Summerlin Ridge Multi-Peaklet Loop

Harlan W.S. & Paula C. R.
Saturday Nov. 03, 2018

We started from the equestrian lot (where Cheyenne becomes Cliff Shadows) about 7:48 AM, and finished back at the car 8 hours later.  I thought I had brought enough water, but my pack rested on my open bite valve on Summerlin Peak, and drained a liter!  Fortunately Paula could give me 0.5 L of her supply.  The day had some breezes, and was probably no more than mid-60s F; but in the direct sun it seemed hot.

We stayed on BLM land, and started on the S side on bike trails, so we could hit the Whale first.  I had never been to the Whale, and didn't know the route from there to Gottlieb; as it turns out there were probably 2 far-easier routes to connect the two peaks.

0map
Map. It's very stark
terrain with a harsh beauty.
 DSC00493
View N up at Woody
Ridge (L) and Summerlin
Peak (R)
 DSC00494
View WNW to Whale (L)
and Gottlieb (R)
DSC00495
In Gully between Woody
and Whale, view N to
Little Red Rock Peak. That
was the original name for
Gottlieb, but that register
was buried in ice and mud in
2004. I tried to rectify the
error by transferring the
name to this little nubbin.
 DSC00496
View E as Paula starts
up Whale.
 DSC00496b
Whale at L; it begins
to look like a leopard
 or puma.
DSC00497
The Whale, or a puma
looking up and L.
 DSC00499
Head of puma.
 DSC00501
We missed a big
gully to N, and took
a nice rocky route
with a few class 3+
spots.
DSC00503
Woody ridge to E.
 DSC00504 DSC00505
Oops, I don't think
we go here.
DSC00506
Paula nears top of
Whale
 DSC00507b
Paula's view of me
nearing top.
 DSC00508
Gottlieb in back, view
from Whale. Our route
in Blue; I think we could
gone up a hidden class
2 gully at L, or another
gully just R of our route
near ridge. Paula's pic.
DSC00509
View S over Whale
 DSC00511
View S as Paula comes
down Whale to saddle
S of Gottlieb
 DSC00515
It's much steeper than
it looks.
DSC00517
Higher Madres at L,
Gottlieb at R
 DSC00519
On Gottlieb, Woody
Ridge L of Paula.
 DSC00519b
Amazingly, Laszlo
had been there the
day before, and had
remembered my
story about naming
Gottlieb.
DSC00520
View W from Gottlieb,
with peak names
 DSC00521 DSC00523
Now we are on
"Little Red Rock,"
Gottlieb at W.
DSC00523b
On Little RR, Paula's
View SE to next
peaks we will traverse.
 DSC00524 DSC00525
DSC00526
Easy class 3 chute
on NW corner of
Little RR
 DSC00527 DSC00528
Starting up ridge to
Peak 5356
DSC00529
View back at Gottlieb;
Whale in fore and Damsel
in back at L
 DSC00531 DSC00532
View on to Woody.
At this point Paula
began dashing along
the ridge, reveling
in the freedom.
DSC00535
"Woody" is either of
these next two
peaks. The peak with
Paula used to have a
statue of "Woody," the
character from Toy Story.
The statue disappeared
about 10 years ago.
 DSC00536 DSC00537
View back NW at
Paula, as she takes
an agave out of her
shoe.
DSC00540 DSC00541
view back NW along
Woody ridge.
 DSC00542
Summelin Peak. Back
in 1999 we got above
the light patch on the E
ridge, at which point
my partner refused
to go any farther.
DSC00544
WNW from Summerlin
Peak, Damsel at L
 DSC00545 DSC00547
Summerlin Peak
in back as we
break through
cliff band on
Cheyenne Mt.
DSC00548
Maclurites fossil
on Cheyenne Mt.
 DSC00549
View NNW over
Paula.
 DSC00550
Summerlin Peak at L
DSC00551 DSC00554
A tabulate coral, and
possibly a bryozoan
at L
 DSC00555
DSC00556
Lots of horn coral fossils.