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| Seven Strong at Mack's Peak |
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| The cameras come out at the Ramp! |
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| Ralyn deals with the Ramp |
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| Bruce comes up Last |
Seven strong club hikers took two high clearance vehicles all the way out Mack's Canyon Road in the Spring Mountains off of Lee Canyon Road. The dirt road changes with the weather and you never know if it is drivable by a decent SUV or if you need a Jeep! I didn't get much of a report from the seven hikers but virtually every one of the seven hikers sent a set of photos from the climb. Almost all of the photos were of the ramp and the peak! But, isn't that the most exciting and picturesque part? These photos are a collation of the photos as each of the hikers are wonderful photographers! The story of the Mack's Peak climb goes like this: Using HCVs, hikers drive four miles out Mack's Canyon Road all the way to the end where there is a camp area. The hike begins by continuing up the road past the gate. At the second or third gully to the right, there should be a cairn. This is the route you want. The trail leads up the gully and on up to the ridge on the right. It is very steep! Once on the ridge, follow the ridge using a traverse trail on the left side. After dropping to a saddle area, the fun begins! Into the trees, the trail wiggles up to what is affectionately known as "The Ramp." The Ramp climbs almost to the peak from right to left. There are a lot of large scree within the ramp and the climb is daunting. However, there is not a lot of exposure since the cliff edge is easily avoided.
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| Bruce's view of others at the Top |
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| Between the Ramp and the Peak |
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| Cold Creek and Willow Peak from Mack's Peak |
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| Deserved Break |
Once at the top of the Ramp, you will arrive on a small area where the route turns sharply to the right in a switchback of a sort. During the U-turn, hikers must negotiate an exposed stretch of limestone slab dotted with small scree and plants. Quickly, you are on a long narrow peak. It is only one of Mack's twin peaks. The other peak is seen not far away, however, it is a much more difficult peak to summit. From the photos, we see that all seven hikers made it to the first peak and had a well-deserved break. Bruce dropped down on the other end of the peak to take an interesting photo of the group. Other views include Cold Creek, the northern end of the Spring Mountains Divide, North and South Sisters, and a wide expanse of desert to the north and east.
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| Bruce gets a Different Angle |
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| Bruce's different Angle |
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| Cheryl descends to the Ramp |
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| Descent to Ramp |
The descent is also a barrel of fun! After first dealing with that exposed part, you have to face the really steep and slippery Ramp. (Things always seem to be steeper as you go down, don't they?) I have it on good authority that the entire group utilized the five-point hiking strategy here! Finally back at the ridge's saddle, the descent continues by looping around into the adjacent ravine that lies between Mack's Ridge and Rick's Peak. This hike will give you a confidence boost! It is clear from the photos that all seven had a fantastic time!
Stats: 3.5 miles; 1600' gain; 3 hours
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| Down the Ramp on Five Points |
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| Watching the Descent |
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| Seven Still Strong |
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