Agua Tibia Trip Report
Agua Tibia (4,790+ ft)
Date: November 4, 2006
Edward and I hiked this peak, one with about 800 feet of prominence, on a fine Saturday.
Starting at Dripping Springs Campground, the net elevation gain is 3,200 feet and the
total perhaps 200 feet more. We estimate the round-trip distance as 15 miles.
The final hundred horizontal meters (and less than one hundred vertical feet) is off-trail
and entails serious and uncomfortable bushwhacking. The highest natural point is a
fifteen foot tall boulder, Class 3, readily surmounted.
The Agua Tibia benchmark is located north perhaps 50-75 feet, and is definitely about
twelve or even fifteen feet lower than the boulder's top. As the benchmark quotes 4,779 feet,
we conclude that Agua Tibia is in truth 4,790-4,795 feet in elevation.
We started at 7:53 8 a.m. and returned at 3:55 p.m - eight hours. However the entirety of the
ascent took only 3 hours apart from the slow bushwhacking. Our descent consumed three hours
as well (after the bushwhacking was done), but could have been shaved to 2.5 hours in
cooler weather and without a long break when Edward described his battle with correctly
handling basin saddles in his Winprom prominence calculation software.
The summit sandwich of herring, sour cream, and onions on challah was delicious.
I brought an orange - one for each of us. Multiple granola bars and candy completed the
hike's energy requirements for myself. Edward ate gingersnap cookies.