Thursday, February 13, 2025

Black Mesa - 2/10/25

Black Mesa Peak

Lake Mead from Black Mesa

Between Black Mesa and Lake Mead

Following ridge trail to ascent Ridge
We were sixteen strong on the Black Mesa hike during a beautiful February morning at Lake Mead NRA. We drove out Northshore Road to the Callville Bay Road and turned right. About a tenth of a mile down the road, there is a large round turnout where we parked. Our intention was to hike down to the southeast corner of the triangle-ish shape of the mesa and climb the most gentle of ridges approaching the Black Mesa Peak. Then we were expecting to descend on the southern corner and circle around the mesa in a major wash. We started out by diving into the wash next to the road, climbing up to the road to pass a hill, and diving into the next wash. Continuing along the wide wash, we had to step over a tortoise fence a few times.

Climbing the ridge ascent Trail

Climbing an intermediary Peak
Climbing the false Peaks

Another intermediary ascent Peak
When the wash ended by going under Callville Bay Road, we headed up to our right to reach a high ridge between us and the mesa. Here, we found a game trail. We turned left and followed the trail along the ridge until finding a trailing ridge leading down to the wash below to the right. At the next opportunity, we climbed up to the last ridge on the right to find another trail. This is the ascent trail leading up to the peak. There are a few saddles on this ridge that provide beautiful views of Lake Mead. In between the saddles are false peaks. We negotiated the false peaks through the tons of rocks by creating switchback routes that always returned to the next saddle. Finally, we hit the last saddle and climbed up to the peak found to the right of our last ascent section.

Between saddles on the Ascent

A saddle View

The final Assault

It's a rocky endeavor.
We sat for our break and took in the amazing views of Lake Mead and the surrounding colorful mountains and desert. A few of us discussed how to descend as none of us had ever made the descent the same way twice before. Now I know of four different routes for a descent off of Black Mesa. Hmm. I think the best way to descend from the large black rocked mesa is to go down wherever you find a "trail." The trail we found the last time that we were up there is marked by one cairn. The trail we found this time is marked by two cairns on the northeast end of the mesa. Four of our group descended through a very rocky gulley on the north end. (They reported that it wasn't great!) And, a fourth route down is found on the west side and is the route that Chuck H. has used in the past. (Probably the best!) I was going to look for this route but we got side-tracked and ended up at the gulley! Not wanting to take the whole group down the treacherous gulley route, we went up to our left on another use trail and found the two-cairn descent. It wasn't a bad descent. We took it slow and careful. Small zigzags got us down to a point where we met up with the gulley hikers just in front of us.

Sixteen strong on Black Mesa Peak

Callville Bay from Break

Crossing the Mesa to scramble gulley Route

Checking out the scramble Gulley
Although I had planned to visit the old car and circle around to the trailhead, we ended up right there a hop, skip and a jump from our cars! My planned route will have to wait for another day. And, even though it was a difficult hike, everyone really enjoyed it and I might be able to get them to do it again someday! Maybe! Slow and careful is the name of the game ... again. Great group of hikers, strong and fun.

Stats: 4.5 miles; 1100' gain; 3.5 hours

Descending the Two Cairns Trail

Over the small hill after the Two Cairns Trail

Finding a game trail down the small Hill





Friday, February 7, 2025

Callville Narrows - 2/6/25

Inside Callville Narrows

West End Wash Road South

Rugged West End Wash before road merges In

Rugged side Wash
When we go exploring here in the wild wild West, we are almost never disappointed. Once, many years ago, someone intimated to me that the wash deep below Peak 653 where the Callville Ridge Plane Crash is located, is too difficult to hike. All these years, that mysterious line has troubled me. With a little more experience under my hiking belt, I wondered if I and my musketeers were ready for what promised to be very interesting. Three of us parked on Northshore Road MM 12.5 and dropped down through a smaller wash to the very wide West End Wash going south toward Lake Mead. This was new territory for us. Easily impressed, we oohed and awed as we joined the big wash at a "scrambling jump down."

(Illusion) Not for tall Vehicles

Entrance to Callville Narrows

Hey guys! Look at this!

Hiking into Callville Narrows
Our target for the day's hike was the mouth of a canyon we had hiked on its other end just a few days ago. From the top of this canyon, we could see that the dark deep crevice held huge mystery and we wanted to see what secrets the deep hole would open up to us. A decision was made to try the unknown portion of the canyon from the bottom up to start its exploration. We decried that we would not climb up anything that we could not climb down! (Oops.) So, two miles down West End Wash, we came to a narrow canyon entrance on the right side. It was disguised with plants but easy to enter. Immediately, we were struck by its dark, deep rising walls. I guess we were lucky there were no large animals taking refuge here. We wound our way between the walls making a couple of significant step-ups passing what we called an escape route on the right; a steep scree covered climb up the right side embankment. After passing one more sharp curve between the walls, about 800' in, we were faced with what I suspected to be our ending obstacle; a wall smoothed by falling water over the years. The wall was about 10' high from the bottom of a 3' well in front of it. There were no hand or foot holds wide enough to support our climbing efforts and when we did test the rock, it turned out to be crumbly.

A step up inside Narrows

A corner to the left inside Narrows

A wall obstacle 800' up canyon Narrows

Specs - A challenge above our pay Grade
We did see a few chalk marks on the wall, so rock climbers may have already conquered it. The wall was simply above our skill level. We stopped, took our photos, and turned to leave. Our loop hike had just turned into an out and back. As we passed the "escape route," I off-handedly suggested that we see what was above. I thought I knew but it turned out that I was wrong ...! Anyway, the climb up the steep scree was difficult at best. Reaching the top, we found ourselves at the bottom of another steep rocky slope and right next to a high cliff falling back to the narrows. Okay. There was only one way now. We decided to keep climbing and see what was at the top of the next peaky thing we saw. Tah-dah. We did that and guess what, yep, another peaky thing above that and nowhere else to go except to our right. To the right, there was a large funnel of rocky terrain that dropped back down to the canyon floor. It was also a very steep endeavor but not quite as bad as the first two climbs. Ever so slowly, we made our way back down into the canyon and turned left to make our exit. (But not before counting our body parts to make sure we had them all! Probably shouldn't have done that! "Too difficult to hike," I guess!)

We hit a wall.

Trying an escape Route

Aborted escape leads to a funnel descent Return

Happy to be back on terra firma.
Regardless of our choice to escape the narrows for a short look-see, we were very impressed with our find that we decided to call the Callville Narrows. We took a break on a big flat rock in West End Wash just outside the narrows' entrance. Soon enough, we began our hike back up the big sandy wash during a beautiful day. At this point, we knew that West End Wash Road is travel-able in an off-road vehicle that will deal well with deep sand occasionally. Most of the road lies on hard ground but the sandy gravel does get kind of deep in some passages. On our return, we veered to the left when we reached the junction of the entrance road and the wash proper. Taking the road, we found that there is probably more deep sand here than in the big wash. When the road turned to the right and began climbing the hill back up to Northshore Road, the road's surface was very good. We chose to climb the wash to the east of the road but joined the road at the top. Our car was only about 0.1 mile away. So much fun finding new stuff!

Stats: 4.5 miles; 500' gain; 2.75 hours

Hiking the return in West End Wash

Turning left onto the West End Wash Road Spur

Sign at junction of Northshore Road





Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Callville Ridge Plane Crash Site & Canyon Loop - 2/3/25

Lava Butte and Frenchman Mountain as seen from Callville Ridge

Terrain on Callville Ridge

Callville Ridge surrounding Area

Summiting the ridge from the Trailhead
Nine club hikers drove out to the Lake Mead NRA and turned right on Callville Bay Road just after passing Black Mesa at Northshore Road's MM 11.5. One third of a mile down this road, there is a large round pullout on the right. We parked there, stepped over the tortoise fence across the road and climbed up to the top of the ridge in the 2:00 direction from the trailhead. This is Callville Ridge running west to east between Black Mesa and West End Wash. On the ridge, there are three minor peaks (Peaks 662, 662E, and 653). Just below Peak 653, a military experimental airplane crashed. There was not a fatality and, for the most part, the wreckage was cleared. A road that was built for this task still leaves a scar on the landscape. 

Rocks everywhere!

Taking in the View

Lake Mead from Callville Ridge

Muddy Mountains, Rainbow Ridge and Redstone
A few pieces of the debris field still exist. Nothing valuable. Just interesting. Leave it there for others to wonder over. The ridge is strewn with volcanic rocks leftover from eruptions that happened 10 to 8 million years ago from cinder cones located to the east. Many hikers leave their first hike here with thoughts of, "So many rocks!" It behooves the careful hiker to pay close attention to where and how they step. (This can be exhausting!) As we hiked the undulating ridge, we continued to climb, watch rocks, and stop once in a while for the terrific scenery. Occasionally, we would pass a cairn that only suggested that we were taking the same route others have taken. 

Callville Ridge Peak 662E

Game trail leading to plane crash Site

Following vague Trail

Small pieces at plane crash Site
The first minor peak we came to was Peak 662. There is a log book there with someone's suggestion that the peak should be named Blowing Peak. We side-stepped the next peak (Peak 662E) by following an extremely vague trail on a lateral route to the left. At a trailing ridge, we turned to the left and found the trail continuing around and down to the next ridge seen across a deepening wash. (We noticed that there is a trail leading from this U-shaped ridge into the wash between us and the plane crash ridge.) The next ridge has the road scar. We followed the road scar up to the plane crash debris field, walked around a little and took our break. There is a log book at the top of this minor peak as well but we forwent the privilege. After the break, we headed over to the cliff above the wash to the west (toward Black Mesa). Knowing there was a negotiable slope down to that now very deep wash, we turned to the left and spotted it in the near distance. The slope was covered with treacherous volcanic rock. SLOW would be the name of this descent game.

View from summit above plane crash Site

Taking a break above crash Site

Treacherous descent to Wash

Taking it Slow
 The descent down to the wash below was very carefully accomplished. On the maps below, you will compare that we did not go down to the canyon overlook from the break area and work back up the cliffside. Instead, we came to the descent from the other direction. Happily, we all made it down still healthy and started down the wash into the canyon. This is a beautiful black canyon with switchback walls and a few challenging pour-overs. Everyone was having a lot of fun when someone in the back of the line exclaimed that there was a bighorn on the opposite wall at a curve in the canyon. I was barely able to grab my camera and shoot. See what I ended up with in a photo below.
Finally in the Wash

Canyon Scramble

Zigzagging through Canyon

Find Waldo, the Bighorn
At the last walled switchback, the deep canyon curved to the left and a tributary canyon turned up to the right. Carefully turning the corner on a ledge, we started up. At first the canyon offered a few more challenges, then it began to flatten out a bit. As our climb wore on, we took right forks when offered and finally, summited over a saddle. Working our way over to the right, we found a descent wash, came to the paved road, turned right and walked up the road a little to the cars. The climb out of the amazing canyon area was the hardest part of the hike but all accepted it as part of a hiker's morning. Fun day!

Stats: 5 miles; 1050' gain; 3.75 hours

More canyon Descent

Turning the Corner

Starting the ascent back to Cars