Distance

16.9 mi total

Elevation

no info yet

Vertical

3,539 ft gain

Time

no info yet

Was technically there on the 13th as well. Finally made this one! I've had it on my radar for many years & had gotten it into my head that I wanted to backpack out there & camp at the top. This was the weekend! It was much warmer than I anticipated which made some parts of it a bit grueling. I headed out Cottonwood Wash, down through Pinto Valley, over a ridge & dropped down through the maze of canyons & hills past Bearing Peak to the ridge. From there, I spotted an obvious break in the cliffs next to labeled point 716. I debated whether to take it or to start at the end of the ridge & work my way up. The gully up through the cliffs was shorter, so I went for it. The best I can say about the gully is that it works. It was steep & very loose & a real pain to get up with my overnight gear. When I got to the top of the ridge, I realized it was still a long, tough hike to the summit. It reminded me a lot of the hike up Guardian in its never-endingness. The heat & carrying my gear all that way had really sapped my strength but I trudged up & over the many bumps on the ridge. I thought I could see my goal but eventually got to a spot where I could finally see the actual summit & it was further still. (I have but don't use GPS to navigate when I hike. I like to find my way without it.) The views from the summit made it all worthwhile. I could see so many peaks that I've climbed & from completely different angles than I'd seen before. I set up camp & enjoyed a beautiful sunset. I realized I only had a liter of water & a can of soda (for caffeine!) left for the hike out the next day. I could've downed it all right there, but rationed it for the next day. Oof! I really underestimated the heat. Slept great. I watched a gorgeous sunrise & was really grateful for some clouds to keep the heat down the next day. I made my way down the way I came & the ridge & gully didn't seem as grueling in the cooler morning air. I hiked up through the hills & over the ridge & by then the sun was coming out. Ugh! I ran out of water about 3 miles from the road & it was...not fun! I was so grateful for every spot of shade. Thankfully, I had some water & ice back at the Jeep & I really downed a lot. I think I'm still recovering from being so dehydrated. All in all it was a great adventure!

Route to summit

None

out-and-back
Obstacles

routefinding, no water source, rockfall/loose rock

Key gear

trekking poles