Hiking Reports

Travel using primarily feet only. Hands might be used with hiking poles for balance or uphill travel.

White Mountains, Arizona, October 2017

October 31, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On October 26 and 27 I hiked Mount Baldy and Escudilla Mountain in the White Mountains of Eastern Arizona. These two peaks had been on my want list for several years. I wanted to hike them in the autumn before snowfall covered the White Mountains.

Thick smoke filled the air as I drove in towards Mount Baldy on October 25. I hoped for better weather the next day and continued towards the Winn Campground beyond the trailhead. The campground was closed so instead I found a dispersed campsite nearby.

After a pleasant dinner I discovered parts of an elk carcass nearby. It was a breezy and cool evening and after sunset I heard coyotes howling and elk bugling. After the moon set the sky filled with many stars. The White Mountains are far from population centers and the high open country makes for excellent night sky watching.

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South Sister, Oregon Cascades, October 2017

October 18, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On October 4 I hiked up South Sister, an “ultra prominence” peak in the Cascade Range west of Bend, Oregon. South Sister is the third highest peak in Oregon with 10358 feet of elevation. It is the fourth most prominent peak in Oregon with 5588 feet of topographic prominence. The climb is a straightforward but scenic hike and was a well-needed workout for me.

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Siskiyou Prominence Peaks, Oregon, June 2017

July 5, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

In late June Linda and I and our canines established base camp at Lake Selmac in the SW Oregon Siskiyou Mountains. Linda found several bicycling routes to explore in the area while I hiked several Siskiyou Prominence Peaks. The canines enjoyed the new scents of the area but were glad to leave for the open Ponderosa Pine forests of home by the end of our visit. Before this visit the mountains I planned to visit were just names on a map. By the end of the week they each made an impression on me and I left the area with memories and a better appreciation of the Siskiyou Mountains than I had before.

Grayback Mountain

My first goal of the week, on Tuesday June 20, was Grayback Mountain, south of Applegate, Oregon. Grayback Mountain is the high point of Josephine County, Oregon with 7048 feet of elevation. It is also the 49th most prominent peak in Oregon with 2248 feet of prominence. Tuesday morning I drove up the Thompson Creek Road south of Applegate, then took a forest road to the Upper O’Brien Creek Trailhead. The last mile was a bit eroded but the drive in was not a problem for my Jeep.

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Silver Peak, Southeast Arizona, April 2017

April 29, 2017 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Saturday morning, April 23, I left my dispersed campsite along Pinery Creek to hike Silver Peak on the east side of the Chiricahua Mountains. As I crested Onion Saddle and began my descent to the east I observed the steep peaks and ridges and deep valleys below me in the morning light. This view curiously reminded me strongly of the North Cascades of Washington State. I descended into Cave Creek Canyon near Portal, Arizona, and parked at the Silver Peak Trailhead.

The east face of Silver Peak from low on the Silver Peak Trail

The Silver Peak Trail leads from the floor of Cave Creek Canyon to the summit of Silver Peak, the site of a former lookout. Silver Peak is the 72nd most prominent peak in Arizona with 2008 feet of prominence and 8008 feet of elevation.

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