West Mojave Peaks Part 3: Old Dad Mountain

Our fourth and final summit of the trip was a DPS peak, Old Dad Mountain. In the past I have stumbled across random photos and trip reports from Old Dad, and it always looked interesting to me. Equally parts challenging and scenic – my favorite combination!

View from the summit of Old Dad Mountain (spoiler! We made it!)
View from the summit of Old Dad Mountain (spoiler! We made it!)

The drive into Old Dad was a bit more challenging than the descriptions I found led us to believe. Although much of the dirt track was fine and passable, there were several sandy stretches and we were glad to be in capable 4WD vehicles. We had to run the sandy sections pretty fast to get through, especially on the way out (which was uphill). Additionally, the waypoints I had dropped on the road junctions on the topo map did not correspond well to reality in a few spots (once we started into Jackass Canyon). We pretty much made a best guess and ended up parking in the correct wash to start the hike. To see the route on a topo map check out my GPS track of our drive over here on hillmap. This is the track I recorded when off pavement, from where we turned off of the paved Kelbaker Road.

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West Mojave Peaks Part 1: Cowhole and Little Cowhole Mountains

For New Years weekend we headed down to Mojave National Preserve for some peak bagging. Over three days we climbed four peaks and I’ll be profiling them over the next few days. This first post details the climbs of Cowhole and Little Cowhole Mountains (hee), the most and least challenging of the four peaks.

Little Cowhole and Cowhole mountains are small ranges that stand by themselves on the northwestern boundary of Mojave National Preserve, bordering the east side of the mostly dry Soda Lake. On the map they look pretty puny but together these two peaks make a full day of desert peak bagging.

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Southern Sierra Easy Peaks: Wonoga (10,371′) and Trail Peak (11,605′)

The best life moments are spent in the mountains
The best life moments are spent in the mountains

In mid-August I was supposed to be out on a nine day backpacking trip in the Sierra. Unfortunately, my stress fracture hadn’t healed enough by the planned start date and I had to back out. By the next weekend I felt like I could start getting back on the trail with a small daypack, so I decided to head out for a couple of easy peaks. As a bonus, I would get to meet my friends coming off the trail from the trip I was supposed to be on.

I chose two peaks based on their relative simplicity, short distance, and basic terrain in case my foot acted up and I needed to bail. It occurred to me that both are great starter peaks for someone looking for an introduction to off-trail peak bagging in the Sierra. They are both relatively short, easy to navigate, straightforward terrain, and have great rewards in terms of views. So, if you’re thinking about getting into the addicting and rewarding activity of Sierra summiteering, here’s a good place to start.

Both peaks are accessed via Horseshoe Meadows Road out of Lone Pine.

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Mount Baldwin (12,615′) via Convict Canyon

Mount Baldwin is a striking peak. The area boasts the oldest rock in the Sierra, revealing picturesque patterns and colors that contrast strongly with the typical grey Sierra granite. From 395, Mount Baldwin stands out with its bold layers of white and red, and it is only accentuated in the fall when the aspens on its slope start to turn. I love to climb peaks that for some reason stand out to me, and due to its fascinating geology Mount Baldwin has been on my todo list for a long time.

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Basin Mountain (13,240 ft) from Horton Lake

Basin Mountain from Horton Lakes trailhead
Basin Mountain from Horton Lakes trailhead

When you drive along 395 through the Bishop area there are a few prominent peaks that define the skyline. The biggest, most impressive summit is Mount Tom. Tom has always brought a smile to my face because it presides over one of my favorite places in the world, and therefore it has held a place on my Sierra bucket list.  It’s neighbor, Basin Mountain, also has an interesting sawtoothy ridge line that I’ve always wanted to see up close. Finally the chance came this year when I booked backpacking permits for Labor Day weekend – a three night base camp at Horton Lake with day climbs of Basin and Tom.

 

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Havasuper Time at Havasu Falls: Part 2

Day two of our Havasu adventure was set aside for exploring the area. We started off by spending the morning downstream at Mooney Falls, a side canyon, and a natural water park off the beaten track. After lunch back at the campsite we headed upstream to Hidden Falls, New Indian/New 50-Foot Falls, and New Navajo/Rock Falls. That night we wrapped up the experience with an #omniten group photograph in front of Havasu Falls.
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Coyote Flat, Vagabond Peak (aka Cloudripper Jr.) (13,374′) and The Hunchback (12,311′)

Thunder & Lightning Lake with Vagabond Peak
Thunder & Lightning Lake with Vagabond Peak

Another summer weekend, another whirlwind trip to the Eastern Sierra. This time my destination was the peaks of the Inconsolable Range, a sharp ridge on the eastern edge of the Sierra just north of the Palisades and Bishop Pass. Rather than use the traditional Bishop Pass trail approach, we decided to access the ridge from the east via Coyote Flat, an open plateau at an altitude of about 10,000 ft that sits between the Inconsolables and the town of Bishop.

Although it is only about 20 miles outside of Bishop, Coyote Flat is a relatively quiet and empty place, especially when compared to the nearby Sierra access points of South Lake and Lake Sabrina. The reason? The only road that goes into Coyote Flat is a class II/III 4×4 road that switchbacks steeply and rocky from 5000 ft to 10,000 ft. The road was rough but fun, bouncing us around quite a bit as we drove the 22 miles from Manor Market along 168, through Coyote Flat, to the end of the road at the wilderness boundary along Baker Creek.

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