NONSCHEDULED TRIPS 

PINNACATE PEAK, THANKSGIVING 1961         Trudie Hunt
Northeast of the Gulf of Mexico in Sonora, Mexico, is a vast uninhabited desert area with over 500 volcanic cones and craters. Dominating this former inferno is Pinnacate Peak, 4041 feet, climbed in the late 17th Century by scientist, explorer, priest, Father Kino, who wanted to prove that California was not an island, and that the blue abalone shells which he had followed throughout Arizona and Sonora had indeed come overland from the Pacific.
On Thanksgiving Day the Garver Lights, Niles Werners, Harry Melts, Tom Hunts (and Peter), the Herb Hernes and Bob Boyd stood on this same peak viewing El Picacho del Diablo over the Gulf to the southwest, and Organ Pipe National Monument to the northeast.
Further explorations in the area showed us that in two trips of a week each we had hardly touched this four wheel drive area with its immense craters, its Indian caves such as the Sacred Cave of the Papagos where we found dozens of colored prayer sticks, or the natural tanks such as the Papago Tanks, where at dusk, like clockwork, hundreds of doves came to drink.
Pinnacate Peak is under consideration as a DPS qualifying Peak. It is a respectable climb in and unusual area with unobstructed views of grand majesty. For safety, a four wheel drive vehicle and good maps are needed.

LA PAZ CHRISTMAS, 1961        Trudie Hunt
Many have driven the length of Baja California peninsula and famous authors from Earl Stanley Gardner to Joseph Wood Krutch have lived to record their experiences. But no account, including this one, can convey the actual experience of roads where to average ten miles an hour is admirable; where rains can turn Arroyos, doubling as roads, into mud-churning traps where four wheel drive vehicles were mired sixteen times in one long afternoon; where narrow, rocky, steep roads hanging over bays or canyons call for precision driving.
But this is only a partial picture, obscuring the unbelievable quality of the dense desert dominated by giant cordon, elephant trees, and slender fifty foot cirios; the welcome palm oases; the splendor of 40 mile long Conception Bay, its placid water surrounded by rocky desert mountains; the grandeur of miles of unspoiled beaches, lagoons, seemingly endless desert, massive unclimbed peaks.
Twelve hard driving days, complicated by 4 previous days of rain which terminated Baja California's ten years of drought, brought the Hunts and Bob Boyd to La Paz's palm fringed, sleepy bay. From here Trudie flew to Tijuana, in half a day covering the land we had labored on for twelve. Tom flew to Mazatlan to meet the boat carrying Pete, Bob Boyd, the two Internationals, thousand of goat hides, coutless goat cheese rounds, and empty beer bottles. Bob and Tom returned via the fine west coast highway, while Pete went by bus to Antioch's center at the University of Guanajuato.



THE D.P.S. NEWSLETTER

Published bimonthly by the Desert Peaks Section of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Editor: John Robinson, 418 E. 20th St., Costa Mesa, California.
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