Red Cap South v Ash Canyon & Dragon Canyon - 11/28/22 - Mike O'Connor & Ralyn Conner as Guest Bloggers

Three Tough Scramblers

Climbing in Ash Canyon

Looks like fun! - This starts the drop down to Ash Canyon.

Autumn in Ash Meadow

The guest blogs are coming in and I'm so happy to see them. This blog is from a fraction of the Six with Sticks plus wonderful hikers from our rolodex. Ralyn joined Mike with taking some excellent photos. And, Mike (writer extraordinaire), wrote the narrative as it is written below. It appeared to be a gorgeous autumn day and the hike / scramble looked to be a whole lotta fun! Thanks everyone for this great coordinated effort.

It begins:

Approaching Ash Canyon

Climbing to the South Trail of Ash Canyon

Some Exposure in Ash Canyon

Getting higher in Ash Canyon

It was decision time: Red Cap North or South? Hmm.

The last Monday in November dawned crisp and cool as five veteran hikers assembled at the boardwalk in Calico Basin. It was a splendid day for a scramble. Gazing up at the Grand Staircase on our southern flank, we proceeded west toward Angel Pass, then veered north for the picnic tables and Ash Meadows. Entering Ash Canyon, we hugged the south side of the canyon and started up the steep sandstone slab. It provides a good workout, while offering a wee bit of exposure. It’s an old Doyle Ryan route, always a keeper.

Reaching the top of Ash Canyon

Scrambling up the North Side

Shadowplay

Tinaja on Red Cap South

After a brief snack at the top, we began our second climb of the day to the next level, arriving at the base of our destination, Red Cap. About that decision: Ralyn and Ralph had never visited the southern cap, so the three of us trudged off in that direction, while the Anthem duo of Mark and Steve went the opposite way to Red Cap North. Both routes are decent scrambles, but the southern circuit presents a bit more of a challenge with some Class 3 chutes. We abandoned our cumbersome packs and ditched our poles for the final push to the summit. And in the end, Ralph & Ralyn managed to add a new peak to their mountaineering portfolios. Hear! Hear!

Interesting Scramble off Red Cap South

The Chute that helps connect Red Cap South to North

Re-Gathering at Junction

Back at the top of Ash Canyon

Following the summit bids, our two divergent groups met for lunch back at the lower junction. We retraced our steps back down to Ash Canyon, then mixed it up a bit by taking the north side back down to the meadows via Dragon Canyon. A final, one-mile streak across the desert floor landed us back in Calico. Another glorious day in the Red Rocks.

Vitals: 5.99m., 1857’ vertical, 4 1/2 hrs.

MOC

Dragon Canyon Descent

Reaching the bottom of Dragon Canyon