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May 09, 2020 — Even though Jaybird Benchmark was supposed to just be an add-on peak to nearby Mount Stirling, we enjoyed it quite a bit and were happy we put in the extra effort. Our route ended up being more interesting than anticipated, and we actually ran into a fellow peakbagger on the summit! What were the chances?
Google Maps won't take you to the trailhead. Instead, navigate to here (36.5746, -115.87831) and follow this good dirt road to the trailhead attached to this trip report. We parked on the side of the road at the closest thing to a turn-out that we could find (mid-clearance required to get to the trailhead) and started through the desert toward a weakness on Jaybird Benchmark's east ridge. The cliffs seemed a little daunting everywhere else leading to the summit, so we played it safe and headed to a spot we were confident would pose little threat. After some side-hilling on mellow slopes, we made it to a Class 2 slope that took us to the ridge at the weakness we had scoped earlier. We started west along the ridge, encountering a couple of Class 2 obstacles, and overall just enjoying the ridge hike. There were a couple of steeper sections, but mostly it was just a pleasant ascent. When Jaybird Benchmark's summit came into view at a false summit, a short Class 2 down climb gave us a small obstacle before the final ridgeline to the peak.
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