Climbing Reports

Travel using both feet and hands, whether scrambling unroped or technical climbing using rope and anchors.

Ragged Top, Arizona, December 2018

December 26, 2018 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, December 19, I joined the Southern Arizona Hiking Club (SAHC) for a climb of Ragged Top, a craggy peak in the Silver Bell Mountains west of Tucson. Ragged Top has 1357 feet of topographic prominence. I first noticed Ragged Top on my climb of Silver Bell Peak in November 2016. I knew then I would try to visit it someday.

Ragged Top's northeast face. We hiked over a saddle to the left. — Ragged Top’s northeast face. We hiked over a saddle to the left.

I drove us into the Ironwood Forest National Monument on primitive but passable roads and parked just below the northeast face of Ragged Top. Ragged Top is quite imposing in appearance with complex steep buttresses of rock separated by shadowy narrow gullies. But we knew there was a reasonable route up, so we started with high expectations of success.

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Table Tooth, Arizona, December 2018

December 24, 2018 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Monday, December 17, I joined the Southern Arizona Hiking Club for a climb of Table Tooth, a spire immediately east of Table Mountain in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness of the Santa Catalina Mountains. Table Tooth has only 320 feet of topographic prominence, but the “hike” proved to be challenging and it felt like a real mountaineering experience to me.

We climb towards Table Tooth and its east notch above left.

We left the Pima Canyon Trailhead before dawn with headlamps. Soon the early morning light allowed us to remove the headlamps and we entered Pima Canyon. This was my first excursion into Pima Canyon. The steep slopes above and in front of us lured my attention, but I had to pay attention to the rocky trail so as not to fall onto my face.

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Weaver Peak, Arizona, November 2018

December 6, 2018 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

On Thursday, November 29, I joined four peakbaggers I had previously climbed with and climbed Weaver Peak, the highpoint of the Weaver Mountains near Yarnell, Arizona. This climb was part of an ambitious peakbagging trip organized by Laura, Greg, and Keith who were visiting Arizona from southern California. Rich from Las Vegas and I joined the others Wednesday evening and the Thursday climb. Laura had obtained advanced permission to hike on the Sorrells Ranch from its very friendly and helpful owners.

Weaver Peak from our hiking starting point at the end of the Jeep road.

We drove our vehicles to a pond up a rough Jeep road, saving us a few miles of extra hiking.

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El Capitan Mountain, Arizona, November 2018

November 18, 2018 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Sunday, November 4, I joined Matthias Stender and Scott Peavy on a climb of El Capitan Mountain. El Capitan Mountain has 6568 feet of elevation and is the highpoint of the Mescal Mountains southeast of Globe, Arizona. It also has 1808 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 92nd most prominent peak in Arizona. None of us had visited El Capitan Mountain before. We had heard that the mountain was very brushy; we expected a challenge.

El Capitan Mountain from the primitive road. The summit is hidden behind the distant high point.

Scott had scouted out a potential route we hoped would reduce the brush we would need to deal with. The three of us parked along Arizona Highway 77 and crossed the highway. From there we mostly followed a primitive road as it crossed a gully beneath the WSW Ridge.

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