Climbing Reports

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

Mount Peale, Utah, September 2015

September 22, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On September 2 I climbed Mount Peale in the La Sal Mountains east of Moab, Utah. Mount Peale is an “ultra prominence peak” with 6161 feet of prominence. With 12721 feet of elevation it is the highest point of the La Sal Mountains.

In early September I was driving to Durango, Colorado, through Utah to meet up with some friends there. We planned to hike into the Chicago Basin and summit a few Colorado Fourteeners together. But the weather forecasts kept deteriorating and we eventually decided to go our own ways.

At that point I was in Spanish Fork, Utah. I had maps and route information for several Utah prominence peaks with me and a week to work with. I had driven through Utah many times. But the only Utah peak I had previously visited was Kings Peak in the High Uinta Mountains. So I eagerly decided to spend the week hiking several Utah prominence peaks. In this way I could sample several Utah mountain ranges I had not yet visited.

Mount Tukuhnikivatz and Mount Peale on the forest road leading to La Sal Pass — Mount Tukuhnikivatz (left) and Mount Peale (right) on the forest road leading to La Sal Pass

[Read more…]

Elkhorn and Cabinet Range Peaks, July 2015

July 18, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In July I climbed an Oregon high peak in the Elkhorn Range of Northeast Oregon and a prominent peak in the Cabinet Range of Northern Idaho.

Cougar Pond SW Peak

On Tuesday, July 7, I drove to Baker City, Oregon, and checked road status at the local Forest Ranger Station. Then I drove west up along Pine Creek on the east side of the Elkhorn Range. The Pine Creek Road was quite rough. I recommend 4WD, good clearance, and tough tires to drive up to where parking is allowed beyond private property. I spent a pleasant evening and night camped beside the road.

The next morning, Wednesday July 8, I hiked up further along the primitive road. This road eventually became more of an ATV track as it approached Pine Creek Reservoir. I hiked past the reservoir, then followed the track as it switchbacked north up a slope towards a saddle.

The last 400 feet to the saddle was on an unimproved trail through a flowering meadow. Some mountain goats were visible on the slopes above and to my left. Rock Creek Butte rose far above me to the west.

From the saddle, Cougar Basin extended below me to the north. My destination, the unofficially named “Cougar Pond Southwest Peak”, rose above me to the west. Cougar Pond SW Peak is Oregon’s 39th highest peak (with at least 500 feet of prominence). From the saddle I climbed open ground and through thin forest to find the summit on the NW end of the summit ridge.

I enjoyed identifying most of the 12 other Oregon 100 highest peaks in the Elkhorn Range from the summit. I noticed a thunderstorm brewing above Mount Ireland to the NW.

[Read more…]

Tucson Local Peak Hikes, Early 2015

April 3, 2015 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

For the past two winters we have traveled to Arizona to spend a few weeks bicycling and hiking in the sunshine. Early this year we spent about 8 weeks in Tucson, our new winter home. While settling in we bicycled many routes around the Tucson area. I also enjoyed several peak hikes in the surrounding mountain ranges.

Wasson Peak

On Thursday, February 19, I hiked Wasson Peak in Saguaro National Park West (Tucson Mountain District) via the Hugh Norris Trail. The summit of Wasson Peak is the highest point in the Tucson Mountains with 2117 feet of prominence. It was a warm and sunny day. The hike was a good shakedown after months of relative inactivity.

I enjoyed watching several USAF jets pass over. It reminded me of my early years living on USAF bases and of my deceased father.

[Read more…]

Southern Wallowa Peaks, Oregon, October 2014

October 5, 2014 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

In early October I spent three days hiking and climbing Southern Wallowa peaks in the Eagle Cap Wilderness of Northeast Oregon. After some unsettled weather the first day the skies were clear for the rest of my trip. The scenery was beautiful – it seems we have a piece of the Colorado Rockies in NE Oregon. I saw no other person on the trails or peaks, and I had time to pause and absorb the feeling of the mountain wilderness during my long hikes.

On September 30 I drove the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Road #77 to the West Eagle Trailhead and Campground. I claimed my campsite and settled in. I would be camping there the next three nights. As it turned out, I had the entire campground to myself each evening and night.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page