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| Mummy Mountain from Charleston Peak |
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| Tackling the 500' Scree Field |
Another Super Tuesday for the Around the Bend Friends found twelve hikers on top of Mummy's Tummy at 11, 528 feet above sea level. Mummy Mountain is the second highest peak in the Spring Mountains and offers several peak destinations (i.e. Tummy, Toe, Nose, Chin and Head). Each hike is separate with different starting points (with the exception of the Nose, Chin and Head that all start up the same steep wash from Lee Canyon). Today's hike, Mummy's Tummy begins at the Trail Canyon trailhead in the Spring Mountains NRA. The 2.25 mile climb up to the North Loop Saddle is familiar. At the saddle the hike turns to the left and continues up in the direction of Mt. Charleston.
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| Does it Never End? |
At the end of the long switchbacks on the North Loop Trail, the hikers came to a slight high point where there is a tree with an "M" etched into it. (It is about two feet off of the ground and on the left side of the ascent trail.) This marks the spot where hikers reluctantly turn to the right. THE SCREE FIELD!!! OH, NO! Yep. Five hundred elevation feet of two steps forward and one step back. Fun. Anyway, up you go and, finally the top of this escalator you find the scene in the photo to the left. Well, perhaps Mike and Susan won't be there....
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| Summit Photos |
The hike continues up the ridge and with a little more scrambling, you reach the peak. And, oh, what a peak it is! Coupled with Mt. Charleston Peak, Mummy Mountain's views are on top of the world! Although the writer received these photos from Laszlo and Mike OC, (and we thank you for that) there were no words describing the hike. Personally, the writer feels that the photos say it all! This hike was 9 miles with 4000 feet of elevation gain.
An alternate route for gaining the approach ridge to the Tummy is longer but avoids the scree field. By hiking the North Loop Trail to the first overlook which is found by side stepping the trail about twenty feet after a couple of small switchbacks, then backtracking on the ridge, the hiker comes to the same approach.
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| Emptying the Boots |
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| That Nasty Scree Field One Last Time |
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