Organ Needle and NE Peak, Dona Ana and N Peak (New Mexico)

Organ Needle and NE Peak, Doña Ana and N Doña Ana Peak (New Mexico)

Harlan W S & CP
Oct 26-27 , 2015

I first saw the Organ Mountains in 1982, on a drive to Kilbourne Hole. I was so taken, that I looked up the range in Ungnade's book ("New Mexico Mountains"), and decided I would soon go to Organ Needle. About the same time, I read about nearby Doña Ana Peak, which had such an odd description that I decided I would never climb that lower summit.

I worked in Albuquerque, and as weekends filled up with work, the drive to Las Cruces seemed longer and longer. Back then, the route to Organ Needle was supposed to be a pretty tough bushwhack, and nobody wanted to join me for the climb. Then I moved to NV in 1998, so I thought Organ Needle was lost to me.

Then CP and DB invited me to meet them in Las Cruces as they drove across the country... and now the route to Organ Needle has a use trail all the way!

GPS tracks (in gpx fprmat), to use AT YOUR OWN RISK, are here and here. (Right-click PC, or ctrl-click Mac, or do a long press on touchscreen. Then pick SAVE AS or SAVE LINK AS.) In the steep, cliffy areas near the top of the Needle, your gps will probably not track correctly, especially if you wear the gps low on your body. We started at the "traditional" TH, which requires some tough 4x4 driving. Frankly there is no advantage over starting at Dripping Springs, with a paved parking area, except the possible limitation in hours (doesn't open till 8am). While the peak has over 4000' gain, there is now a use trail all the way, and if you are reasonably fit, you should be able to do the RT in 6 hrs, provided the weather isn't too hot.

We took the "traditional approach" below Modoc Mine.	The contour map is a pretty lame indicatior of the ruggedness of the summit area; it doesn't even resolve Minerva's Temple.	View WSW as we walk.
	View SE toward Organ Peak.	View W out of 1st narrow valley. We then crossed N along the base of a cliff to enter another gully.
View W at notch to aptly-named Dark Canyon.	View E from notch to Minerva's Temple. One descends L here, into low trees, then climbs up to...	the base of the class 3 crux, probably no more than 20' vertical. If you are comfortable with the method, it may be easiest to get good handholds and climb with your feet on steep rock on S (R side) of crack.
Looking down, Tracy at base of crux.	Tracy comes up crux.	At top of Needle, view of NE peaklet, actually more challenging.
View N to the Squaretops.		View ~S with Organ Peak.
	MJ was here!
Tracy does...???	Me on top, doing MJ's MO.
	CP on NE peaklet.	Tracy imitates
	Now I'm on NE peaklet, looking down to Tracy on crux. There was an old piton anchor at R (about my level), and a rotten sling by Tracy.	View back at highest Needle peak, from peaklet.
Tracy and I came down a handline. I spotted Tracy, then CP threw down the line, and Tracy spotted CP. (After this pic, I climbed back up and supported Tracy.)	View SW on descent.	View back NE on descent.
	Organ Mts behind us to E, as we walk out on Modoc Mine road.	Next day we went to Doña Ana. The route recommended by COHP and others is now gated, so we took a route CP figured out from topos. It was short, class 1-2 to the named summit, but we intentionally took a harder route to N peak.
Heading NW through the wash	View SW as we leave wash
	On top with (L to R) CP, DB, and Tracy.	Top, Organ Mts in distance, L skyline.
The northern peak, which is supposedly just 2' lower. We followed ridge on R side.	Farmland in distance to SW
Now we head E...	View SW as we up Northern Peak.	View NE off top
Tracy has gone off to check west summit (CP and I went there soon).	This and next 2 pics: descending rocky rib off northern summit.
		Organ Mts to SE
DB comes down a dryfall.