Mack's Peak - 6/9/21

Mack's Peak as viewed from Ascent

The Ramp

Sisters Ridge from Ridge

Starting from Mack Canyon Road Trailhead

Ten club hikers met at the junction of Mack's Canyon Road at Lee Canyon Road and jumped into three HCVs for the 4.2 mile drive out the dirt road that changes in condition from year to year. This year, it isn't too bad but there are some dips in the same ol' places. And, today, there were not a lot of campers camping along the road. We drove all the way to the end of the road where there were large boulders blocking further progress. When ready, we started up past the boulders on the old road for about a third of a mile. To the right, there is one of several washes as seen in the photo below. An equilateral cairn resides here as you can see at Jerry's foot. This trail drops into the narrow wash and begins a stair-stepping climb on slippery limestone.

Road / Trail Junction

1st Wash Climb

Climbing onto Embankment

Following Steep Trail to Ridge

Around 0.2 mile up the wash, the trail turns up to the right. Here, you can see that the wash turns into a small scree bowl and the trail follows the foliage line up the hill. When I last hiked this peak, there was very little trail but, now, there is a pretty good trail steeply climbing all the way to the ridge. From the wash to the ridge, it is another third of a mile. It seems longer! Now, the southwest wind that we unexpectedly felt from the meeting place and the trailhead could be felt full force. The gusts were at around 30-35 mph! (So much for being a fair weather hiker!) We held onto our hats and a few hikers donned jackets. The next section of the route was much more pleasant except that we felt the full force of the wind without any wind breaks. It was a trailed traverse to the ridge's saddle.

North & South Sisters and Charleston Peak from Ridge

Traverse Trail to Saddle

A Moment at the Saddle

Points of Interest

After a pause at the saddle, the ten hikers started up the approach trail to The Ramp! This is where there were wind breaks that lasted until the peak. For a third of a mile (seems to be a theme!) the trail climbs up through the bristlecones and ponderosas at the base of Macks Peak's rock cliff of around 80-100' in height. This rock cliff makes The Ramp a necessary part of the climb. So, we followed the trail to the base of The Ramp, got the speech about falling rocks and started up. (No, I didn't go!) The Ramp is a slow process but everyone got up safely including two hikers that took the upper route parallel and above The Ramp. From this point, I stayed below and enjoyed a respite while Mike and Laszlo took over photography duties. As I heard, when they hit the top of The Ramp to turn the corner and make the final scramble up to the peak, the wind hit them hard and it was necessary for a couple of the lighter weight hikers to duck down and try to become one with the mountain!

Trail Approach to Ramp (upper right)

View to Desert Floor

Starting the Ramp

The Ramp

View from Route above Ramp

Onward and Upward!

Reaching the Top of Ramp

Turning the Windy Corner

This corner is the most exposed section of the hike but, even in the wind, the strong hikers made it up to the peak one by one for their break and a photo of the Nifty Nine. Views from the peak include the desert floor far below and parts of Lee Canyon Road. The Sisters Ridge, Charleston Peak and McFarland Peak rose prominently. While they were up there, a small group of the hikers explored toward the other end of the long peak area. Even though it has been done, the climb up the other end of Mack's Peak did not look welcoming ... at all. Eventually, it was time to descend. Back down around the corner and it was time to face the music. The Ramp may be more difficult to negotiate during the descent. Loose and falling rocks are a real hazard. Carefully, the Nifty Nine started coming down the steep slope. There were a few rock falls but no one got hit. (I was safely tucked away down the hill, too.) When everyone was down The Ramp, the group began descending the approach trail. I filed in with the rest of them. When we reached the top of the saddle area, we veered to the right. There is so much scree in the area that it becomes very useful on the way down. So Jerry and Cheryl led us down through deep scree to the right, to cross over to the top of the 2nd wash.

Nifty Nine on top of Mack's Peak

Down the Windy Corner

Down the Ramp

Down the Approach Trail

This wash is a more gentle slope through pine needles. The descent went smoothly as we hiked down through the wash to the road for almost a mile. After connecting with the road a little higher than where we left it earlier, we followed the road down to the trailhead. What a great bunch of hikers! It was a fun morning! So nice to see everyone again. (And, I am reminded why I don't need to do The Ramp again!) 

Stats: 3.7 miles; 1750' gain; 3 hours

Down the Scree to 2nd Wash

Down 2nd Wash

Junction with Road to Trailhead