Distance

1.8 mi to summit

4.4 mi total

Elevation

3,899 ft start

5,601 ft max

Vertical

2,125 ft gain

Time

2 hr 55 min to summit

5 hr 54 min total

Third time's the charm! This time we knew what we did wrong last time, where we missed the crucial turn, and where we were going for about halfway up the mountain. It all helped - and we only got off trail once and had to climb up a slab to get back to where we needed to be. Spirit Mountain is STEEP. Let no one tell you otherwise...! The path is mostly well cairned; there are several "choose-your-own-adventure" places where there are multiple ways to go up (or down). The only part that really requires much in the way of scrambling is the notch before the summit. We had a safety strap with us and used that for the way down, but really, you wedge into the rock pretty well as it's very tight. It's much easier to come back up and over the notch in the big rock than it is to go down it. Beware of all of the cacti. They want to be your FRIEND. FOREVER. ALL THE HUGS. It seemed like any time there was a steep bit in the trail with loose footing and a corner, there'd be a cactus there, waiting to give you a hug.

The weather was good for a hike; a little breezy, with the winds picking up later in the day, but honestly it wasn't too bad until the summit itself. We ended up going down a little bit back along the ridgeline to find a more sheltered place to have lunch and enjoy the views of the Colorado River and Laughlin, NV/Bullhead City, AZ. There's an old campsite with an abandoned 2-burner stove up there. Interesting. We enjoyed reading the logbook at the summit and looking for some familiar names. We didn't meet anyone on the trail today, but several people were cruising through Christmas Tree Pass road. Which, by the way, no longer has christmas trees on it - rather, all of the ornaments are gone...! LVMC Classic 50 peak #27 for me!

Route name

standard route

out-and-back
Obstacles

road/access issues, routefinding, rockfall/loose rock, cacti

Key gear

GPS device