EISPIRATEN

Thanks for the trip report. I turned back at the saddle years ago, I was moving slowly because of a recent hip replacement, and was concerned about pm lightning. Always wondered about what it was like beyond the saddle. I had done Superstition, Weaver's Needle, and Baboquivari, and wanted to do Hump...

I have my own recent jury duty story, but will pass on it. Looks like I might have triggered something by indicating that I care about Baldy, and am willing to submit to some regulation. As I said, I am opposed to closures. But talk of 'individual rights' is a bit overdone. As soon as you wheel out ...

I suspect the SBCSD is trying to get the USFS to take some responsibility for what happens on their territory. Some combination of licensing, education, rangers on the mountain, etc. The USFS reply indicates they plan to do nothing. I am opposed to closures for two reasons. First, 'non-closure' sign...

I have done the same. A few hundred feet below the top of the ridge, the wind started howling, and I knew it would be even worse above. It was Sunday and I was concerned about an approaching storm, forecasted to begin that evening. Also I had crampons but no snowshoes, and was concerned about breaki...

Sitting for hours enjoying the scenery is certainly a gift to be cultivated. Not something I have been good at, and I regret it. Only been up Paiute Pass once, to climb Mt. Humphreys. It is a magical place, thanks for the trip report.

The wreckage I've seen a few times is not far below the usual route people take in the summer, not far below the summit, but far enough to be in a well-forested area. When you are traversing up the ridge on the left-hand (west) side.

Nice video. Picacho Peak is on the Sierra Club's Desert Peaks Section List. Commonly referred to as 'Little Picacho', to differentiate it from 'Big Picacho', which is El Picacho del Diablo, the highest mountain in Baja, also on the list. Back in the 1970's, I climbed Big Picacho, but bad knees force...

In the 1970's, I hiked Long's Peak, Elbert and Massive. Three peaks in four days, with one day of driving from Long's Peak to Elbert and Massive. I was struck by how different the Colorado Rockies were from the Sierras. Not a maze of rugged ridges and canyons like the Sierras. Climbing in Montana, W...

Dave, yes, my mistake, I assumed you were coming up Middle Fork Road.

I glanced at the Tom Harrison map. Even starting from the end of the unpaved road, it looks like considerably more than the 7-8 miles and 3k of elevation gain you are estimating. For example, the trailhead is 4k and the high point on the trail is 8,800'. I seem to recall some elevation loss between ...

That's sad to hear about the in law situation. The victim of the shooting was a medical doctor from my home town. The hunting trip to Idaho was his in-laws' idea. His parents had their doubts that it was an accident. Perhaps because the widow's period of mourning was quite short, she quickly found ...

Whistles and walkie talkies would certainly never be on any list of mine. Carry a cell phone and use it for calls, if you can make a connection. If there is any chance of trouble on a hike, I think at least one person should carry a satellite-based SOS device. I carry a SPOT rather than a PLB, so I ...

Yes, it is strange how many people do not carry a map. And often when they are in an area where they can have an excellent Tom Harrison map both in 'paper' and on their phone. I have read more than a few Riverside Mountain Rescue reports of people who have come to a trail junction, and turned the wr...

I have a spreadsheet list of everything I could possibly want on a day hike. For a particular hike, I check off the items I think are appropriate for that hike and cross out the others. I think a generic list for all hikes is a bit mind-bending. Regarding cell phones, there was a comment that sugges...

In my post above, I said that I think Big Picacho is a three day trip. Reading it again, that statement could be misinterpreted or taken as a challenge, so I would like to add a few comments below. I suspect some people have done Big Picacho in one day, and I suspect dima would be able to do it in o...

My hat is off to dima for his epic. But I think Big Picacho is a three day trip. In addition to the challenges he described, the summit climb is notorious for becoming 5th class quickly if you deviate from the 3rd class route.

Interesting thread you are starting, Sean. It is truly amazing how easy it is to get lost on trails. Not completely lost, but lost enough to burn up a lot of extra time and energy. I went hiking today in Cuyamaca State Park. The problem there is that there are too many trails! You can't seem to hike...

I suspect dima was employing a little humor here. He was well-prepared for this trip, and rightfully so. I did not see any anti-technology rant. A father and his two daughters were recently rescued, trying to do Big Picacho. Evidently, the father had done it before. No report on what navigational st...

This is one trip where I would 'cheat' on navigation! Have a safe and successful trip, looking forward to your trip report.

I should have said 'other side' or 'eastern side', by the way. Losing my sense of direction there. Very different approaches.

Sounds very casual for Big Picacho. It is easy to become lost on that plateau. And on the mountain itself. And water can be a problem on that side. Did you have a GPS and a topographical map? I guess 1:50k maps are available now, Mexican topographical maps were considered a military secret in the 19...

I reread Scaruffi's route description. Like Scaruffi, we followed a road leading up from Hanaupah Springs. But after that our route differed from Scaruffi's. My recollection is that the road petered out on a ridge, after that we followed the ridgeline, which had a few dips in it. We gave up on the r...

I am puzzled by the references to the scree slope found in everybody's route descriptions today. The final ascent to the ridge was steep, but I don't recall it as difficult scree. And although my memory could be wrong, I thought we hit the ridge south of the summit, not on the trail side. The link ...

Thoughtful discussion, Sean. When John Robinson's books first came out, there were few people in the mountains in the winter. And for good reason. No trekking poles; no microspikes; no anti-balling plates on crampons; no modern snowshoes with good traction. The most comfortable people in the mountai...

This is one of the best discussions of snow conditions, accidents and traction in Southern California mountains I've seen. Nobody pointing fingers, people sharing experiences, thoughtful discussion. My personal opinion is that crampons today tend to be over-engineered for ordinary snow climbing. Aft...

My take is that Ellen and Sally are two very experienced and capable people who ran into very unusual and unexpected conditions. Not like the three young men who went up the bowl when they were warned about the avalanche danger. I believe in rules, but they don't cover every situation. And there are...

In the 1970's, the cabin was in better shape. It was rumored that a woman lived there named Shotgun Annie, that she had a shotgun, and did not like strangers in her canyon. We gave the cabin as wide a berth as we could, and were quiet when we passed it.

Can't tell you how impressed I am by people who descend the same way. When I did it in 1977, we set up a car shuttle and descended to Mahogany Flats. I admit, it is a lot of extra driving. I am puzzled by the references to the scree slope found in everybody's route descriptions today. The final asce...

Impressive trip report and photos. Particularly impressive doing it this late in the year in one day. It is truly a far better climb than Whitney by the trail or the Mountaineer's Route, as are many others, as you note. Unfortunately, I had to sit on Russell-Carillon Col with a dislocated shoulder w...

The wonder is that they could have done it without being seen and rebuked, the traffic there is so heavy. I would like to think they were clueless and unaware how objectionable it is, but some degree of covertness seems likely.

I forget to mention the visual problem. I was never eagle-eyed, and am much worse now. I need reading glasses to follow a trail on an original 7.5' map on the kitchen table. In the field, it's hopeless. Of course, you can trace over it with a pen. But I suspect my bold red trace is less than a perfe...