Mojave Desert

Nevada High Points #108 – Goldfield Hills

D. Craig Young · March 14, 2023 · Leave a Comment

**Mud Lake distance**. The playa of Mud Lake is the northern backdrop of the Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Cole VABM

6862 ft (2092 m) – 1438 ft gain

2023.01.14

Sitting at dinner in Beatty, after our nice afternoon in the Bullfrog Hills, Darren and I decided we would explore another small range on our drive home. The Goldfield Hills are a jumble of irregular hills around the mining town of – of course – Goldfield, Nevada. Mine tailings, head frames, and shacks mingle around prospects, some active, most not.

The thing about mining towns, those from the historic-era and otherwise, is that they are crisscrossed by a maze of roads. We turned off Hwy 95 on the margin of town and headed into the predawn among the Joshua Trees and tailings piles of all sizes. I had the high point coordinates in my dashboard Garmin with a background of topo maps; still, I took a wrong turn following a well-used road and missed the lesser track among the beaten down two-tracks. It was indeed a maze. We got it straight and worked our way to the base of Cole. Although it is not an impressive sight, the light of the early morning peaking from the east made it look worthy of a good walk.

**Joshua Trees at sunrise**. Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Dry approach**. South-facing slopes of Cole, Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

We climbed a sparse ramp on south-facing slopes to gain a rocky ridge. For the first time we could see the great views that the high point provided; we had been somewhat sheltered in the mine-strewn hills only to crest above it all as we approached the summit. A false cairn, maybe an old mining claim, rested on a southerly summit, tricking us briefly. We found a low rock stack protecting the summit register a quarter mile further north. A cold wind picked up as the sun played in-and-out amongst some low-slung clouds. We had walked for less than an hour, but these small hills remain well worth it. Surprising us as usual.

**We’re there**. Signing the summit register at Cole VABM, Goldfield Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

The summit ridge continues north and curves gradually west to form a crescent with a west-facing opening above a steep canyon that drops to quickly to the wash below. We descended the northwestern limb following steep steps to a low pass. The sun opened up nicely, but the wind kept any warmth away. We did not have far to go, however, as we wandered among tall Joshua Trees before entering a wash that led to the truck.

Goldfield Hills Image Collection

It was quick walk, basically a short detour on our way home. I have written many times that even short excursions to small hills are worth any detour necessary. Cole VABM at the top of the Goldfield Hills is no exception.

Keep going.

Nevada High Points #107 – Bullfrog Hills

D. Craig Young · February 19, 2023 · 2 Comments

Sawtooth Mountain

6005 ft (1830 m) — 1438 ft gain

2023.01.13

Bullfrog Hills Image Collection

**Towers**. The unimposing high point of the Sawtooth Mountain hides beyond communication towers at the summit, Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

I have been turned away twice from Sawtooth Mountain, the high point of the Bullfrog Hills near Beatty, Nevada. Dressed in a crown of radio towers, the Bullfrogs do not seem a formidable obstacle; there is even a road heading up their western side. They are, however, a bit of a puzzle.

My first try occurred in 2014 while I was in Beatty for a project on the Nevada Test Range, mapping a set of archaeological sites on the fans below Black Mountain. Trail running was my focus at the time, longer trail runs having diverted my attention from high points, and my run on that evening took me to the west side of the Bullfrogs. I followed the dirt road to the radio towers; elevation gain still a common goal of any outing. I had already decided, however, that I would run to the high point, my attention to summits remained unflagging. I found a ragged, rocky summit ridge with steep clefts and cracks carving the granitic block into the sawtooth of its name. As it grew dark, I tried to find a break in the cliffs. I could not, however, find a way to the top without some serious exposure, not something I would risk on a solo outing.

McLane only mentions one ‘Class 5’ summit in his review of ranges. Indeed, until now I could confirm that – I have been to the base of that summit block at Jumbo Peak in far southern Nevada, where the solo risk also turned me away, but he did not mention anything difficult about the Bullfrog Hills. I returned for a second try the following evening, but again the late-season darkness prevented me from a complete circle of the summit ridge. I did not make the top. Fooled again.

**Beatty to Bare**. Bare Mountain rises above the town of Beatty, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Tuff**. Volcanic rocks at last light, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

So here I was, eight years later for another try. Darren was with me, and we a few pieces of climbing gear just in case. I reviewed my memory of previous visits as we walked the road to the towers – not a compelling approach, but I had been here a few times, of course; the pleasant feeling of exploration was lost. I retraced my past steps below the summit outcrop, introducing Darren to the puzzle. Deciding it best to make a complete circle of the outcrops before taking out any gear, we stashed our packs and set out in opposite directions.

The cliffs rise from steep colluvial slopes with stone stripes and talus cones. Interesting alcoves undercut the outcrops and leaning boulders harbor sandy gardens of desert plants. Moving further east and north along the ridge than I had previously, I tried a few benches that followed seams and breaks in the bedrock. Each one terminated in an interesting but overly steep crack or overhang. Was it really this difficult? My technical rock-climbing days are long behind me, and I was not sure I really wanted to give that a go. And I had not seen Darren in a while.

**Navigation**. Darren finds his way between summit boulders, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

I finally found a faint but safe ledge that led to the northern base of the summit ridge. The views were great in all directions. I could see easy slopes below me but nothing breaking the wall above me from where I now stood. As I turned back, I saw I could take two high steps to access a narrow ledge and, with a couple other moderate steps, I was walking an easy ramp with nice exposure to the summit – not difficult at all, just needed to find the key.

**The key**. Darren finds the easy way, Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Darren was still working his way along the western cliffs, after following me on a couple dead ends on the east side. I eventually pointed him to the ‘hidden’ ramp at the north end, and we finally met on top. We had an agreeable laugh with a note in the register that read, “Finally found the easy way up.”

**Register**. Tom’s little notebook on the summit of the Bullfrog Hills, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Summit ridge**. I felt I had earned this rocky little summit, Bullfrog Hills, NV, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Bullfrog Hills Image Collection

I have been thinking about persistence. Good work and creativity take practice, discipline, and determined patience. These, for me, are often hard to come by. But maybe I can take something from continuing my efforts in the Bullfrog Hills. Sawtooth Mountain, their high point, is not an epic pursuit, though it has good prominence over the arid headwaters of the Amargosa River. While relatively easy in the end, it was my persistence – and renewed passion for walking among the Nevada ranges – that finally led to success.

Keep going.

**The figures**. Szukalski’s sculptures at Rawhide, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Inquiry**. Szukalski’s sculptures at Rawhide, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Nevada High Points #98 – Gold Mountain

D. Craig Young · March 12, 2022 · 1 Comment

Gold Mountain

8152 ft (2485 m) – 2300 ft gain

2022.02.25

Gold Mountain Collection

It was finally time to get back to a desert high point – my string of monthly highpoints having been broken by a wonderful trip to Patagonia and Atacama Desert in Chile (stories and images coming soon).

Although we have not had good precipitation in 2022, a couple slider storms have left dustings in the high country and access can be an undesired, muddy adventure as early runoff continues. With this in mind, Darren and I ventured southward into the Mojave to find the south-facing slopes of Gold Mountain above Bonnie Claire Flat. It is a long but easy drive through Tonopah and Goldfield before turning west toward Scotty’s Castle and the former northern, paved entrance to Death Valley National Park – the road remains closed where, several years ago, the headward drainage of an alluvial fan reclaimed the highway near the castle grounds. It makes for a quiet section of highway along Bonnie Claire between Gold Mountain and the Grapevine Mountains.

**Bonnie Claire Flat**. Southern slopes of Gold Mountain, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Bonnie Claire distance**. Southeast toward Obsidian Butte, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

We turn northward up the fan, encountering traces of Bonnie Claire Airfield before tracing our way to some mining prospects at the toe of the mountain front. There is a cool breeze as we head out, but we are soon warm as we gain elevation. On a moderate slope we walk up loose, dusty scree with Joshua trees scattered among granitic boulders. Prospects dot the hillsides where seams of hydro-altered rocks and occasional volcanic dikes run through their host outcrops; these intrepid miners chased riches promised by the historic strikes of nearby districts, and who could pass up “Gold Mountain”?

**Snow remains**. North slopes hold fading winter moisure, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

The scattered Joshua trees give way, with elevation, to a pinyon woodland where a few Pinyon Jays call out – I fail to see the talkative birds, however. Darren reaches a small cornice which preserves the recent snowy turbidity of recent storms; the small wave climbs from the ridgeline but we step over and through to reach the rocky slope of the summit outcrop. A square cairn protrudes from the summit where we can look westward to the Sierran Crest and eastward into the Basin and Range. It is a simple but very worthwhile summit, as is most often the case in the smaller isolated ranges throughout Nevada.

**Gold summit ridge**. Pinyon woodland near the summit of Gold Mountain, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Summit time**. The brothers at the summit cairn of Gold Mountain, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

**Gold Mountain**. The summit rises above Joshua tree canyons, Gold Mountain, Mojave Desert, NV, USA

Gold Canyon Collection

We drop southward to look for one of the larger prospects among a dense pinyon grove. Our descent takes us too far west, a bouldery outcrop and sandy canyon drawing us downward. I am not, however, overly fascinated by the old mines, so we take the descent following game trails toward the fans that feed into Bonnie Clair. We are quickly back to the truck where we marvel at the afternoon warmth. It is time to return to the chill of the northern valleys and we head homeward. A good day for a high point outing, taking advantage of windshield time to catch up with my brother and feel the warmth of a winter day at the edge of Death Valley.

Keep going.

Please respect the natural and cultural resources of our public lands.

#naturefirst #keepgoing

Nevada High Points #94 – Bird Spring Range

D. Craig Young · December 4, 2021 · Leave a Comment

**False glitter**. The lights of Las Vegas, Bird Spring Mountains, Mojave Desert, USA

Peak 5695

5695 ft (1736 m) – 1050 gain

2021.10.15

Peak 5965 – Bird Spring Range Photo Collection

Thankfully, my time in Vegas was about over. Leaving the conference hotel in the early evening, I worked my way south toward Jean, Nevada, eventually turning west toward Goodsprings. I hit the flaggy cobble-strewn track cut into the carbonate fans at the western slopes of the Bird Spring Range; the track parallels a dendritic dry wash draining the southern end of the Spring Mountains, of which the Bird Springs are a southeastern extension. The road, incised by consistent travel, cuts through a rocky plan of Joshua Trees and creosote. A smoother, less-used track heads into a broad swale in the northeastern portion of the range. I do not want to drive too far, as it looks like tracks head toward the summit ridge, so I find a turn out and settle into an evening walk.

**Bird Spring approach**. An easy evening walk to the high point of the Bird Spring Range, Mojave Desert, USA

**Cactus light**. The sharp ends catch the last light of the evening, Bird Spring Range, Mojave Desert, USA

The light feels harsh until the sun is on the brink of the horizon, golden hour rushes past in mere minutes. I am, however, excited by the walk into nightfall, making way steadily up a useless vehicle trail. A few outcrops of gritty limestone punctuate the trail, where a bright waning moon is diligently chasing the sun. The upper steps of flaggy limestone are steep, and it seems the vehicles have forced their way to a rounded summit plateau. It is a dead-end drive, but I guess the lights of Las Vegas are the draw – and a cheap way to climb a mountain. Happy I am alone this evening.

**Into the dark**. Night settles in as I approach the steep summit trail, Bird Spring Range, Mojave Desert, USA

I find the summit cairn of Peak 5695, high point of the Bird Spring Range. Earth’s shadow has rocketed past, and the Vegas glitter shows its fleeting beauty – it does look fancy and promising from this height and distance. I am glad to have followed my previous morning outings with an evening one.

Peak 5965 – Bird Spring Range Collection

The descent is slow in the cone of the headlamp light, ball-bearing gravel rolling on limestone steps. A Joshua Tree, with a reaching arm, startles me as it pops into the peripheral light, anthropomorphic brush at my shoulder. I laugh out loud, only to shiver at the sudden creepiness. But as things flatten in the canyon bottom, I enjoy the last of the moonlight.

It has been a good week of walks in the hills of southern Nevada’s Mojave Desert. I will admit, however, that the peak-bagging spree has begun to lose its magic. I needed the escape from the urbanity of Vegas, but the series of small peaks – though high points of named ranges – has felt hurried. I look forward to slowing down and moving further east on my future visits this far south.

Keep going.

Please respect the natural and cultural resources of our public lands.

#naturefirst #keepgoing

Nevada High Points #93 – River Mountains

D. Craig Young · December 1, 2021 · Leave a Comment

River Mountain

3789 ft (1155 m) – 1013 ft gain

2021.10.13

Away from hotel early, going for two days in a row. If I must hang around Vegas for the week, I can focus on a few highpoints in some of the smaller local ranges. Continuing east of the city, I shift southward from the Frenchman Mountains to the River Mountains above Boulder City and Lake Mead. I drive into Boulder City before sunrise and find the trailheads of Bootleg Canyon, a local mountain-bike mecca.

HP #93 Collection

A summit marker on the rocks of River Mountain, Mojave Desert, USA

Film takes time, and processing Velvia is a bit of rough, and not so welcome, chemistry, or so I have come to realize. When will the 35mm slides return from the lab? It has a been almost two months since I summited River Mountain and shared time with the ram. How will the photos turn out? I’ll update the post with a few scans of the images, good or bad, as soon as they arrive.

I drive up-canyon a short distance and find a good parking area out of the way of any bikers that might show later. Starting out on one of the signed single-tracks, I soon abandon the trail to traverse the broad alluvial fan with several dendritic, inset gullies, eventually finding an access road that runs below a twin set of power lines. The crackle of Vegas punctuates the quiet morning as the endless hunger of paradise draws from the dammed river. The lines cut the pass between the River Mountain highpoint and the prominent scarp of Black Mountain to the south. I must get out from under the line, so I turn north to go direct up volcanic slopes – easily the steepest slope I have been on in a while. There is no trail. I step among the puzzled boulders of talus aprons and colluvial cones below two sets of outcrops before gaining the summit ridge. Easy rock-hopping winds north to a small summit cairn and some benchmarks. The summit has good views of the lake and a landscape of solar facilities to the south – both scars of our quest for power, clean as it might be.

My mountain walks remain a mix of exploration, simple and personal, and documentary photography. While I am happy with many of the images I create on these walks, I do not think I am investing the amount of time or getting myself into positions with subject that tell the story of the mountain range and its setting. This goal is practically ignored on these pre-workday scrambles; I am basically just peak-bagging. But today I decided to limit myself to film, working with my 40-year-old Canon AE-1 and Velvia 100. It feels good in my hand, like so many days in the mountains and deserts of my past.

**Back to the future**. The Canon AE-1, 35mm Velvia 100 on this summit day, but we will have to wait a bit for processing.

Once at the summit, I drop down along the standard trail – the summit register is a rather elaborate ammo-can, it is a popular destination. This will mean intersecting the powerline road again, but that will have to do. As this unfortunate thought burrowed into my head, I heard rock fall and talus crunching and scittering; then silence. Then again, and again. Tracing the sound back to the slopes just behind me, I finally notice a solo bighorn ram climbing easily to the col I just left. He is fabulous. As I’m dropping along the standard trail, I hear talus crunches somewhere nearby. Waiting for a short while, they repeat. I then notice a solo bighorn ram climbing to cross my recent track. He’s fabulous.

Only moments ago, before leaving the summit, I had changed to a 70-200mm lens hoping for a wildlife encounter. I had been thinking possible a desert tortoise or a pair of ravens, not a large, majestic ram. I have learned since that the River Mountains have a large, introduced population of desert bighorns, but, still, it felt a wonderful surprise at the moment. I practically burned the whole roll of 36 exposures on this guy. I hope I am getting the focus correct, this well-used lens is new to me. I’m shooting f/8 and typically around 1/125 or 1/250 of a second. Usually too slow for wildlife, but I am completely novice at working wildlife with analog film stock and camera. On digital I could jack up the ISO and get a high shutter speed, but film is not as flexible and requires talent to get results. Probably could have opened things up a bit, but I only have another stop or so with this lens. I am typically using one stop down to account for the bright sky, at least I think that is what I am reading from the camera. If the camera suggests F8, I set to F8 but then adjust shutter speed to have camera show F5.6 on the meter. I think it is telling me I am shooting one stop too fast/dark, this being my goal. We will see. I hope it they are not under exposed. The ram moves deliberately from the col to the ridge and then disappears. Even if I botched the photographs, the walk provided a few special moments with the wonderful animal.

HP #93 Collection

After dropping along the rough access road, I reverse my trajectory across the alluvial fans. Hoping to intersect a roadrunner or other interesting birds, I find nothing but quiet under blue morning sky. A good walk to begin another workday on the road.

Keep going.

Please respect the natural and cultural resources of our public lands.

#naturefirst #keepgoing

Mojave Desert

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