Utah LVMC: Tushars, Henrys, and Somewhere in between!

pics by Harlan W.S.
Sept 3-5, 2011

Day 1: GPS trace of quick Tushar tour. I had been to Delano before by the standard route, so this time I went SE on the Skyline Trail, then cut up Holly, to Delano, then peak 12045 and back over Delano.	Day 2: Bluebell Knoll just S of Bicknell. This was mainly an exercise for the vehicles, which went over 50 miles RT on dirt roads, climbed over 6000’, all to give us a 0.5 mile RT walk.	Day 3: A delightful trip to Mount Ellen and Ellen Peak in the Henry Mts, with good practice on handling the unexpected, and renewal of faith in people.
Day 1. I started out fairly early, as the other folks were just beginning to stir. View back on the campsite at the 1^st Big John Meadow.	The barestem delphinium (a relative of the desert larkspur) was in gorgeous bloom.	Delano, as viewed from Skyline Trail. There were a few drops across gullies, but generally less than 100’.
Meadow with … cows. Even the bulls seemed afraid of me.	The Skyline trail crosses into a woods, through a delphinium patch. Shortly after this point, I left the trail and headed directly up the ridge to Mount Holly Golightly.
Delano to W. This drainage has a year-round spring, and is popular with the animals.	Now I’m on top of Holly Madison, with Delano to N. There were lots of marmots on the summit, but they left as soon as I arrived.	Panorama from Mt Holly Madison. Peak 12045 (aka Crystal di Peak) is in the center of the view.
This looks like a rock glacier. It probably contained some snow originally, perhaps at the end of the Pleistocene, or even in the Little Ice Age.	Yet another pano from Holly Golightly.	Mountain Goats were on this knoll, after escaping hunters earlier. The peak in back is probably the unnamed point 11593.
Arrogance while on Holly. Delano in back.	Now I stroll N toward Delano. View E through a notch in the cliffs.	Mountain goats.
Mountain goats.	Delano above the tableland.	Shed mountain goat fur was everywhere on this cliff edge.
The S side of Delano. Looks steep, but just class 2 at worst.	View E peak 12045.	I met Ali on top of Delano. Belknap is to the R of Ali, and Baldy is at L. The other folks would come in a while. I then headed out to peak 12045.
View back W to Delano. I took long GPS averages at two places on the saddle, and the peak top, to determine that 12045 had at least 310’ prominence.	Panorama S to SW (L to R) from 12045. Mt Holly Madison is in the middle.	Mount Holly Madison.
A wider pano from Holly (L) to Delano (R).	View back at Delano.	View of 12002 to the NE. I should have gone here too, but didn’t want the other folks to worry about me.
Arrogance! With peak 12002’ in back.	View N from tableland.	View SE.2045 at L, Holly at R.
Polemonium, near end of season, on Delano.	Phlox.	Alpine Collomia?
Cinquefoil.	Belknap to N.	More delphinium as I head down.
	Field f asters.	Joel and Toby relax; Delano in back.
Day 2 – on the magnificent BlueBell Knoll, the highpoint of Fragmilkovich Co.		View to Mt Ellen Degeneres, from Bluebell Knoll.
	Day 3- we pack up at McMillan Campground, a nice place at >8000’ on the W side of Ellen.	Toby signs in for start up Ellen.
I had “permission” to go my own pace, which helped me from suffering right- brain deficit.	Looking back (S) on the S peak of Ellen, and Mt Pennell to R.	More view S.
There are some elaborate wind shelters on the S peak of Mount Ellen.	Bull Mt. to ENE.	View to Ellen Peak.
Deer Haven to NW of Ellen Peak.	Ellen Peak. There is an amazing trail (maybe built by CCC) on this peak.
Pano ~N from Ellen Peak..	Dry Lakes Peak.	Arrogance! My footing was unstable, mea culpa.
View SW from Ellen Peak.
		Back at Mount Ellen.
	Joel and Toby head N.
	I took long GPS readings at Mount Ellen and the S peak…	…and determined that the S peak was 10-40’ lower.
Back at the Bull Creek Pass Rd, I was an hour ahead of the other folks. I talked with this pleasant BLM range, Josh F., for a while before I realized that he was armed! Judging by the hoopla we heard the previous night, being armed is probably a good thing up here.	View back at Ellen… waiting for Ali, Joel and Toby.	Here they come!
	I took this photo of Joel’s car. just as we heard the flat on our R front side.	6 hours later… a complete redneck repair, with a similar tire!
…and then we looked back at Ellen Peak (to the S)n as we headed W on rte 24…