Gray Cap (near Calico Basin, Nevada, near Vegas) over 16.5 years

Pics by Harlan W S et al.
Mar. 04, 2004 to Nov 12, 2020

Certainly this is not my hardest activity lately, but falls in the "sentimental" category; it gives a glimpse of the variation one can find when one is bored. In the Pandemic, I had a chance to explore routes I'd put on a back burner, and the last 5 trips depicted are all from the Fall of 2020. I learned some disheartening news on Nov 12 (date of the last trip), and the chance to pick a route (very last in this page) with no cairns was uplifting. This ridge is fairly close to my house, and allows pretty easy access, and is amenable to late starts. One of the more sobering trips (only one pic below) was the search for Ron Kirk in 2012, and the meeting of his not-too-sober mates.

Below are pictures from a FEW of my trips over this ridge. Many times (not shown here)  Gray Cap has been part of a multipeak hike including Turtlehead, Damsel and Kraft or Red Cap.

Only in Vegas does 16.5 years seem so long. My first trip over GrayCap ridge, from the east over Turtlehead and back by Gateway Canyon, I saw a total of 2 cairns (except on summit of Turtlehead), and my chosen ascent route to the ridge was a bit dicey. There was no register on Gray Cap, and one parked on the roadside, as Kraft lot did not exist.


video
Recent route on Gray Cap
(use mouse to rotate image,
lower left to change speed)
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Various routes, certainly
not all I've taken. I didn't
see a register on GoatBed
till about 2011, but then
I wasn't looking.
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My 1st trip along the ridge
and over Turtlehead, 3/2004.
I picked an iffy way up the
limestone.
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2004 again, note the
lack of development
to left.
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2004; this was the last
hike when I still had
vertigo from 2002
brain damage.
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2005 was a very wet year,
and when we went up the
"easy" way, there were lots
of waterfalls.
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At that time, there was
no published way south
down the sandstone,
so we wound around
cliffs till we were down.
I haven't been on that
exact route since.
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Jeff C. And Michelle N,
2012, the search for Ron
Kirk. Ron's body was
later found below the cliffs
on south side of Turtlehead.
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In early 2017, Tom, Barb
Judy and I decided to
try a random route on
the south..
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That S route was
"interesting" and led
to a very convoluted
gps track, as we
constantly cliffed out.
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After Gray Cap, we headed
SE on the ridge. We hit very
snowy sections
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Judy, Tom and
Barb helped each
other.
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In 2018, Judy,
Barb, Susan M
and I did a traverse.
You can see the new
houses of Summerlin
encroaching in the
distance. This was less
than a month after my
2nd brain surgery of 2018.
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Judy (bottom) and Barb
(hidden behind rock)
spot Susan (top). I think
this trip convinced Susan
not to follow us on this
route ever again.
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Next obstacle on way NW.
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Looking back SE.
When by myself, I
sometimes walk the very
height of the ridge as a
test of balance.
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Sept 2020, on a cool
day we again went
SE to NW.
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View back SE over
Goatbed, one can see
more development
in Summerlin
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Judy and Barb handle
same downclimb with
aplomb.
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We came down
"Ghost Canyon" a route
that HLV cairned in
later 2005 or 2006. Barb
looked up over the slabs
as we walked east in
Gateway Canyon, and
wondered if we could
find another way up
the ridge that followed
sandstone all the way.
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...so solo explorations began.
First I found this great canyon
across from the east end of
Kraft Mt. It got me up to
the ridge with 1-2 class 3
moves, but had just a small
stretch of sandstone.
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...standard view from
Goatbed. I had seen a
big cairn closer to
Goatbed in 2004,
and wondered
if it would lead to a
decent descent...
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...it didn't.  I descended
over very steep slabs,
seeing no more cairns.
This photo is aimed UP,
and doesn't do justice
to the sketchiness...
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...and just when I thought
it would work, I hit a wall
that varied from 50' to
15'. I finally down-climbed
from the upper right to
the bottom of the ledge,
by using this catclaw-filled
crack.
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the next week, I
thought I'd try this
route to Goatbed!
it's steeper than it
looks...
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...and had me hugging
walls over class 4
moves on sketchy rock.

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...but it was direct!
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Another standard view
from Goatbed...
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...and the cliff I passed.
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So on the 3rd try, I
ascended the limestone
ridge by the route I used
16.5 years back, to the
top of Gray Cap.
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Then I started SE
down Gray Cap,
hoping to find the
mythical sandstone
slab route down
to the Canyon at
the east end of Kraft
Mt.
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...and here is where I
made it way harder than
it needed to be. I should
have stayed 200' up
to the left of the boulder.
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When I passed the
boulder, I was on
top of a 50' cliff...
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...so I descended the
gully, skirting around
hidden dryfalls.  I was
actually just east of the
route we took in 2017.
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It got vey interesting
near the canyon, and
I skirted lots of dryfalls
 till I finally slid 10' down
a steep ramp.
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4th time lucky! Here I'm
on the east end of Kraft Mt.
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... and there is a mostly
class 2 route that
follows red slabs,
with a few areas of
big grippy limestone
boulders...
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The only obnoxious
part is the red sandstone
loose slabs in the final
loose ramp on right. You
can see the boulder where
I made the mistake on the
previous trip.
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View SE down valley
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From top of Gray Cap
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I hadn't seen Iris Ma's
sig in a register for 10
months.  She's a tough
one.
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My only class 3 was
dropping down on the
N side of Gray Cap
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View NW up Brownstone
Valley
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Kraft Mt, as I return.