Late-season Calico 4-peak (near Las Vegas, NV)

pics by Harlan W.S.
May 25, 2010

A cool spring made this trip quite pleasant.  Total distance was  9 miles, with 4300' accumulated elevation gain.; the trip took about 5h 20m, including ample stops on the peaks. The highest temperature was ~75F, but there was a bit of wind.

The numbers on the map correspond to the approximate locations marked on the photos.

Every year since 2003, I've done variations on this hike (e.g. here and here); my home is only 15 minutes away.  I usually surprise a herd of bighorns, as I did on this day.

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1
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2 Turtlehead.
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3 Wash cuts off Gateway Canyon.
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4 Just as one heads up back of Gray Cap.
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5 Tanks on way to Gray Cap.
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6 Top of Greycap, view to Turtlehead.
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7 Bighorns!
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Mariposa lily.
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I head W to Turtlehead.
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View back E at Gray Cap.
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8 Back of Turtlehead.
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9 View ESE from Turtlehead.
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I saw this woman carrying a purse,
and wearing high-heeled sandals,
on my brief trip on the THead trail.
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10 Red Cap.
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Top of Red Cap, view WSW to
Wilson, Rainbow, and Bridge.
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10b Top of Red Cap.
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Turtlehead, N of Red Cap.
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11  View to New Peak.
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View of Turtlehead, while climbing
the first part of New Peak.
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12 Gray Cap from New.
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View E from west end New Ridge.
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View near top of New; Turtlehead
 at L, then Madre, Damsel, and Gray Cap
(below Damsel, atop colored sandstone).
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View back at Red Cap.
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Top of New, view over Kraft.
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13
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A buckwheat.
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14 Yellow penstemons.
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Bee in a strawberry hedgehog cactus.
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Indigo bush.