Hike Statistics
Date(s): 6/11/2006
Route: Trial Canyon Trail to Trail Canyon Saddle, followed ridgeline to peak. Returned via ridgeline to Small Saddle and then down the scree.
Distance: 7.8 miles round trip
Elevation Change: 4312 ft. from camping area to peak at 13,140 ft.
Time: Up- 4-1/2 hours, Down – 2 hours
Waypoints: text GDB GPX
Boundary Peak is in the middle of nowhere, and to call any other place “nowhere” is to do an injustice to Nevada. The 36th state is practically empty desert from edge to edge, with over 85% being owned by the federal government. It is hot, dry, and contains wild burrows, mounain lions, and remote brothels.
This was going to be my first solo hike. I was out in Vegas for business. Because I had the free plane ticket, I decided to go a day early and climb the tallest mountain in Nevada, by myself. This is insane. It is a five hour drive into the middle of nowhere. 60 miles are across open cattle range. 20 miles are on dirt roads in the desert. I arrived and there was only one small grass area to camp.
A group of people had four tents set up already, so I didn’t want to be near them, but there was no other place to go. Also, we were the only people around for 100 miles, so I had to say hi. It turns out that they were a social club from Vegas called the “trailblazers.” They get together every weekend to hike and drink, and some of them had just met. They had kahlua, a gallon of margarita, beer, and many bottles of wine. We all got tipsy and then hiked together the next day.
The hardest part about the hike is the loose scree (small rocks) that make for slippery footing most of the way up. The second hardest part is just finding the place. I got some pretty good directions for $4 from Branch Whitney at HikingLasVegas.com. This sign marks the end of the pavement and the start of about 17 miles of dirt roads.
The White Mountains of eastern California tower over the road and still show a lot of snow for June.
I was worried that Boundary would be snow covered, but, according to Esmeralda in Dyer, a week of 85+ heat had greatly shrunken the snowfields.
My rental car was a ginormous Jeep Commander. The roads were definitely passable by a car, but having this monster made it really nice. Jeep should sponsor me to drive this thing around and climb.
Here is the camp my new friends the LV Trailblazers had set up. As described on their site, they “are a group of active unmarried people in their 30’s & 40’s getting together to hike, camp, bike and enjoy other outdoor adventures in and around Las Vegas.” Kind of like Hashers, they are drinkers with a hiking problem.
Sitting around the fire we could see mule deer cresting the ridgeline and feeding down the slope. Or at lease eagle-eyed Ron could. I got one glimpse of the deer on the slope, but lost them in the sage.
Rick brought his dog Rosemary, Rose for short. She was awesome. Not only would she do tricks, lick your face, and keep you company at the campfire, but she did one other important thing. When I would venture away from the campfire to water the cactuses, she would accompany me to keep the mountain lions away. Invaluable.
Here’s Team Us, moments before starting our hike at about 7AM. From left, Bill (very knowledgable guy who did Denali), Lori (brought foccacia and olive oil–I love hiking with women, they know food), Ron (trip organizer, eagle-eyed, and a fine drinker), Rick (fellow GPS afficianado), Lori (very nice and made excellent tea), Jeff (mason, physical specimen, reached the top in old work boots at least an hour ahead of me), and me, photoshopped in.
The trail registry showed not a lot of use. Boundary Peak is not a popular hike, either due to the remoteness or maybe the loose footing on the trail.
At 10,000 feet a Nutragrain bar inflates like a mylar balloon due to the low air pressure.
On the slope near the saddle are Bristolcone Pines, also known as the “Methuselah Tree,” because some are, like Abe Vagoda, over 4000 years old.
The group having lunch at the saddle, made tiny by coming to the mountain.
From then on, it was a whisper of a trail, getting increasingly steeper all the way up.
The front side of Boundary is a little boring, but the back is more dramatic with lots of gendarmes.
And then you are at the top, looking at the 360 views. Pictures never do vistas justice.
We lounged and snacked in the sun while Jeff, who may be Spider-man, also summited Montegomery Peak.
More views. Somewhere in this shot is a mountain lion. Even though you can’t see him, he can see you.
After a descent that was much more rapid and pleasant than the climb, Ron, the trip organizer, gives the whole day a thumb’s up.
This was my second western peak after Humpheys and defintitely the hardest hike I’ve done so far. The distance and steepness weren’t a problem, but the thin air forced me to stop very often after breaking 11K feet. According to others in the group, California and Colorado with smoother trails, are actually easier. I’ll believe that when I’m cresting.
Links:
– LV Trailblazers
– PBS on Bristolcone Pines
– America’s Roof Nevada
– SummitPost.org Boundary Peak