We first met Tom
and Lola (his dog) on top of Lake Peak a couple of years ago. Out-of-the-blue we received an email from Tom
asking if we were “okay” as he hadn’t seen a post on our blog for some time. (We didn’t know we had any followers!) After assuring him we were doing well, one thing
led to another, and before long we had made plans to hike Mollies Nipple.
You need to know
Tom is an avid peak bagger. He has hiked
over 500 peaks! We consider it a real
honor that he wanted to do a peak with us – amazingly, he had not done this
one and needed it for his collection.
Click here for Tom’s detailed description of our hike – by clicking on his name, it will also
take you to his page and entries on Peakbagger.com.
The more we
reflect back on this hike, it seems the better the memories become.
It’s the kind of adventure we dream of – great day, amazing scenery, fun
hike and good companionship – who could ask for more!
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| Today we are headed to Mollies Nipple, it's out in the boonies . . . should be a good place to practice social distancing |
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| Sure didn't think we'd see anyone else out here . . . we were even offered grilled Spam! |
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| Come to find out, it's the Johnson family from Flagstaff, AZ ( we lived there for 30 years!) We exchanged hiking info and enjoyed visiting with them before heading down the road (Hey, Kent, that looks closer than six feet?!) |
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| After talking with the Johnson clan about the sandy road conditions . . . we decided to play it safe . . . so we parked our vehicles and started walking |
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| Other than getting sand in our shoes it was easy going . . . we probably could have driven to the base . . . better safe, than sorry! Tom checked his GPS and said we averaged 2.5 mph . . . not too bad for a bunch of "old duffers!" |
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| We're getting closer! |
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| We've arrived at the base . . . Time to enjoy a snack break and plan our route to the top |
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| This photograph was taken by Michael R. Kelsey . . . and is from his book, "Hiking and Exploring the Paria River" . . . it's the route we followed |
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| We could see the top, or at least part of it . . . 671 ft to go! |
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| We had great views the entire scramble up to the top |
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| As Tom said, "The mother of all rock cairns!" The Thunderbird points the direction to the capstone |
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| Oh so close . . . Gloves came in handy as we worked our way up and through the sandstone |
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| Here's a picture of the final ascent . . . Once on the ledge, there is a knife edge saddle that must be crossed to reach the capstone . . . With a hundred foot drop off on each side and strong winds, we decided to not chance the capstone |
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| Here's a closeup of the capstone from the ledge . . . elevation 7,271 ft |
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| A panorama from the top |
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| This was a big surprise! Thankfully, the Johnson's told us to be on he lookout for ladybugs! Wow! |
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| Apparently, ladybugs hibernate in the mountains from late fall until springtime |
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| Looking northwest towards Bryce Canyon (pink cliffs in the far distance) You can also see Nipple Lake . . . It's just to the right of the small mountain in the center of the picture |
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| The views from the top were breathtaking . . . In the distance is Powell Point |
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| Tom normally hikes with Lola and she doesn't take pictures! |
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| Tom scooting his way back down off the top |
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| Looking westwards toward Kanab |
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| To the southeast are the White Teepees . . . possibly a hike for another day |
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| On our descent we stopped for a group picture |
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| Toadstool at the base of Mollies Nipple |
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| Here's a view of the toadstool with Mollies Nipple |
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| Time to head back . . . Tom was still laughing about the sand in my shoes! |
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| We returned to our vehicles after 5 hrs and 19 minutes of trekking . . . We hiked 7.25 miles, gained 1300 ft of total elevation . . . that included a 671 ft scramble up Mollies Nipple . . . What a great day! |
Click here for directions and a printable map to Mollies Nipple courtesy of Todd's Hiking Guide.
