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| Peak 3844 |
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| Calico Hills Beyond Mojave Yucca |
By the time we got on the trail, we had twenty-six participants on today's "easy" hike of the week. We gathered at the large wash crossing on the road that leads out to Calico Basin after parking on the side of the road near where there are several desert trails starting. This is a new trailhead for most of us and it took a few minutes to gather hikers looking for the correct place to park. We counted off and with twenty-five in tow, our fearless leader, Jan, led us up a trail that balanced on a small ridge in the direction of the mouth of Gateway Canyon in the distance.
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| Heading Toward the La Madre Wilderness |
Reaching the peak of this ridge, we turned right onto another trail and went down to junction with the trail that would take us up to Peak 3844. On the way, we hiked through a red barrel cactus garden. The barrels were plump with water from the summer rains. As we hiked, the views of the Calico Hills, Turtlehead, Krafft Mountain, the escarpment, and the Las Vegas Strip were on full display under the cool blue sky. The last little climb up to the summit was bordered by a steep cliff that deterred a couple of hikers from reaching the top.
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| Peak 3844 Approach |
As we sat on top of the small peak, we could hear the gunfire from the shooting range about 2 miles away. We ate our snacks and contemplated naming Peak 3844, the name it is given on topographical maps of this area. It could be Overlook Peak. It could be Gunshot Peak. It could be Calico Basin Peak, although this is probably too grandiose for the small uprising of this portion of terra firma. We settled on Peak 3844 knowing that most people would understand.
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| Panoramic View from Peak 3844 |
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| Gathering for the Summit Photo |
We took the summit photo and started down the slightly slippery trail. The hike back followed the same route we used before in reverse. There are many trails in this area which would offer a loop route to this demure peak but the route we took provided a nice workout as there were three ups and three downs to contend with. A very nice "easy" hike for our beginner hikers.
3.5 miles, 3 hours, & 781 feet in elevation gain
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| View Back Toward Gateway Canyon, Krafft Mtn & Turtlehead Peak |
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| Peak 3844 on Return |
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| High Point Should Read 3844 |
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