About noon we drove thru ideal high-desert country to the west base of Kessler Pk at el 6163', this being the high point of the Ivanpah Mountains and lying at the southern end of the Range. Warm but crisp weather made this an enjoyable sojourn. Bold outcroppings stud the mountain as warts and one may pick out several class 3 routes if so desired. The basic route is class 2.
Then we drove to the east side of the Mid Hills and high-desert again, past Pinto Peak, a long colorful cliffy bluff extending easterly as an offshoot from the main axis of the Mid Hills. Camp was chosen 200 yards downroad from Bathtub Springs, where cow droppings made the evening somewhat unpleasant.
The next morning, via a devious route we headed thru rocky and open tree country, toward the two pinnacles which are the high points of this Range. One cannot discern the true higher summit even when on top, but the one further to the NNE seems to be the correct one. We also left a register on the SSW one, the more spectacular. The actual top, fifty feet is high class 3 and possibly class 4 in one pitch on both pinnacles. Good Granite prevai1s in the area. The SSW one is vertical on the W & N & E sides and was climbed via the SSW ridge-many good holds but with exposure! A rope was used. This is + or - 6440'.
The Marl Mtns came next, lying just north of Kelso at 4,520', and class 1. This route was from the power line road.
These mtns-especially the Mid Hills make for pleasant climbing and more of our DPSers should interest themselves in exploring Desert Peaks in our own country, and local counties. Many are rugged and
precipitous, just as much as
those south of the border!May 6-7 weekend:
Here Doug Phillips, Dennis McAllister, Ellen Siegal, Bob Mason, Frank Yates, Malcolm Benedict and I peaked 3,719' and 3,640'+ in the range southeast of Old Dad Mtn. The former was made from the road to the east of the mtn and is class 2 from this side or any direction. An admirable feature of this peak is the vast expanse of sand reaching high up on its east face. We dropped down to the valley between it and Peak 3,640'+ to the NE, which was ascended by its SWesterly slopes, also class 2, any route.
We then caravaned to Baker and went SW on the freeway to the ZZYZX exit on the dirt road to the Quartzite mine in a canyon of the Soda Mtns. Great gusto followed as a sparerib and sauerkraut dinner prepared by Ellen was consumed by our crowd.
Next day in already hot weather we did the high point of the Sodas, 3,663', by proceeding up the canyon, gaining the SE ridge thence along it to the Summit. We scared up a rattler in the wash on the way up. This gain was class 2-quite loose in places. Both these summits had no record of previous climbs, however they do now, Pks 3,719' and 3,640'+ that is, but is probable that this high point of the Soda Mtns night have been previously done, only because about 400' from the summit a wooden lath was found. One has to carefully choose the route down the east side of this range as there are cliffs breaking up the gradual slopes.
Well, this does it 'til fall and winter arrive for more High Point ascents.