Hiking Reports

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

Mount Hopkins, Arizona, December 2020

December 17, 2020 by Paul McClellan 2 Comments

On Thursday, December 3, I hiked to the summit of Mount Hopkins in the Santa Rita Mountains of Southern Arizona. The Santa Rita mountains form the southern border of the Tucson basin. The highest peak of the range, Mount Wrightson, rises about 7000 feet above Tucson. It is accompanied to its west by lower Mount Hopkins. Both peaks are quite visible from bicycle routes in Tucson. I had hiked Mount Wrightson in March 2015, but had not yet visited Mount Hopkins. So it was past time to do so.

Mount Hopkins from the Super Trail (2015-03-10)

Mount Wrightson from the Agua Caliente Trail

I drove to Madera Canyon and parked at the end of the road with access to several trails. I followed the Old Baldy, Vault Mine, and Agua Caliente Trails to a saddle below Mount Hopkins on its east side. It was quite windy and cool in the morning, but I was sheltered from most of the wind while climbing up the steep north side of the peak.

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Hurwal Divide, Oregon, August 2020

September 9, 2020 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Wednesday, August 26, I climbed Hurwal Divide. Hurwal Divide lies in the Eagle Cap Wilderness, part of the Wallowa Mountains, and gets its name as the steep divide between Hurricane Creek to the west and the West Fork Wallowa River to the east. It has 9776 feet of elevation and is the seventh highest peak in Oregon (with at least 500 feet of prominence).

The Hurwal Divide from Aneroid Mountain (2013-08-07)

Tuesday afternoon I drove to the north side of the Wallowa Mountains and car camped near the Hurricane Creek Trailhead. The trailhead was busy and I was fortunate to find such a nice spot to camp nearby beside Hurricane Creek.

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Maxwell Benchmark, Oregon, July 2020

August 13, 2020 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

Maxwell Benchmark and Hunt Mountain rise abruptly above the Baker Valley and invite a visit each time I see them. Early on Thursday, July 30, I left the valley to visit them.

Maxwell Benchmark (center) and Hunt Mountain (right) from Running Iron Road in the Baker Valley

From the Baker Valley I turned off Pocahontas Road and drove west up South Rock Creek Road. I continued along Rock Creek as the road entered National Forest, became FR 5520, and changed from pavement to good gravel to coarse and eroded gravel. I passed the Killamacue Trailhead and arrived at Eilertson Meadow.

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Edson Butte, Oregon Coast, July 2020

July 17, 2020 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Friday, July 3, Michael Berry and I hiked to the summit of Edson Butte in the Southern Oregon Coast Range. Edson Butte has only 2786 feet of elevation, but has 1866 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 91st most prominent peak in Oregon.

The Pacific Ocean and beaches to the west from Edson Butte summit.

The route was a long hike on forest roads, some well maintained and others apparently not used or maintained in many years. There was some road work in progress higher and we encountered trucks hauling gravel from a quarry near the summit and returning for more. The weather was cloudy and misty in the morning but this cleared in the early afternoon and we got ample views of clearcuts as we hiked out from the summit.

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