range below the summit. In spite of the topo the ridge is nearly impossible. The topo presents it as fairly broad and level. It's neither, except the very last portion. Whether you climb from the east or west the best approach is to hike almost to the last gully before the summit and then ascend. The climb is interesting but easily 2nd class. The view of the Colorado River, Charleston, New York Mountain, etc. is spectacular. This is one of the better desert peaks. Climbing time: 3 and 1/2 hours.

The climb of Charleston was made up Deer Creek Trail to the North Loop to Charleston Peak Trail: Climbing time: 4 and 1/2 hours. The trail starts out as a jeep road, veers to the right and soon becomes very narrow. The weather rapidly deteriorated. The summit was incredibly cold and the wind fierce. Soon after reaching the summit the sky fell in. It snowed in sheets driven by blizzard winds, while far below in the valley the warm sun shone brightly. I limped out in four hours on my ailing ankle and knee with the aid of a couple of tree branches. Once again the challenge proved to be more than the conquest.

November 10, 1968    TELESCOPE PEAK              Art de Goede

Twenty one were on hand to start the climb of Telescope Peak including 5 guests from the Death Valley '49ers Encampment and one DPS member (a leader). Counting about six or nine who left early but, apparently felt they were affiliated with the trip, three who caught up and one who left the group to go on ahead, there were slightly over 30 people on the hike of whom all but one made the summit. Al Schroeder substituted for an ailing Bill Banks as one leader and did a commendable job of keeping track of the slower hikers. The perfect weather was also enjoyed by a herd of seven wild burros seen in the flat middle stretch of the trip. There was no snow on Telescope, little snow was apparent on the Sierra Nevada and Charleston to the east showed none. With the last hiker out to the cars at 4:30 p.m., this leader was left with only a flat tire to contend with. However, a second flat tire was encountered (the first not yet fixed) while eating dinner a mile and one half from the gas station at Trona.

Jim Sanders and his Union Station is lauded for correcting one hole in one tire, two holes in the second and a tow truck loaned to shutt1e the first tire to the car....all for the price of $3. Tire repairs are $1.50 per tire, period.
 
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