
Subject:
[cohp] Digest Number 5114
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Date:
8/4/2015 1:46 AM
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County High Pointing in all 50 states
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Digest #5114
1
Convention trip wrap-up by
2
Nevada/Utah/Wyoming highpoint trip reports! by cuber86

Messages
1
Convention trip wrap-up
Mon Aug 3, 2015 5:34 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
We Oesers had a good trip, with Braxton netting the MO, ND, and IA
state highpoints to reach 25 (we mentally came up with 18 at
convention), all of us added over 20 county highpoints, the Corn Palace
in Mitchell, SD, the giant cow and buffalo in ND, and the Jolly Green
Giant not far from Worthington off the interstate. It was especially
interesting and humorous to be wading through corn over our heads with
several folks whom have summited high mountains all over the earth. We
met Fred Lobdell in Missouri at the Texas county line on July 17th to
see him across his final EMC county line in the entire US. He had
joined us in Emporia for my completion back in 2005, so it was nice to
pay him back with a visit for his. We had good group trips on
Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Great seeing all those in attendance,
and hoping to make time next year for Montana. Of note was a short
visit with Fred Dale from the olden days of county highpointing a good
10 years ago. He was stopping by Hawkeye Point with his brother after
reading in a local paper about the convention.

Some notes on county highpoints:

Adams, ND
The owner lives roughly 2.5 miles south of the road that cuts west
toward the Whetstone Buttes, on a farm with red barn and house, but
basically the only house around. His name is Mr. Johnson, and he is
very friendly. He gave us permission to hike up from the farm road at
the gate about 1/4 mile from the summit, but before we could start
walking he had ridden his ATV out to us and offered to give us a ride
closer to the north butte which he said has some very interesting rocks
on the summit. We took him up on his hospitality, me up front with
him, and Annette and Braxton riding in the bed behind us, and rode
about a mile to a water tank where he dropped us off and rode away for
farm duties. We hiked the 1/4 mile to the top of this butte, which has
several concretions exposed, several in the shape of ovals, with some
of these breaking into layers as if they had been cut, all with orange
lichens adding to the scenery. We then had about a mile hike to the
highpoint, then back to the car.

##########################
Trip report for county with no previous report

Decatur county, Iowa July 19, 2015 Ken Oeser (Annette and Braxton
were done for the day)

From Grand River, Iowa at the junction of Riverside Street and East
2nd, drive west where this will merge with County Road J20 still going
west in town, and continue 2.3 miles from Riverside St. to a right turn
onto 140th. Drive north 0.5 mile and turn left onto 110th Street, and
follow this west, then north to 105th Avenue after another 0.9 mile
(3.7 total from town). Here the main road goes west, and just north is
a gate for Sand Creek State Wildlife Area, noting that foot travel is
fine. From here follow the grassy road about .6 mile, winding west,
then north where the highpoint is in the field just west, maybe 100-150
feet into the field, which seems to be native prairie.


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2
Nevada/Utah/Wyoming highpoint trip reports!
Mon Aug 3, 2015 7:44 pm (PDT) . Posted by:
cuber86
Just finished a great peakbagging trip, including to my first several summits ever in Nevada! Thought I would share some beta from the peaks I hiked, and hopefully you'll all find some of it helpful. Whoever is in charge of posting TRs on the cohp.org site now, feel free to post any of these you deem useful enough!

~Chris

Wheeler Peak, NV
White Pine, NV COHP
Highest ranked summit in Nevada
Ultra-prominent peak
July 25th, 2015
Not much new to report on this one. Arrived at 2-something in the morning, slept in my car at the TH, nobody bothered me. Gorgeous peak with a good trail to the summit. Up in under 3 hours.

Boundary Peak, NV
Esmeralda, NV COHP and Nevada state HP
Montgomery Peak, CA
P1K; CA 13er
July 26th, 2015
As of now, the road up to the Queen Canyon Mine is decidedly NOT passenger-car-friendly! High clearance is pretty much a must above 7200' or so, when you enter the canyon. As getting up Boundary is a pretty well-established route, I'll describe continuing on to Montgomery Peak here. The route definitely takes things up a notch or two compared to Boundary alone, but is honestly not as bad as I expected, and is a very worthwhile addition to the day if your situation permits. As you descend Boundary toward the saddle on the state line, pass over the first few gendarmes--these go at up to class 3, with one slightly tricky big step downhill. The last fin-like gendarme before the saddle (and all subsequent rocky obstacles on the ridge) can be bypassed on the left with generally class 2 sand/scree/trail segments. A decent climber's trail bypasses most of the difficulties, then enters a steep, narrow "bowl" of sorts with lots of loose dirt and rocks. The trail peters out here, and you just sort of make your own way up the slopes; I'd recommend cutting slightly to the left as you near the top for some more solid ground. The summit (the pointy guy you can see from Boundary, not the gentler ridge beyond) has a register and room for a few people to sit. Your reward is a better view of White Mountain Peak, the high Sierra, and Owens Valley.

Mount Jefferson (South Summit), NV
Nye, NV COHP; Ultra-prominent peak
July 27th, 2015
This one is kind of featureless, and not as remote as I expected. The road in is in pretty good condition to the split a mile and a half before Jefferson Summit; while narrow and winding in the canyon with some encroaching vegetation, it's very car-passable. There are a few puddles of standing water, but the creek crossings mentioned are trivial in dry conditions. I did not investigate the last stretch of road up to Jefferson Summit, as I've heard it now requires high clearance. I instead took the right fork, then parked at another immediate fork near the Meadow Canyon Guard Station. Though the map shows the left fork of road continuing a ways, it's gated almost immediately, and even opening the gate, you could only proceed a tenth of a mile or so; I'd recommend just parking at this second road split.

I walked this left road option up onto a sort of tableland, where it became faint. From there, I continued up the hill in front of me, reached the saddle between it and Jefferson's main south ridge, and gained the ridge, following the trail the rest of the way to the summit. The trail is a bit superfluous down low, but becomes very useful as you pass the prominent false summit on the left; here, be sure you take the trail fork that gets you to the small saddle immediately south of this false summit. The rest of the way is largely marked by cairns, with the foot path becoming faint. The summit, like the entire ridge, was cool and windy; the views were limited because of haze and the fact the peak is surrounded by high mountains on almost all sides. It took me 4 1/2 hours up, but I booked it back down to the car in under 2 hours.

North Schell Peak, NV
Ultra-prominent peak
July 28th, 2015
After finding Jefferson a bit of a letdown, North Schell ended up being a rather pleasant surprise! The valley from the west contains what is possibly one of the closest things to a real forest Nevada has, and is beautiful and lush with flowing water. The road is in fine condition for cars up to the campground, then becomes a bit steeper, rockier, and rougher, but still passable for most cars. The road barrier was higher than expected, at almost 9100', which makes this one a short, easy climb. On the drive, you'll pass through a sort of wooden fence with a sign, then see a flat parking area with a picnic table and room for a few cars. Park here--the road is barricaded just beyond. The trail up the valley is faint in places, but when in doubt, just continue up the valley and you'll pick it up again. At the big grassy bowl above treeline, you can either proceed up the slopes to the main ridge, or cut right a bit and follow the broad ridge to a little closer to the summit where it tops out at a small saddle. The former option has less talus; the latter is more direct and avoids a bit of extraneous elevation gain. Pick your poison. Nice views from the summit.

Charleston Peak, NV
Clark, NV COHP; Ultra-prominent peak and most prominent summit in Nevada
July 29th, 2015
I parked and slept in the parking lot for Mary Jane Falls TH, adjacent to the North Loop TH, and was not bothered by anyone. As of this writing, the South Loop trail remains closed due to wildfire damage. No matter; the North Loop is very scenic and fun! The trail gets a lot of the elevation gain out of the way early on, then follows a ridge over to the main bulk of Charleston, where it follows some cliffy ledges (a bit reminiscent of the Maroon Bells) before switchbacking up to the summit. The route along the ridge has a lot more ups and downs than it appears on the map, so add several hundred feet to the 4100' net gain to the summit. There is a spring along the trail, but it smells like a urinal, so carry plenty of water and start early! It was a bit hazy this day, but I still had views of Telescope Peak and greater Vegas. Made it up in under 5 hours, and back in a bit over 3; saw a number of people on the trail, but as far as I know, only one other guy actually made the summit that day.

Signal Peak, UT
Washington, UT COHP
P4K
July 30th, 2015
The road to Oak Grove CG is in fine condition for passenger cars all the way to the trailhead. The trail is another matter--it&#39;s steep, rocky, overgrown, and difficult to follow in a few places. You will not see it from below! To take the correct route, leave the trailhead, go straight at a 4-way a short distance after, then go right at an unsigned Y-split just beyond. Getting over the ridge into the pine forests on the peak's western slope is a nice relief. Not much water to be found, though--Further Water was just a few stagnant pools of standing water. The last bit cross-country to the summit was tedious, and while there's a bit of a climber's trail with some cairns, just expect to have to find your own way up. The true summit appears to be at the far SW end of the summit area, at the spot with register and some limited views, or in the other jumble of rocks a few dozen feet northeast of it. I started way too late (8:15 AM) and it felt like a furnace by the time I returned to the car. Ugh...

Kane County, UT COHP
July 30th, 2015
This one is a nice, easy walk that should consume about an hour. The first forest road (FR-055) is in good condition for passenger cars, and appears to be being actively logged. The unsigned FR-1642 leading to the highpoint is pretty immediately partially blocked by a downed tree trunk, and requires high clearance to get around. However, unless you have a chainsaw or the like, park here--there&#39;s a tree blocking the entire road a few tenths of a mile further on. I parked at the start of the road and walked, staying generally straight, the road getting progressively rougher (a passenger car could get maybe halfway up, were it not for the trees). The road finally enters a thinner, more immature forest, with some views out to the Grand Staircase and Signal near the rim. It bends northwest, then pretty much ends, but the bushwhacking from here is brief and easy. Simply continue up the gentle grade along highest ground for a few minutes. You'll surmount a small shelf of sorts, then quickly find yourself at the highpoint cairn and register. I spent a few minutes gridding north and south of the cairn, then called it good. This one is a bit reminiscent of the Gila AZ COHPs along the Mogollon Rim.

Brian Head Peak, UT
Iron, UT COHP
P3K
July 30th, 2015
I did nearby Kane County before this one, and I'm glad I did, because this one is a grand finish to this pair! Highly recommend a quick stop at Cedar Breaks National Monument en route, for a truly unique view of the peak. Brian Head is treeless, stark, solitary, and unmistakable. The road is car-passable all the way to the summit, where unspeakably beautiful late-afternoon views of much of southwestern Utah awaited. You can also look straight down into the ski town of Brian Head, highest populated place in the state.

Delano Peak, UT
Beaver and Piute, UT COHPs
P4K
July 31st, 2015
This second-most-isolated peak in Utah is a pretty easy few hours. The road to Big John Flat is signed from the main highway. I made it fine in my car to Poison Creek, but did not make the iffy-looking crossing--nor would it have made sense to if you're looking for the shortest, most direct route to the summit. I instead backtracked a bit to a pullout on the west side of the road, almost due west of Delano's summit and just north of the northern fork of its west ridge (on the topo, near the crick in the road due east of "Sheep Herder"). I parked there overnight, and in the morning, walked a short distance south on the road, then gained the ridge, following intermittent trail segments to the summit. There were also strange little route markers--metal dowels with pink flagging attached to them by clothespins--which I would find out were for a 100k run the day after I was there! I initially shared the summit with about 30 cross-country runners, who soon departed for the south, toward a herd of several dozen mountain goats. I made sure to tag the numerous ridges of rock on the summit to make sure I'd claimed both counties.

Uinta, WY COHP
This would have been a fine addition to the trip. However, the summit lies on, and is surrounded by several miles of private ranch land, the owners of which categorically deny access to highpointers. Bummer :(

Wyoming Peak, WY
Lincoln, WY COHP
P3K
August 1st, 2015
While not Teton-Range spectacular, this is a scenic, pleasant little range tucked away in extreme western Wyoming. Driving from Kemmerer, I noted with interest that I could see both the Wind Rivers and the Uintas from certain vantage points. The eastern approach road from Big Piney is well-signed, and in great condition all the way to the trailhead. The last two miles are signed as narrow and winding, and while they (occasionally) are so, they're still very passable by car all the way to gorgeous Middle Piney Lake. The trail makes a truly unnecessary number of ups and downs as it passes along the south side of the lake, finally descending into the marshes west of the lake before ascending past Upper Wohelo Falls. There's a bit of deadfall to contend with along the overgrown trail here. At the junction with the Wyoming Range Trail (where you finally see Wyoming Peak for the first time), I opted to take Ken Jones's advice and just proceed straight into the basin, turn right, gain the ridge, and follow it to the summit. Getting up to the ridge involved some steep slopes with occasional brush and scree/talus, but was efficient and straightforward. Once on the ridge, it changed to loose talus, which was tedious to get up but fortunately brief. I soon topped out on the summit, to two disappointments: views were too hazy to get all but the barest glimpse of the Grand, and the cute summit observation house was destroyed. Views were otherwise nice though, and included a distinctly un-snowy Gannett. I returned the same way, passing a trio of locals who informed me the summit house had collapsed a few years back. Took me 4 1/2 hours up, as I was definitely feeling the miles by this point in the trip!

Sleepy Cat Peak, CO
P2K; most prominent summit in Rio Blanco County
August 2nd, 2015
I got here via the very scenic Flaming Gorge-Green River Scenic Byway, US-191. Directions on the SummitPost page are largely accurate, though the last 8 or so miles of road are somewhat tedious and rough, with lots of rocks, steep bits, ruts, etc. You can get a passenger car up most of this, but I opted to stop a bit short of the 2WD parking area when I saw a long, steep, rocky bit that looked car-unfriendly. I parked shortly after the creek crossing at 9400' and walked from there. The sign for the ATV trail leading up the ridge looks in good condition, and must have been replaced. At the end of the ATV trail, there's an obvious trail that leaves the loop and heads downhill into a meadow: avoid this, and instead clamber over some deadfall to stay on the ridge. It's less effort overall. By and large, the remaining hike was very enjoyable, with deadfall that any climber of McDonald Peak in MT would consider a joke. It's only really annoying in a few spots, mostly in the last tenth of a mile to the summit. There's a class 3 cliff band en route, with the correct way to go pretty obvious; a second class 2+ cliff band is found right below the summit. There's a faint, but decent trail up most of this ridge. The summit area is obvious, with what looks like a big insulated metal coffin sitting between the two candidate areas. According to the register, I was only the second person up there this year.

Total miles driven: around 4,000
Distance hiked: ~90 miles
Total elevation gain: ~30,000'




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