2024 peakbagging and other activities

[Brice]

Weather and other reasons kept me from DV summits for the past two weeks.  So this week I was really itching to get back into it and headed to Eureka valley, a place I've never been before.

First stop was Granite Benchmark and the peak above it that marks the true highpoint.  No snow on the southwestern face, but I did encounter some on the way to the top.  I wasn't able to drive all the way to the base of the peak as I had hoped because the main wash was cut too deep for me to safely cross in my vehicle.



Here's a vew from the summit.  Big Pine road is in the center, snaking up into the mountains.



Some nice flowers on the way back to the vehicle.



Next I was off to Lead Benchmark.  The previous trip report for the benchmark in early May last year indicated a "subaru friendly" parking spot a little over half a mile up the mining road towards the benchmark.  It would now take a heavily modified off-road vehicle to make it to that spot, and even then it would be faster to hike.  This photo is from most of the way up.  Lead benchmark (out of frame on right).  Snow covered Sandy point on the left, the dunes far below on the right.



Next on the target list was Peak 6960, just east of the dunes.  Here's a photo of it (left of center) from the dunes summit that I climbed later in the day.  It's also visible in the Lead benchmark photo above.   I camped next to the road below the flat pancake on the right.  Up to that point the road was fine, but high clearance was necessary for some washed out areas.  I didn't try going any further into Dedeckera canyon.   I expect it's in bad shape given the state of the Lead benchmark road.



It was a difficult climb, taking 5 hours despite being just over 5 miles round trip.  Here's a view of the valley from half-way up.



And the view from the top looking south.  On the distant left is Tin mountain, Marble peak (closer), then Dry mountain left of center.



Once back down to the valley floor, I went over to climb the dunes.  The wind had started whipping near the summit.  Many of my footprints had already been erased on the way back down.



The next day I devised an 18 mile loop to grab three summits all at once.  Hidden dunes high point, Brass benchmark, and Peak 4285. With the exception of the climb up Brass benchmark, virtually every footstep this hike was on sand.  Not the softest sand, not the worst sand, but still sand.  View overlooking the dunes high point.  Snowy Zinc benchmark left, Waucoba mountain on the right. 



The long sandy hike over to the base of Brass benchmark was kept interesting.  First finding an arrowhead, then some flakes from tool making, but also many larger chunks of obsidian scattered throughout the wash.  Everything has been smoothed and rounded off like beach glass, having spent millennia tumbling through the sand. 





Photo of the Brass summit once I got up to the ridge.  Cucomungo canyon entrance on the right.



View down from the Brass summit of Peak 4285 (just right of center).  No fewer than a dozen fighter planes shot the gap between the two ridges during my hike that day.  somewhere along those slopes seems like a great place to perch yourself if you want to see them up close and personal.



The sandy 800 foot climb to the top of Peak 4285 was at the end of a long day, but I still remembered to grab a photo of Brass before heading down the other side.



I escaped the park today (Friday), and on the way out it was apparant that the President's day weekend crowd was already on their way in.   I'll be happy sitting on my butt for the next few days until everyone clears out.