El Dorado Peaks (Near Nelson NV)

Harlan WS & Paula R
Dec 12, 2017

I had ignored this area for 14 years, even though it was close to home and recommended by many friends. Long overdue. We started sort-of late and Paula kept a good pace.

The first part is the most confusing, as one tries to follow gullies that subtly change direction by 90 degrees. The blue traces are hypothetical "better routes" taken from GoogleEarth.	The last peak of the day is named "Stocker" in C. Purcell's "Rambles and Scrambles." The peak across the valley (1173) has an unconfimed photogrammetry elevation, but may be lower.	After a bizarre time in the "flats," we head to "Pigs in Zen" (PIZ)
View N as Paula muscles up PIZ	Our next goal, the Wilderness Highpoint, is visible at R	View SE to our last goal for the day, Mount Stocker.
PIZ in back to W. We are crossing E to S ridge of Highpoint (HP)	The Highpoint is the L peak ahead. Actually that's a false summit.	Paula's view of me as we truck ~N
	View ~S, Stocker at L
View N at the "real summit." Class 2 at L.	Paula heads down the false summit.	All the reg pics are from Paula. Howard Booth was quite active in this area till the last few years.

Summit of Highpoint, View ~NE	View ~S	Descending, view back at HP
We trend L into the valley, looking for a break in cliffs	Our break is just R (S) of FU rock.	We crossed into the Valley E of Stocker and worked S, then we took a ramp up the ESE side. This is a view from the notch immediately S of Stocker. There is a 50' cliff at the top of this notch, so it's out for descent.
View to E, with 1173m point in back.	View NW to HP	Paula took this view SE, showing the big dropoff to S
Paula encouraged me to jump, but with the wind and small landing area, I demured.	View ~SSE. Spirit Mt is on the R horizon	View S. I initially climbed up the light blue path; the dark blue would have been smarter. I climbed around on top of this lesser peak till I was convinced we could take the NEXT gully S and off the peak.
	Now I'm looking back at Stocker from the peak to S. Paula is hidden in the shadows at R.	Magically, we have descended the gully, abd are looking back SE at a huge arch.
View back at HP. The false summit is at L, separated from the true top by a tan formation.	View back at Stocker	We approach PIZ
Paula's view of the terrain.