10th Stroke Anniversary (La Madre, El Padre, Peak 7667 near Red Rock, NV)

pics by Harlan W.S.
March 08, 2012

This trip was intended to reckon with two anniversaries. It was the 10^th anniversary of my own freakish brainstem stroke on March 08, 2002. In addition, it is nearly 10 years since my mother died suddenly from a hemorrhagic stroke on her brainstem. I have tried to do something difficult, every year on the anniversary of my stroke. I may ease off on this obligation, now that I’ve made it this far. Originally, it was predicted that I would never again have adequate balance for this sort of activity.

This trip looks mainly like a long slog to La Madre. It is more than that; I also visited “Fernande” (peak 7667) east of La Madre, by an “interesting” route, and later went to El Padre. The accumulated elevation gain was over 5800’, and the stretch to 7667 and back is very slow.

I started in Sandstone Quarry. The red line is my GPS trace.	In 2003, when there was still access via Little Red Rock, I saw peak 7667 from the east. It looked like a dramatic, yet difficult to reach place for a remembrance of my mother. Since the name of the range, “La Madre,” means “mother,” the choice seemed fitting.	Flash forward to March 08, 2012. At 7:40AM, I started from Sandstone Quarry. El Padre in distance at L, Turtlehead at R.
El Padre. The peak has 1200’ cliffs on the S side.	View up; camera was perhaps at 45°. I’ll head to right around corner.	View W to arch on El Padre.
Around corner, view back at Turtlehead.	Higher, still looking S.	View SW over El Padre; Potosi in distance at L. A problem is apparent; the N slopes are covered with soft snow from a recent fall, and the rock is very slippery under the snow. So, I’ll try to keep on the very edge later, to stay in the sun.
Some register entries from the summit of La Madre.
	Now I look ENE to peak 7667 and Vegas.	The ridge to 7667 is a cliff on the R (S) side, and steep slabs with snow and talus on the L.
		Here’s part of the problem. If the cliff scares you and you retreat N to the slabs, you find an irregular mix of snow and scree on steep rock. The security is an illusion (as in most of life).
I look back (WSW) over a cliff that I had just downclimbed. You must be very careful here; I tested every hold, and trundled off many loose rocks.	View WNW to Charleston (at L) and Mummy (at R). It has been a very dry winter, though we did get about 1’ of snow 10 days later.	View on S side main cliff below 7667. The Summerlin Peak Ridge is in the distance.
Killis Howard is a well-known climber (controversial) in this area; he had attempted the traverse the year before. I don't envy Trent's dark downclimb; at least he was heading down steep slopes, not cliffs. My mother (Quebecoise) was born the day after the armistice was signed. My great-grandmother later abducted the baby and had her christened "Victoire" to celebrate the end of WWI. My mother and grandmother hated that name, and preferred "Pauline Fernande."	La Madre is in back. Few people get to this peak; the register had 4 signatures in 5 years, 2 of which were mine.	View over E side of 7667.
My house is down there!	A raven waits for me to fall.	View back WSW as I return. The edge is overhung much of the way.
	View down to Turtlehead.	Back on Madre, I face another problem; I forgot to bring food.
	Soon I head up El Padre. The cliff on the S side is serious business; a slip and you can fall 1200’.	I found a register here in 2004, but someone had taken the pencil. When Mark B and I came through here in 2006, the original register was gone, so we left a new one. Miraculously, someone found this water-logged book from the old register, and added it to the one I left.
In 2006, I put a description of the route from White Rock Spring on the internet. I was unaware that anyone might see or use that route.	This map shows the route from White Rock Spring.	Now it’s a “well-known” route! Who knows if they read my account.
	The temp was probably in the 40s, but the wind had stopped, and I was actually hot.	Turtlehead and RedCap from El Padre
View SE, with Damsel Peak on L.	Graycap and Kraft.	La Madre at L.
	Cliffs on S of La Madre.	Cliffs again, as I descend the notch between La Madre and El Padre.
Now I head down the awful slick scree-on-rocks on E side of El Padre.		View of arch again, different lighting.
Turtlehead.	Iron oxy-hydroxides, probably from a decayed sulfide deposit.	View back up at El Padre.
Redcap, as I head out.