donutszenmom.com

The image on the header of this blog was taken on the saddle of Courthouse Rock in Tonopah, which is about 75 miles west of Phoenix. [Sorry, that was the old header.] I was about 600 or 700 feet up on the climb, but 1100 feet from the very bottom of the formation: you climb up about 400 or 500 feet on scree before you get to the bottom of the climb.

The whole thing is surrounded by hundreds of miles of wilderness. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.

The climb itself is quite easy, but the whole thing takes a full day. Start early in the morning, finish after sundown. You carry your water, which means you don’t bring much. Desert climbing always has a “how much water should I bring and how much weight can I save before I risk compromising my performance (and wits) by toying with dehydration” factor built in. I don’t think I’ve ever been so thirsty as I was after this climb. Need to check the photos for dates, but it was summer, and I know the temperatures were well over 100.

I was looking for a new header photo this morning and ran into dozens of climbing pictures on my hard drive. Will start posting some. They’re just amazing to look at — not the people so much as the landscapes…