The Real Devil's Thumb
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Team Neurologically Differently-Abled  (Harlan S. and Tracy F.) does a likely first ascent

This peak is striking and easily visible on the left, as one drives south from Searchlight, NV, via US95. There is no name given in the USGS database. Because of an accident of photogrammetry, it looks unimpressive on USGS topo maps (elevation wrong by at least 100', omission of cliffs). When I researched the area 18 years ago, I saw brief mention of a striking "Devil's Thumb" north of Spirit Mt, and I assumed this must be the peak. As the era of internet peakbagging ensued, I saw the name "Devil's Thumb" start to appear as the title for North Spirit Mountain (Why?), which is neither thumb-like nor particularly striking. (When I climbed North Spirit, the register referred only to the elevation, and it is nameless on USGS maps. The US Board of Geographical names made this decision, probably erroneously, in 1990; they cite no imformation for the choice.)

Tracy had been looking at this peak for years, and we combined our complementary, differently-abled brains to find a way.  Steve S. and Paula R. supplied ideas, muscle and psychological support on scoping trips.

Harlan W S, Paula R
January 18, 2020

0map0
Google maps aerial view.
The USGS map omits
the triangle-shaped,
cliff-bounded
summit block.
 IMG_0767
Paula and I went down
in Nov 2019, and kept
joking about how it
looked easier the
closer we got. Red
line shows final route.
 IMG_0767a
Red line again
shows route
IMG_0767b IMG_1460
Spirit Mt to S
 IMG_1461
Jan. 18, 2020, we start
out after dawn.*
IMG_1462
Early morn lighting
shows some of the
cliffs. We are going
up left side
 IMG_1464
Tracy has just
jumared up a horn
I had lassoed the
previous day. There
is a 15-20' vertical
wall just below him.
The wall is largely
devoid of cracks and
doesn't take protection
 IMG_1464a
Jumping back to
2019, Paula is at
base of wall that
Tracy had just
jumared in previous.
IMG_1465
I established
a handline of 15mm
webbing on a very steep
slope.
IMG_1466
Tracy breaks through
the top cliff band
 IMG_1468
1st ascentionist!
IMG_1469
View W; my pack is
where we broke through
the last cliff band
 IMG_1470
Halo on Tracy's head,
Spirit Mt. in back
 IMG_1472
IMG_1473
The USGS says that
peak (L mid-photo)
 is at least 100' higher
 IMG_1474
Castle Peaks CA
 IMG_1475
Pinto BM to N
IMG_1476 IMG_1481
Tracy downclimbs
top cliff band
 IMG_1482
Tracy starts single-strand
rap. The fictive ledges
are an optical illusion
when observing from
below.
IMG_1483 IMG_1484
rap is about 40'.
I later doubled the
webbing so I could
pull it, and went down
on a single Munter.
 IMG_1486
View back at the peak.
Again, we used L side.
IMG_1487
Back at jeeps. This
road has some washouts
and loose sand;
Escape Buddies (sand
ladders) might be a
good idea.
 IMG_1491[1]
What a few hours of
cold, abrasive alkaline
rock did to my finger
tips.
I will likely remove the line
I used to lasso the the horn,
replacing it with a less-obvious
device that can be reached by
a long stick-clip. For a time
window, a person with prussiks
and 100' of cordage can do this
without gear. If you rap
off the current lasso on horn,
be aware of pendulum danger.
DO NOT TRY TO "BATMAN"
 UP THE ROPE; YOU WILL PULL
IT OFF THE HORN AND DIE.
*I have a hard time driving in the dark (accident in 2018 destroyed my already compromised peripheral vision), so I drove down the day before and camped out. I had brain damage in 2002, which leaves me partly paralyzed, so I really have to pay attention when driving.Tracy has Parkinson's Disease.


The U.S. Board of Geographical Names assigned "Devil's Thumb" to the non-descript southern peak (5189)  in 1990; that naming is very likely an error. The source of the decision is cited as NDOT base maps from the 1950s and 1960s; I have looked through all the historical NDOT maps available to me, and nowhere does this name appear. It seems Spirit Mt was confounded with "Dead Mt." The 1968 NDOT base map for southern Clark Co DOES NOT show a Devil's Thumb AT ALL, but labels what is now the 5189 peak "High Peak SE." This map also shows "Spirit Peak" and "Dead Mtn" (in larger type, apparently what is now called Newberry Mountains) as well as a "Flattop" just S of Spirit, and a "Rocky Peak" near what is now spot elevation 4917. In the early 90s, BGN asked locals about the names of nearby mountains, then gave the list to underlings to interpret. From review of other names they recommended, I surmise the reviewers would only assign peak names to a spot elevation printed on the corresponding USGS map, even if it were bizarrely inappropriate. The rugged mountain to the north, which looks thumb-like, has a severe USGS photogrammetry error (which cuts off the sharp cliffs that make up the summit block), and has no spot elevation. The conical lump 5189 had a spot elevation on the map. The most recent NDOT maps label 5189 as Devils Thumb, but those maps undoubtedly use the BGN database.   What do you think?