Easter in the Eastern Sierra: Petroglyphs, Climbing, and Peak Bagging

We usually spend Easter weekend in one of two places: Carrizo Plain (in good wildflower years) or Lava Beds National Monument. This year we decided that a visit to the Eastern Sierra was in order instead. Five months without a Bishop fix was long enough and despite the passes still being closed, driving the long way around for a three day weekend was worth it.

On Thursday night we headed out from San Jose for Truckee where we had (gasp!) booked a hotel room for the night. That hotel was conveniently next door to one of our favorite breweries, FiftyFifty. Several delicious beers were enjoyed with dinner, and we retired early to get up the next day for some outdoor adventures.

Mt St Helena towers above the northern end of the approximately 30 mile long Napa Valley. Its east peak is the high point of Napa County, though the high point of the actual peak is its north summit. The peak is within the boundary of Robert Louis Stevenson State Park and the summit is accessible via a ten mile round trip hike on single track trail and fire road. From the summit, views into the surrounding wine country are spectacular (and a refreshing change from my local parks), and on a clear day one can easily see the Sierra and Mt Lassen to the north.

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!)

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.

West Mojave Peaks Part 2: Kelso Peak

After a night at the great campsite we found between the two Cowhole Mountain ranges (and just off the Mojave Road), we backtracked to the paved Kelbaker Road and headed south to large pullout on the right side of the road. Our destination? Kelso Peak.

Kelso Peak, as seen from Cowhole Mountain (the pointy peak in the middle-range on the left)

Why Kelso? For that matter, why the Cowhole ranges the day before? Here’s the thing: there are tons of peaks and ranges in the desert. Browsing around a topo map reveals all kinds of remote places and appealing peaks. But you have to start somewhere, and when it comes to the desert that somewhere (for me), was Andy Zdon’s Desert Summits book. I’ve gotten completely hooked on climbing desert peaks thanks to this book, and although I’ve also climbed plenty of summits not named in the book, I turn to it for inspiration and feel weirdly compelled to climb everything in it.

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.

Two weeks ago we headed out to the east side for a casual, relaxing fall colors weekend. Of course, at the last minute, Sooz and I decided to climb Mt Morgan, a really fun and easy nearly-14k peak. It wasn’t necessarily so easy for us since we weren’t prepared or acclimated, but the terrain and route finding was straightforward enough that the acclimation was really our only enemy. I explain the route in the captions in my images in my Smugmug album, so if you’re interested head over there for a peek. Here are a few shots of the climb – definitely a worthwhile summit!

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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Calipidder

[kal-uh-pid-er] - noun: Free Range Backpacker, Climber, Runner, Gear Nerd

Easter in the Eastern Sierra: Petroglyphs, Climbing, and Peak Bagging

Hiking Mt St Helena, the Napa County Highpoint

West Mojave Peaks Part 3: Old Dad Mountain

West Mojave Peaks Part 2: Kelso Peak

West Mojave Peaks Part 1: Cowhole and Little Cowhole Mountains

Mount Morgan (13,748′) and a few Fall Colors

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