A hiking day at City of Rocks.
- June 24, 2020
- Team: Brian, Ray, and Deanna
- 11 miles, 1472' gain, 5:15 hours, Class 2
- Peaks:
- Mt. Harrison, 9265'
- Peak 8762 (Pomerelle Peak)
- Connor Ridge, 8327'
Note: click images to see a larger version in a new window
| We were down at the City of Rocks for some really fun rock climbing, but it was time to rest our poor arms and go hiking. That's Mt. Harrison, which resides above the Pomerelle Ski Area. |  |
There is a paved road all the way to the summit lookout. We enjoyed the drive, but also feeling sheepish for using petrol to attain the summit. So we opted to hike down the hillside to our other peaks. Deanna Schrell photo |
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Ray, in the middle, was the organizer for the City of Rocks climbing outing. But Ray also enjoys a hike and is especially interested in minerals and mining. So the alpine area here was right up his alley. However, he realized that Brian can be a handful, so left Brian and I to our own devices. Deanna Schrell photo |
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Challenging terrain. Deanna Schrell photo |
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End of the pavement. Ray rightly commented that this had sort of a Coloradan alpine feel. We contoured off the summit of Harrison, did a little bushwacking, and then visited an unlocked potty at a campground that was locked-gate shut. This is going well. Deanna Schrell photo |
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Then we waltzed up to the top of Pomerelle, down the side, and then up Connor Ridge. Unfortunately, the rechargeable batteries in my GPS have died a long, slow death so I couldn't figure out which end of Connor Ridge is the highest. Turns out it's not the far end of the ridge. Oh well, it was only an extra 3 or 4 miles in a thunderstorm. And that explains why what I thought was a 6 mile hike took us almost six hours. Plus, with our route we got to see the mining leftovers at the end of the ridge. |
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| Did I mention there was a thunderstorm? |  |
| As we cut off the shoulder of Connor Ridge trying to avoid the storm, we stumbled onto this little creature. |  |
| It was with some relief that we ducked the main storm, and then walked right into another storm; this one a hail of jokes and the hot wind of scornful humor. |  |
All that snarky political discussion builds a socially-distanced appetite. Caution: >80 y.o. climber who can still get up 5.9. And the bottle of Gordon's gin was to commemorate the passing of our dear friend Gordon Williams. Deanna Schrell photo |
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The coffee cup says, "Assuming I'm just another old man was your first mistake." Milanos to commemorate the memory of Big Jeff. Deanna Schrell photo |
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