On Saturday, 15 hikers made it to Mummy's Nose. The route is in great shape. There's a path almost all the way to the ridge. In the past it was hard to find the ridge. Mummy's Nose has great views and the route passes by a forest of dead bristlecones. Nice!
Since State Route 157 was closed, we hiked McFarland Peak instead of Charleston Peak. The route is harder to follow than in previous years. Snow and rain has taken its toll on the route. A little patience and common sense is needed to follow the route. I tried to find a new route without any luck. If you have hiked McFarland, you know how the Bonanza Trail heads right for McFarland and then drops to the south side. I left the trail just before it drops down. It was loose up to a prominent notch. From the notch there are lots of steep walls. I traversed loose terrain to steep slabs that lead to more steep walls. Finally I met up with the original route and followed it to the summit. Bottom line is the only way the route would go is to aid it with handlines and I am not sure how practical that would be. If it would go, the route would be much shorter than the standard route.
Since the snow has melted and the Monsoon season has not started, now is the time to do those long hikes that follow ridges. Get them in before the thunderstorms start rolling in.
Anyone interested in the plane crash can go online to the RJ or any local TV stations to read more. State Route 157 (Kyle Canyon road) is now open.
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