water at the top,
which Eric Schumacher sampled (he also found a deer antler on the hike; amazing
for such desolate terrain).
From the berm, some of us crossed the west
canyon instead of going to its mouth; making a beeline south into the main
canyon where we regrouped. |