Cockscomb Convoluted Hike

pics by Harlan W.S.
Aug 18, 2010

This was supposed to be an easy day, as I am still sick, but somehow it was tiring. I intended to go up Fletcher Canyon, then up the E side of Cockscomb by the N ridge, then out Stanley B Springs. I’ve done variations on this route many times.  But there was this ridgeline that I always wanted to try…

Yes, it was an odd trip. I started late, and though it barely reached 79F the entire day, the sun felt merciless.  I had forgotten my GPS, and realized the main reason I carry it is so I can find out, “are we there yet?”

 

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Kludged map from old GPS

traces and my estimates.

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Back in June 2003, Nick and

I went on a tiring route on Mummy,

up a 4th class route, down the back

side, then went up Cockscomb

and down to Trail Canyon.

When we got just N of the

Cockscomb peak, I showed him

the HikingLasVegas instructions,

which back then urged one to

drop 200’ and far to the east,

to avoid a dangerous gully.

“I’m not gonna do that,” Nick said;

“I’ll just try climbing diagonally

from here.” He did, and I followed,

and it worked out just fine.

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We traveled on S on the ridge…

 

 

 

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And I got this shot of Nick on the

southern peak.  I noted an easier

way up, to the E, and took an

international contingent that

other way in August 2003.

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OK, back to 2010. I started off

on the Fletcher Canyon Trail

after 9:15, and it already seemed

warm; though the air T was ~70F,

the sun was relentless.  I had

forgotten my GPS, but knew

the way pretty well.

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Fletcher Canyon is fairly deep early.

I later realized my off-the-cuff

plans would have me dropping in,

from the ridge, about here.

Wasn’t gonna happen.

 

 

 

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Scarlet columbine.

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Fat Man’s Misery, from below.

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From above, looking

down my favorite route.

 

 

 

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To my great surprise, Upper

Fletcher was quite wet.

I thought I’d enjoy stemming

the slick rock, rather than

seeking the high-water routes.

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Lots of water.

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OK, too much water.

 

 

 

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Finally where the canyon

intersects the NLT; and

’ll be on trail briefly.

Cockscomb in distance.

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Off-trail again.  I’ll go up

the left side of the peak.

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View E, where one drops down.

In the next 30 minutes, I tried

what looked like a neat class

4/5 variation, only to back down

when the rock looked too cruddy.

When I got back down, one of

the rock ledges – where I had been

standing—collapsed and showered

me with debris.  Humbled, and

with welts on my back, I went on to
the top by the 3rd-class route

Nick and I used in 2003.

 

 

 

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This was the only picture I

took on the very top.

Someone had carefully left

this plastic sandwich container

on top, even going so far

as to weight it down with

rocks, just a day or two

before. Looks like Cockscomb

has gotten a bit too popular*.

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I started down the

Stanly B Springs route…

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…Then thought: “Hey, wouldn’t it

be fun to traverse over that

mysterious lump S of Fletcher

Canyon?  I can just drop into

the Canyon N of that little (dark)

peaklet!” This minor peak is marked

2631T (meters) on the topo map,

and has barely 180’ prominence

above the ridge.

 

 

 

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Actually, the ridge in between proved to be a PITA.

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View from the little lump

Well, I started to look down as

I approached the lump, and

decided the direct descent N to

Fletcher Canyon might be suicidal.

So I turned S toward the Kyle

Canyon Road, and dropped

down through Manzanita and

mountain mahogany.  I was

lucky enough to find some

deer paths, and had to walk the

road for just a short distance.

 

 

 

*I never intended to publicize these routes.  Then a few years back, a fellow e-mailed me, saying that he had tried the northern approach shown on one of my GPS traces, and was afraid of the class 3 rock. I said that’s why I characterized it as a class 3 route, but I knew of a class 2 way; in fact it was on the same map-- the Stanley B Springs approach. He wanted more guidance, and had a GPS, so I sent him a GPS track for Stanley B Springs.  He got lost.  I sent him more waypoints, urging him to follow the track. (I’m always amazed that people will ask for GPS instructions, not follow them, get lost, and somehow imply the GPS was misleading.) The third time, he met with success… and he immediately published the route on Summitpost.org.  No good deed goes unpunished.