Trigo Mountains

Nov-1986

By: Ron Jones

none

First I would like to thank the people who did most of the work in getting the trip organized and making it successful while I was gone for a whole month before it.. Ron Jones did the write-up and planning, while Anna Valkass made the list of participants and mailed the trip sheets. Thank you.

Thursday morning we met at the County Park just south of Palo Verde. We drove about 9 miles south to a dirt road and turned west, then another jog north which put us just west of the Palo Verde Peak. It turned out to be a little longer hike than estimated due to a third class section that we encountered. It was a nice warm-up hike.

We then drove about 30 miles to our camping area for the entire weekend in the Trigo Mountains. There are two bridges on which to cross the Colorado River near Palo Verde. After crossing it, just take the main road going south towards Cibola Lake. You will find a dirt road starting in Section 29 on Cibola AZ-CA quadrangle, and following it to near the Hart Gold Mine. We camped in the wash. We had plenty of daylight to prepare our dinner and enjoy the wonderful location. My thanks to all the participants who provided enough food for dinners for the whole weekend.

Friday morning we headed for Needle Eye, about l0 mi round trip. We went up a saddle to the north of the peak, then walked around it on the east, finally ascending from the south. Everyone who attempted it made it. Some of us climbed also the eye of the needle, and on top of it. It is the second summit and is more interesting. Registers are in both places.

On the way back we spotted an animal with a large bushy tail bounding away from us. It may have been a hedger because it was larger than a fox, the tail was large, and it was not a coyote.

Saturday we started at 7 am for Mohave Peak. It is a long hike, est. 13 mi round trip. From the camp we headed in south east direction for the saddle east of peak 1725. From there it is a good navigation exercise which Ron Jones mastered well. Near the saddle we saw two bighorn sheep, which was a first for several people.

The peak is not difficult, but it has several nice waterfalls along the route, which are easily circumvented. Everyone who came over the pass, about 20, made the peak. Beverly Woolsey, who had not been hiking very much for the last several years due to various injuries made the trip look trivial with her walking cane.

Jim and Mike Agnos also joined us for the first time, they just have to do a little more conditioning, and they will do fine. Come with us and keep trying!

I agree with Barbara Lilley and Gordon McLeod that this is a beautiful area. It has colorful and interesting rock formations, typical AZ vegetation, and respectable hikes and climbs. The two peaks would be welcome addition to our list.

Sunday morning about ten of us climbed Bobbin Peak. This is the high point of the Needle Eye Range. However, it is close to camp, mostly straight up but not as interesting as Needle Eye. The participants were:

Anna Valkass
Roy Bishop
Jim Farkas
Ursula Slager
Mike Agnos
Dick Agnos
Jerry Keating
Betsy Lutz
Joe Monroe
Maris Valkass
Ron Jones
Clude Wezeman
Alan Coles
Dan Slager
Jim Agnos
Francois Walthert
Norm Reeves
Bob Wright
Delores Holladay
Adrienne Knute
Terry Turner
Bruce Turner
Helvia Miller
Diane Rosentretter
Nancy Keating
Jon Lutz
Beverly Moosley
Dennis Baker

My thanks to Betsy Lutz for volunteering to cook several meals for us, including turkey soup and beef soup. They were delicious. Thanks also to Alan Coles for consulting with us on route info, as he had made the trip before. This was also Dick Agnos' second trip. I am also thankful that we only had three nights at the campfire. Although it is true what Farkas was ??? us, I don't think that I could take the mounting excitement ??? got better each night.


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