The Agony of Defeat

It was the second attempt to climb Spirit Mountain.  The mountain is located in far southern Nevada.  The mountain's peak is 5600'.  

Here is the mountain viewed from the east.


Last April we attempted to climb from the east; after 6 hours of climbing and still hours from the peak, we turned back because of limited daylight.  This time the plan was to start at first light.  We chose the approach from the southwest.  We were starting at 3700' elevation compared to 2500'  the previous attempt.  And without the 2 mile hike across the flats to where the ascent would begin, we were confident of making the peak by noon. 

Well, we again were turned back.  There is no trail up the mountain.  The mountain has many canyons  and sheer rock faces.  This photo may give you an idea, as we hugged the side of the mountain attempting to find a way up.   We were at 4800' at this point, and came to a dead end at the spacing between the rocks in this picture.

(sorry about the shadows)

So it was 9:30, and we realized that there are two separate peaks, and we were on the wrong mountain.  You can't see this from the ground, nor do the satellite images show this.  So a few more pics and down the mountain we descend.


The area is rather remote and rugged. Thankfully temps were on the cooler side, 55°-65°, so no worry about snakes.

The view from the higher elevations overlooks Lake Mohave and the Colorado River.


The next plan is to try the approach from the southeast.  Will we make it next time?

Stay tuned...