Big Bird and LIDAR

HWS
Oct. 20, 2025

This peaklet is on the east side of Kraft Mountain, north of Calico Basin and west of Las Vegas, NV.

New LIDAR gives Big Bird a prominence of 74' relative to the lowest saddle at west, and suggests it is ~1' higher than the rocks to the east. The true position (relative to wgs84) was 36.16234, -115.41621 as of 2025, and the LIDAR elevation was 4571' (+/- 1' at least). I went there today to test some new retrievable handline configurations; I've been about 6x. The climb is ~class 4, and often I set a handline for the downclimb.

CP put this peak in his book "Rambles and Scrambles" in 2015, and it was pretty much ignored till the last few years. He found a pre-existing register on his first summit.

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Caltopo view
 Lidar
LIDAR
 PXL_20251020_183233049
Big Bird view W,
as seen from
contender to E
(which is 1' lower
by LIDAR).
PXL_20251020_183630100
View E from
Big Bird,
of contender
 PXL_20251020_183640940
View W from
Big Bird
 PXL_20251020_183903311
The standard
slab up E side
of Big Bird.
PXL_20251020_184918826
This pinnacle W of
Big Bird is actually
more impressive,
but just class 3 on
other side, and has
just 33' prominence.
 PXL_20251020_184918826a
The only proof
I went up pinnacle
in previous frame.
Not yet used to
new phone.
 PXL_20251020_191426057
View W
from Kraft.