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May 24, 2020 — Most people seem to summit Mescal Range High Point from the south, which would certainly be an easier undertaking. I chose my route because it was less driving and would also summit Climax Peak, a minor sub-peak of Mescal Range HP. It actually worked out really well, and despite being more work than the standard route, I'd recommend it.
I parked at the end of a dirt road. Low clearance vehicles might not make it and would add another mile to the hike each way. From my parking spot, I headed south, following the dirt road until it curved away from my intended route. My goal was to follow the road as long as possible and to head to a spur rige that stretched out to the east of Climax Peak since the cliffs around the summit would be difficult to navigate. I noted a fairly heavily-traveled burro trail and unbelieveably, this trail led me all the way to my choice ridge. If someone told me this was an official trail made by humans, I would believe it - it was very good. This was fortunate because the bushwhacking and scrambling required to get to the ridge woud have been very not fun. I was thrilled. The trail basically follows a nice slope until reaching the steeper sections to the east of Climax Peak, and just before needing to deal with the cliffy obstacles, the trail heads directly south for a while, staying just under the difficulties and leading safely to the spur ridge. The social trail continues south (and I would follow this part later on my way back from Mescal Range HP), but I wanted to head up to Climax Peak first and then traverse the ridge proper. The slope from the spur ridge to the summit is quite steep, but a less obvious social trail is easy to follow and the vegetation is mostly totally gone. From Climax Peak, I headed south along the ridge, encountering some Class 2 stuff but otherwise just taking in the views. Mescal Range High Point was a nice sunset spot, and Clark Mountain to the north was a pretty backdrop for the ridgeline.
On my way back, I noted the burro trail I left earlier to head to Climax Peak and followed it, avoiding some additional elevation gain (see map). The burros did all the work for me on this one, resulting in a nice little hike.
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Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!
