Family Posts

Personal posts noting family events, transitions, or personal reflections.

Harquahala Mountain, February, 2019

February 13, 2019 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In early February Linda and I and our dogs camped in the open desert near Vicksburg, Arizona, east of Quartzsite. We were boondocking, which meant we had no hookups but did have a lot of room for ourselves and dark nights. We spent three nights there. Linda spent February 6 and 7 hiking and mountain biking from our campsite. On the morning of February 6 I left camp to hike Harquahala Mountain.

The view from the Harquahala Pack Trail which climbs over the high saddle ahead

From camp I drove through Salome on US 60, then followed a dirt road to the Harquahala Pack Trail trailhead. The trail climbs from the McMullen Valley floor to the summit of Harquahala Mountain. Harquahala Mountain (Yavapai: ‘Hakhe:la), the highpoint of the Harquahala Mountains, is the 17th most prominent peak in Arizona with 3461 feet of topographic prominence and 5681 feet of elevation.

[Read more…]

Early Glacier Climbing with Linda

February 3, 2019 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

Linda and I met in the Spring of 1990 through the Chemeketans, a climbing club in Salem, Oregon. That summer we started climbing together on rock, snow, and ice. Here I describe some of the mixed climbs we shared while getting to know each other. These were club climbs and I have fond memories of our experiences and those we shared them with.

Mount Jefferson, Oregon Cascades

In June of 1990 Linda and I joined Betsy, Nancy, Bill, Darcy, Debra, Leah, Roy, George, and Tom on a Chemeketan climb of Mount Jefferson, the second-highest peak in Oregon.

[Read more…]

Early Rock Climbs with Linda

February 3, 2019 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

Linda and I started getting to know each other during the summer of 1990. We met through a climbing club, the Chemeketans, in Salem, Oregon. That summer we started climbing together, both on rock crags and mountains. Here are two of many climbs I shared with Linda that summer.

Rock Climbing at Smith Rock State Park

On October 20 Linda and I climbed “Moscow”, a three-pitch 5.6 route on the “Red Wall” at Smith Rock State Park in Central Oregon.

The Red Wall at Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

[Read more…]

Superstition Ridge, Arizona, February 2018

March 6, 2018 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

During the last week of February Linda and I camped at Lost Dutchman State Park, on the east side of the Phoenix metropolitan area northeast of Apache Junction. We spent three nights camped there. On our second day, Tuesday February 27, I hiked Superstition Benchmark (Peak 5057), the highpoint of Superstition Ridge. Superstition Benchmark is the 90th most prominent peak in Arizona with 1817 feet of topographic prominence and 5057 feet of elevation.

Evening view of Superstition Mountain from Lost Dutchman State Park

Superstition Benchmark was accessible from the State Park. But by driving to the Carney Springs Trailhead on the south side the route was shorter and more likely I would reach the summit my first time in the area.

[Read more…]

« Previous Page