Elevation: 7340'
Significance: No official trail to peak. Panoramic views on top, quartz crystals easily visible on ground
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I finally bagged this peak after all these years. That rounded mountain that I can see from my neighborhood looks like an easy peak to summit. It looks like a big, soft boob but in reality is more like a hard-ass prick. I'm glad I bagged this peak, but probably won't be doing it anytime again.
This hike was led by JimA from the Huachuca Hiking Club. He has been on the peak a few times before and is familiar with the peak's character . A group of 12 showed up at 7am (and a few others, including Zeke and me, arrived late). I'm glad I showed up at all, as my allergies have been acting up all week and any kind of OTC antihistamine knocks me out. This morning my eyes were dry.
Starting temperature was 65F and sunny, with shade while going up the north slope. Four hours later it was 85F and I could tell that Zeke was getting warmed by the sun and needed shade.
Due to the covid pandemic, we kept our distance both going up and then coming down as well as during our snack break on the peak. I found a young oak tree and sat under it for shade and gave Zeke some chicken jerky strips and water. Most of the others sat in the sun. As a first-timer bagging this peak, I also wanted to see the terrain and also see the views. I didn't get to chat much with others, although I got tidbits from a few of the hikers I know. Normally I do the chatting during a post-hike meal, but no one today even considered going out to eat for lunch afterwards.
I stopped a lot to take pictures and told the group I'd be in the rear so that neither Zeke nor I would slow anyone down. We all kept a good pace; no one lagged behind. Some people in the group do not like dogs and I'm very aware of that. So for that alone, it's best I stay in the rear with Zeke. I've had to push him up a few steep inclines, but he did great on his own. A hyper, inexperienced, unconditioned dog would not do well on this hike. (That also goes for humans.)
I've hiked up the saddle many times now via the old switchbacking mining road, but never ventured past the saddle for more than another 0.2 miles either along the saddle's ridge or to the first big rock protrusion. I wasn't sure where the best access point would be going to the peak as it's steep, very rocky, and hidden by shrubbery. I appreciate having an experienced hiker show me the way. It's 1.6 miles to the saddle, and another 0.6 mile to the official peak that is marked by a metal pole.
The trail that leads up from the saddle starts out strong, but quickly fades into the steep hillside via the north slope. I wouldn't have figured out the faint trail without Jim's help today, let alone find the Morgan Mine on the north side of the mountain. The mine looks like an abandoned attempt, with two rusty bed springs left behind and all the trash that border crossers leave behind (plastic bags, tuna cans, Electrolyte bottles). After a short stop here, some people like RodC, Karen and David and Steve returned to their cars while the rest of the group continued up the steep and rocky ascent.
This hike is not for the faint of heart. The grade at times felt like 40% ; falling down that slope or just slipping would have been disastrous for both woman and beast. I was constantly watching my footing, looking out for Zeke, and stopping to take pictures. Everyone went slowly uphill, like skilled mountaineers, and politely kept a good distance between us. There were no bad falls and we all made it back to our cars.
The 2011 Monument Fire attacked this peak first, on that fateful June 10th day, but little remains of that fire besides a few charred tree trunks. The flora has grown back nicely via tall grass, scrub oak, fragrant desert sage, Pinon pine and alligator juniper, but it's all young growth with no mature shade trees. The views are open on top.One has to be aware that there was a brutal fire here nine years ago. Before that fire, this was a popular route for drug smugglers coming up from Mexico. There is little debris there now along the route, but I did come across sun-burned shoes and rusty tuna cans near the peak. Before the fire, I was always picking up abandoned backpacks and trash hiking down from the saddle. One has to be very desperate to want to climb this peak from the south
One has clear views toward the south, the border wall, the town of Palominas and its blue-roofed elementary school. The southern slopes are steep and brittle.
One thing I did notice is that the peak has a lot of crystals. The brittle limestone is quite inviting for those who harvest ore. Rockhounders would love spending a day here for some impressive quartz crystals. Evidence of previous rock hounders was obvious with many small but deep holes near the peak. I picked up one small sample on the way down, but didn't have room for much else.
We started at 7:20am, rested almost an hour at the peak, and I was back at the Honda by 11am. Once the peak baggers were back at the saddle, it was all free roam back to the cars from there. Those who only went to the mine had left by then. Only Rod was still at his truck when I got back. Since others had left, I opted to do the same as well since I wanted Zeke back home for a cool-down. I got back home by 11:30am and still had the rest of the day ahead of me.
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