Arizona Archives – Page 31 of 32 – GlassMountains Trip Reports

Sierra Estrella, Arizona, December 2015

December 13, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On Saturday, December 12, I joined climbers from Las Vegas and Phoenix to climb the high point of the Sierra Estrella, just west of Phoenix. I mostly hike/climb solo anymore, but I was glad to be part of a competent group on this peak to help with routefinding and motivation on a long off-trail ascent over rock and through cactus. There were many opportunities to make a mistake ascending and descending a rocky ridge and dry waterfalls in a wash. It was also helpful to follow others on a primitive jeep trail to get to the start of the climb.

Sierra Estrella from the end of the Jeep trail

The Sierra Estrella high point is just beyond the rock pinnacle visible left of center on the far ridge in the photo above. We ascended the rock ridge in the center of the photo. On our descent we followed the ridge a short distance down, then descended left into the gully/wash to the right of the ridge from this view.

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El Tour de Tucson 2015

November 28, 2015 by Paul McClellan Leave a Comment

On November 21st Linda and I rode in the El Tour de Tucson 2015 event. There were four event routes of 104, 75, 55, and 40 miles. We had last participated in El Tour de Tucson ten years earlier but this time we were spending the winter in Tucson and wanted to ride the longer 104-mile route. It had been 6.5 years since I last rode 100+ miles in a day, so I expected a challenging day. Of the 5365 riders finishing a route 2431 riders completed the 104-mile route, including Linda and me.

The 104-mile ride started at 7:00 am. We had been advised to start lining up by 6:00 am so we got up at 4:00 am, fed the dogs, stopped for coffee and a scone, drove to downtown Tucson, and found parking. We found the “Silver” assembly area for those expecting to finish between 7 and 9 hours and joined the crowd. It was a cool morning so I wore most of my warm bicycling clothes.

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Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak, Mule Mountains, Arizona

November 12, 2015 by Paul McClellan 6 Comments

On November 10 I hiked Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak in the Mule Mountains above Bisbee, Arizona. Fissure Peak, with an elevation about 7375 feet, is considered a few feet higher than Mount Ballard. So peakbaggers credit Fissure Peak with approximately 2675 feet of prominence. This makes Fissure Peak one of the 73 Arizona peaks with at least 2000 feet of prominence, and thereby a target of people who care about such things.

Mount Ballard (on left) and Fissure Peak (just right of center) from just above Mule Pass near Bisbee, Arizona.

That morning I left the Ramsay Vista Campground high in the Carr Canyon above Sierra Vista, and drove by Bisbee north to Mule Pass. Here I found the trail leading west and upwards towards Mount Ballard. Mount Ballard and Fissure Peak to its right were soon visible from the trail. The trail crossed a fence a few times and the brush increased as I climbed.

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Carr Peak and Miller Peak, Huachuca Mountains, Arizona

November 11, 2015 by Paul McClellan 1 Comment

On November 9 I hiked Carr Peak and Miller Peak in the Huachuca Mountains above Sierra Vista, Arizona. Miller Peak at 9466 feet is the highest peak in the Huachuca Mountains and the third highest peak in Southern Arizona. Miller Peak is also an “ultra prominence” peak with 5006 feet of prominence. Carr Peak is the second highest peak in the Huachuca Mountains. Both peaks are accessible from the Carr Peak Trailhead at the Ramsay Vista Campground at the end of Carr Canyon Road.

Carr Peak from the Carr Canyon Road just below Ramsay Vista Campground

The previous late afternoon I drove from Tucson through Sierra Vista and up the Carr Canyon Road to Ramsay Vista Campground. Although I met several cars coming down the road I found the campground empty. After circling the canyon I selected site #1 for the evening. Here I set up my tent and cooked dinner by headlamp, noticing a visitor’s eyes shining in my headlamp light. I did not approach the animal, but I suspect it was a ringtail.

Before retiring to the tent I spent time scanning the starry sky. I enjoyed viewing the Milky Way and identifying constellations, and viewed the Pleiades and the Andromeda Galaxy with my binoculars. The evening was breezy as expected from the forecast.

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