In late April, Tom invited us to hike
Lamerdorf Peak with him and "his crew." This was the first time we had explored the Wah Wah Mountains and the trip left us with a desire to do some more exploring of this area . . . even though it's a long, dusty road out to them! So, when Tom said he had a couple of peaks he wanted to do in the Willow Springs area, we didn't hesitate to accept his invitation to come along. It was a great decision! We enjoyed the summer monsoon day, along with beautiful views and getting in a quite the workout with a good friend!
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Driving up the Lund Highway (a dirt road) we saw Tom pull over to the side of road . . .
What a surprise! Burrowing owls, it looks like they were occupying an old prairie dog burrow |
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| One of the Owlets |
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We are headed up Rose Spring Canyon
We have driven 65 miles of dirt roads from Tom's home in Enoch . . . we still have six more to go! |
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These Ponderosa Pines really stood out among the landscape . . .
Supposedly, the world's oldest Ponderosa Pine is located in the Wah Wah's!
(We had been on this stretch of road before, in Tom's Can-Am, and knew how bad the road
could be . . . so we decided to walk the extra mile to our trailhead . . . it was a good decision!) |
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At the trailhead, we continued to follow a side road . . . the so-called road quickly became steep and rocky . . .
Tom wants to come back and try it on his motorcycle! |
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| A little reprieve as the road leveled out . . . now we can see the peaks we plan to climb |
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Peak 9065 is coming into view . . .
This road will lead us around to the west side where we'll begin our ascent |
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| It's always fun to see wild horses . . . they are beautiful! |
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| Looking west from the high plateau, atop the Wah Wah's, and some cool summer clouds |
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| We enjoyed a nice break overlooking this valley before heading up our first Peak |
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| Mat rock-spirea |
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| Leaving Peak 9065, that's 9066 on the left |
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Keeping our eyes to the sky, as the clouds are beginning to build
This is looking north, towards Pine Grove (center) and the Wah Wah highpoint in the distance |
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| Looking back at Peak 9065 |
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We came across this marker on top of Peak 9066
We have never seen a marker like this before . . . have you? |
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We didn't spend too much time on top of either peak for good reason!
(I think this time Tom gets what Kent's pointing at!) |
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| Ladybugs! |
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| Axe hewn trees way up here? |
Can you imagine cutting down trees with an axe and then, somehow, getting them down off this mountain? Our guess is that beams were needed for several of the mines that are located in Pine Grove . . . Remnants, of the mines, still remain from the glory days when lead, zinc & silver were mined in the Wah Wah's. The area was best known for it's most rare and desirable gem - Red Beryl. We need to get over to Pine Grove and do some exploring of these mines . . .watch for a future post!
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The headwater of Willow Creek Spring
We have almost come full circle . . . we will follow the road back to our trucks |
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| It's hard to resist water on a hot day and this spring was flowing with cold water right out of the road! |
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The summer monsoon clouds were brewing . . .
So thankful, we got down before the lightning and torrential downpours that have frequented these mountains, began! |
This hike, while not particularly long (5.6 miles R/T), really gains elevation quickly (approximately 1,300 ft in the first 1.5 miles). The majority of this (800 ft) coming in a half mile of very steep "road" walking to get on top of the plateau. Be prepared for some huffing and puffing! Here's a
link to Tom's Peakbagger.com post, from an earlier hike of Peak 9135, that describes in detail, this road. For a link to
today's hike, that will provide you with a topo map and GPS tracks, click
here. If you like getting off the beaten path and way, way out there, you might enjoy this hike . . . we certainly did!
