We still had Pearl Peak left to summit in order to finish the peaks of the southern Ruby's. Just a short distance after turning around at
Cass House Peak, due to a snowbank, we ran into another on the ridge to Peak 10563 . . . oh well, it would add an additional mile (r/t) to the ridgeline walk.
As Tom says in his Peakbagger.com post, "This was an enjoyable hike and much easier than Sherman Mountain the previous day. Super great view north toward the rest of the Ruby Mountains." Too bad Kent had to turn around due to a knee that was giving him issues . . . he had to experience the hike like the rest of you . . . through Allison's pictures!
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The plan was to drive to the top of Peak 10563 and walk the ridge to Pearl Peak . . .
Once again, we were stopped by a snowbank . . .
Only this time there really was no drivable way around it |
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| Walking the road toward Peak 10563 |
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Unfortunately, Kent's knee stopped him from going any further so he retreated back to the Can-Am with Lola.
Tom, Allison & Ezy continued on up the mountain |
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On top of Peak 10563
Pearl Peak (10,858 ft) is in the distance . . . it definitely looks doable |
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| Ezy does it . . . chillin' on the snow! |
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| We had to work our way around a few snowbanks . . . the snow was soft |
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| It was a gradual ascent . . . not too steep . . . but the wind was blowing hard! |
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| The terrain wasn't bad at all |
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Pearl Peak Reference Mark from 1933 . . .
Once again, it appears someone has chipped away and taken the Benchmark |
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| Tom searched for the Benchmark but it was not to be found |
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Ezy blends right in with the rocks
(Click on the picture to expand the photo for a panoramic view) |
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| Woohoo . . . Allison made it! She can't wait to tell Kent all about it! |
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We had good views of yesterdays hike up Sherman & todays peaks . . . Cass & 10563
(Kent and Lola are in the saddle between Cass & 10563 waiting for Tom, Allison & Ezy) |
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As they say, 'proof is in the picture' since we don't have any pudding! Ha!
Tom & Allison up on Pearl Peak (10,848 ft) |
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| Heading back down to meet up with Kent & Lola |
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Kent had fun exploring near the Can-Am and found a pit with some cool rock walls
(Our friend, Dan, who worked in Nevada mines tells us the green mineral is copper or malachite - which is similar to turquoise as copper gives turquoise its bluish color) |
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So colorful . . . not sure what minerals or ores these could be
(Dan says the blue mineral is azurite or copper oxide/carbonate) |
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| Our last glimpse of Pearl Peak as we make our way back to Harrison Pass |
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To shorten the drive home we camped our last night in a gravel pit
halfway between Ely and the Great Basin NP . . . hey, don't knock it until you try it! |
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The sunrise was beautiful and yes Kent is learning how to cook!
(Actually, he's just stirring the scrambled eggs so Allison could take the picture . . .
we wouldn't want to exaggerate too much!) |
The time we spent in the southern Ruby's was outstanding! If you're interested in knowing Tom & Allison's route to Pearl Peak you can click
here for a topo map from Tom's Peakbagger.com post. It ended up being about a six-mile (r/t) hike with 1,250 ft of total elevation gain (several up one peak and down another - then reverse the course) . . . all-in-all, not too bad!
