Since your web browser does not support JavaScript,
here is a non-JavaScript version of the trip report. NOTE: the slideshow above with not work with JavaScript disabled. August 23, 2001
Leaving Las Vegas at around 6 p.m.
I didn't arrive at the trailhead until around 10:30 pm. The
stretch of desolate highway near Lida, Nevada proved to be a fun
game of dodge the rabbits and coyotes(one rabbit was not so good
at this game, sorry little fellar). I parked my car at the Trout
Pond about 1.5 miles from the trailhead knowing this would add
about 3 miles to my overall trip and another 700-1000 feet of
elevation gain. Attempting to sleep in the back of my car only
allowed me several hours sleep due to the discomfort.
August 24, 2001
Up by 6:15 a.m. I packed my bag
and started hiking down the road arriving at the trailhead around
7:30 a.m. There was not a car or person in sight at the trailhead
and nobody signed in before in the register.
The trail starts out very nicely skirting some
willow bushes and sagebrush. I read people's websites about
getting lost in this section but I found the trail to be quite
obvious. If you get lost, just keep working your way up the
canyon and you'll find the trail again. The photo below is a shot
of the saddle about 1 mile above the trailhead. Boundary Peak's
true summit sits behind the tallest point you see in the photo
below. From this point the trail head directly towards the
mountain.
This photo below is about midway up the saddle.
It doesn't take long to realize that Boundary Peak is the biggest
sand dune/gravel pit you have ever seen. With every 1 foot step
you slide back down about 8 inches in the scree so the going gets
quite tiring very quickly. Having just climbed the Grand Teton a
week earlier, I expected to run right up Boundary Peak. This was
hardly the case. The lose rock/sand/gravel made climbing the
saddle quite a chore. It's about 2000 feet of straight up
scrambling. Many people recommended alternative routes that they
thought would be easier than straight up the middle, but I'm
convinced there is no easy way up this peak, just be ready for a
good couple hours of struggling up the scree pile. Towards the
top of the saddle I tried to climb the larger rocks since they
seemed to stay in place a little better. Once you reach the top
of the saddle you realize you're not quite there yet. It's about
another 800 feet in elevation over to the true summit but the
trail is much better from here to the top.
This photo was taken from the summit and is
Montgomery Peak in California. Many people leave the trailhead
with the intentions of bagging both peaks, good luck. I made it
to the summit around 11:30 a.m. completely exhausted from the
scrambling and had the views to myself the entire time I stayed
on the top. The views were not really that great, Montgomery Peak
blocks most of the Sierra Nevadas and it seemed to be really
hazy, maybe due to a nearby fire or just smog???
Had to snap a photo of myself next to the cairns
at the summit for proof that I was there. I had some lunch,
signed all the registers, there seems to be quite a few up there,
and began my descent.
This photo below is from the summit looking back
down at the saddle that takes forever to reach. The nice thing
about this peak is even though the scramble up the saddle is a
real pain, coming back down you can haul butt straight down the
scree almost skiing on the loose rock. I descended the 2500 feet
or so back to the meadow in about 30-45 minutes. About midway
down a passed a couple heading up the gravel pit the same route I
took. They asked if there was a better way and I just told them
to keep chugging up is all they could do. I was back at the
trailhead around 1 pm and back to my car at 2 pm. It was time to
head back to Vegas and celebrate.
