13 Years on Monument (Red Rock, NV)

Harlan WS
Dec 06, 2015

I don't usually do pages for local peaks, but Monument has a special place in my heart.  I first climbed this peak with Branch Whitney about 13 years ago, just 9 months after suffering a freak stroke that left me partially paralyzed, without true balance, and without proprioception in half of my body. Since then I've gone about 11 more times, by a variety of routes, some challenging in both scariness and cardio, some long and beatuiful.

On my nearly-13 year anniversary, I returned with 3 other long-time friends, and we explored the "back" route again.  I last took the back route 3.5 years ago, and it was pretty much unmarked; since then, some gracious souls (I suspect AtBF) have cairned, rerouted, and clipped brush on the route, making it much more pleasant.  This page recounts that latest trip.

1caltopo
A close up of some routes.
Red is a 2008 route up the
east ridge and by the arch;
Blue is a route Barb and I
took Last Feb., and purple is
the route on Dec 6, 2015.		 2monument_all
A broader map to
show the trailheads.		 DSCN1985
View W from limestone
ridge, just before the
highest elevation of the
day.  We're on the purple
route, about to descend
to E over sandstone.
DSCN1988_stitch
From the limestone ridge,
we get this view E over
Monument and Hidden
Peaks (L), the
Black Velvet Canyon,
and Black Velvet Peak
to R.		 DSCN1989 DSCN1992
Now we're on the L
(NW) shoulder of
Monument. We wind
R by the level spot,
then traverse,
and head up two steep
gullies.
DSCN1993
Up the 1st gully		 DSCN1994
Looking NE, this rock
marks where one
traverses SW to next
gully		 DSCN1996
Next gully, near top
(bottom is this gully
is dangerous from
loose rock); you need
to reach the notch
at center (with tree
"inside")
DSCN1997
Taking convoluted
route to notch		 DSCN1999 DSCN2000
Now above notch
DSCN2001
The valley drops off
quickly, 2000', to E.		 DSCN2002
This is the short class 3+
wall just above the big
drop. View NE and
down.		 DSCN2003
DSCN2004 DSCN2006
View N, Mt Wilson
in back.		 DSCN2008
View ESE from top.
DSCN2009
View NW with friends.		 DSCN2010_stitch
View SE from near top.		 DSCN2012
DSCN2014_stitch
now we stroll around W end
of summit area, to look back
on frozen tinajas.		 DSCN2016
Another view of frozen
tinajas (water-
filled tanks).		 DSCN2017
descending W above
 messy chute
DSCN2018 DSCN2019 DSCN2020
View back up ~SE
DSCN2022
Head of slippery
class 3 in 1st chute		 DSCN2025
Climbing out of valley
N of Hidden Peak.
Monument is the lump in
back at L; the
route goes around
the shoulder at L.		 DSCN2026
across the SW side of
"The Park"
DSCN2028 DSCN2029
scenery on trail
to Park		 DSCN2030
View E through Spring
Canyon.
DSCN2031 DSCN2032
Almost back at Rainbow
Springs, water in trail
still frozen.		 e-cats
My cats were hungry
when I got home.