Oct 06, 2016 — This is a short and steep hike with no official trailhead and just outside the boundary of Capitol Reef National Park. Starting from UT 24, I looked up at the dry and muddy finger ridges stretching down from North Caineville Mesa and tried to locate the least steep-looking of the fingers. A cairn marked a social trail that followed the dark dry finger leading into the weird landscape and to the base of the steep section. The dark old mud gave way to loose sandstone. Cairns marked the way up a somewhat unpleasant Class 2 slope to a pretty bench. A trail continued northeast along the bench at the base of North Caineville Mesa's well-fortified cliffy base before working up the rock outcropping on its east side. The social trail follows a weakness around to the north side of the outcropping before a short Class 2+ scramble took me through a talus cave and around a few bouldery moves. A final short section of slot canyon leads to the summit mesa. The true highpoint is a long way north, but I was content with this stopping point.
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