Mitchell Point, Edgar's Evil Twin

Although Edgar Peak was to be my next climb, some warnings on the message boards mentioned that access to the peak was closed off by the California State Park Service.  Edgar lies entirely within the Providence Mountains State Park, which is itself completely enclosed by the Mojave National Preserve.  I called the ranger for the MNP (I couldn't get any one to answer from the state park), and was told I could be cited if found within the park's boundaries (not by them, but by some unspecified person that in some way would represent the state park service).  I know for a fact that there have been no fewer than three climbs of Edgar this year, but I didn't want to take a chance, so I changed my plans at the last minute and went for Mitchell Point, Edgar's evil twin.  Actually, they both have a bad reputation, primarily stemming from the prodigious amount of cactus and other sticking, poking, or cutting plants found there.

This has to be one of the hardest climbs yet on the DPS list (this was my 26th, I started last summer; I took a variation of the Sierra Club D route). There is an incredible amount of cactus, significant amounts of yucca and agave, and cat's claw abounds in the lower elevations. Couple this with very steep, loose terrain, unstable limestone (I had more than one hand hold break loose, and sent more than one micro wave sized boulder crashing down the mountain, flinging rocks and cactus paddles in its path), a knife edge ridgeline with near vertical cuts that forced down climbing over treacherous rock made even more complicated by the generous amount of cactus awaiting one false move (or side hilling over steep broken limestone slabs with yucca or massive prickly pear cactus groves to break your fall, and not in a good way), and you begin to get the picture. I've never had so short a "hike" take so long. I was over nine hours on this and the total distance was "only" 6.3 miles. There isn't even a use trail of any kind until the last quarter of a mile leading around to the summit block. However, there are random cairns here and there (I saw maybe four or five) that lead nowhere. If you're thinking of doing this one, take a partner or two so you can share the misery! I'll be pulling cactus thorns out of myself for the next ten years.

The DPS directions in are still accurate in terms of distance, etc. The "good road" leading towards the mine has deteriorated to the point of being a 4x4 road. Not horrible, but definitely a 4x4 vehicle is required from the road leading to the Blair brothers' ranch to the abandoned buildings that mark the TH for the D route.

Looking back towards my starting point at the end of the road barely visible below.

Zoomed in view of ruins and my car.

Cactupuss' Garden!  One of hundreds of spreads of Prickly Pear Cactus, and other varieties found along the way.

The steep, rocky ridge line comes into view.  The peak is out of sight off to the left.

One rocky out cropping after another.

Edgar Peak from the ridge line of Mitchell.  Mitchell is the peak on the far right of the picture.

Sheer drop offs along the way.  Note the agave clinging to the side of the rock.

Difficult side hilling here before climbing back up to the ridge.  That's a false summit above.

Finally, the summit!  It took over four hours to get here.

The view east back down part of the razor like ridge I had just come up.

Edgar from Mitchell.

The bench mark and my lacerated boots (limestone is hell on boots).

Elvis was here?

Not happy about the thought of having to go back down the same way...

From a survey done in 1998

The register goes back all the way to 1958.  Here's the entry from 1970 that shows the climb that put it in the DPS list.

This guy took up at least four pages with religious rant.  Note the appreciation shown him! Note that he was there at sundown.  It would be hell to go down that mountain in the dark.

The end of the rant, with more kudos! 

The famous Bob Burd and Matthew Holliman.

Elvis Orthodonics?

Looking back towards the peak.

From one knife edge to another.

The ridge continues on yet for quite awhile.

Finally my car comes back into view.  At least another hour or so to get down.

Shadows are already getting long, and there's yet another rocky edge to negotiate.

Sundown is coming shortly.

Edgar from my starting point.

Granite Mountain, Mojave National Preserve

It had snowed in the area the day before, but the radar didn't indicate a large amount falling in the Granites, so we went. I had been planning a trip to climb both Dry and Tin Mountains in DVNP, but my XTerra decided not to start when I had stopped in Furnace Creek to buy the permit. I got it started with a jump, but didn't trust it to restart and didn't feel like being stranded miles from nowhere, so I went home. After taking the XTerra to the mechanic on Friday, we took my Prius to the dirt road leading off to Granite, but parked about a half mile in and we hiked the remaining 1.3 miles to the "official" trail head. Continuing on up the closed 4x4 road, we headed up the large gully as described in the DPS description. BTW, we saw evidence that an ATV had been up there recently, illegally, since it was within the Wilderness boundary. The gully was a bushwacking nightmare, as it was full of boulders, brush, and snow. The stream was running, and the dry falls were no longer dry! The snow went from patchy to pervasive around 5,000' and route finding became increasingly difficult. We contoured around some looking for dry spots and ended up coming up the summit from the north, which was a mistake. The snow was actually at its worst there, and to attain the summit from that direction requires climbing a boulder field, which was under five or six inches of snow. We came down a different route and from above were able to see where to avoid the worst of the snow. It was a long day, and we came out in the dark. On a positive note, Lorraine found the missing summit register. It was below the summit out of the wind, and we're guessing someone took it down there to sign, get out of the wind, and failed to return it. We put the Pringles can that had four or five sheets of paper (no pen) that was subbing as the register into the ammo can and placed it by the summit cairn

Looking back upon attaining the wilderness boundary.  Notice the mistletoe on the cats claw accacia. I you've been bitten by one of these, you'll root for the mistletoe.

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The desert sheep have already been here.

It doesn't look like much from here, but there was significant snow near the summit.

The first of the patchy snow.

Less patchy, and more problematic.

Snow was becoming less than fun.

Winter Wonderland?

Near the summit, and the snow is now at least 6" deep.  

The summit was mostly free of snow.  Sun and wind kept the worst of it away.

Lorraine approaching the summit.

Actually, it was Lorraine's 14th.  We miscounted.

The Pringle's can and the no longer missing register box.

The Pringle's can held a zip lock bag and four or five sheets of note paper that was substituting for the missing register.  After signing in, Lorraine found the ammo box with the registers down below the summit in a area sheltered from the wind.  We returned it and I put the Pringle's register in the box.

Snow crusted boots at the benchmark.

This rock formation was no less than 30' high.  This was one of many that could present itself as an obstacle.

A perfect agave on the way down.

Lorraine contemplating our next climb.

Edgar Peak, my next objective.