Boundary Peak, Nevada

It appears as though we will only knock off one peak this year, but at least we picked one of the most difficult to summit. Boundary Peak is Nevada's highest point at 13,140 feet, and it is the 7th most difficult to climb of the 48 contiguous states. It is located only half a mile from the California border within the Inyo National Forest. Although the hike is only 4 miles from Queen's Mine trail head, the terrain is poor and the push to the summit is very challenging with an elevation gain of 2,300 feet in 1.5 miles.

Our path as logged by my Garmin GPSmap 60CSx and displayed in Google Earth 3D.

A 2D topographical map of our route.

The ascent!?

Day 1 - August 30, 2008

We hit the road at approximately 10:00 AM and didn't arrive at the base of the mountains until the late afternoon. Everything was going as planned until (as Murphy's Law would predict) my rear tire was punctured on the rough, pointy rocks that seemed to litter the windy mountain road. Once the spare tire was in place, we drove to the top of the saddle to the trail head, but the winds were so fierce (I'm guessing 40-60 mph because we could literally lean into the wind and not fall over) that we had to drive back down a little ways to find a more suitable camp site. By now I was extremely nervous about slashing another tire that I was meticulously watching every rock on the road. The campsite we found was just off the road, but the winds were still pretty strong. We managed to get our tents up and started cooking a hearty dutch-oven meal of potatoes and BBQ beef short ribs. I reminded everyone that we were technically in bear country and to not put any food in their tents or my truck. That night the wind kept us all up because it sounded like a bear was trying to maul the tents and break through the protective nylon barrier.

Boundary Peak is to the left, Montgomery Peak is to the right.

Flat tire. Shan is grabbing the jack out from underneath the seat.

Day 2 - August 31, 2008

We awoke the next day and slowly packed up our campsite. The wind had played a little havoc, but at least there were no signs of any bear mischief. Breakfast consisted of scrambled eggs and bacon, which took at least an hour to cook on a flat-iron griddle that Shan borrowed from his father-in-law. (Apparently this griddle is meant for a propane stove, not for charcoal since it completely smothered the coals.) We finally made it back to the top of the saddle where the trail head begins at approximately 10:00 AM.

Hitting the trail.

The trail head in Google Earth.

Boundary Peak.

It might not look like too hard of a hike from here, but things are about to get challenging.

Look familiar?

A look back towards the trail head, which can no longer be seen down and to the left.

Onward.

If it's starting to look like a big gravel pile, it's because it is one.

Why am I always the one with the camera?

A short break at another saddle just before the big ascent.

It's steeper than it looks (trust me)!

Here's the big picture.

Even Google Earth doesn't do it justice from this perspective.

How about that terrain?

Check out that slope!

Shaun's got style. His new nickname is "Popeye".

Almost time for a break...

It's not too late to turn back.

Another look at our path.

Lunch time. I bet we burned more calories than we took in.

Can you tell from my pants that the wind is blowing? I even had to take off my hat so that it wouldn't blow off.

Ed's got that crazy look in his eye again...

Another look at Boundary Peak.

Has anyone seen Ed? Oh wait, there he is watching us struggle to reach the peak. (I knew I should have brought my short rope.)

SUMMIT! 13,140 FEET!!!

Even though Ed beat me to the top (again), we know who the tougher one is.

Shaun's got the right idea. Sit and refuel.

Shan puts our names in the log.

I'm getting good at taking self portraits.

Getting a little R&R before heading back.

Day 3 - September 1, 2008

More to come...