Old mine building and tailings pile.

The trail was pretty flat, and well maintained. At the first old mine building we turned left and went straight up the hill. It felt like a slog. It was closer to noon, and we were lower, so it was hotter. Even so, it didn't take too long to get up. Going this way you will cross the trail, so it is possible to get much higher before stepping off.

I assume this is Mexican Mine, which the peak is named after.

We didn't want to take too long on the summit, so we set up two stations. I started on 2m, but didn't get many contacts. Luckily HF was open and we all made enough contacts. It was pretty warm in the sun, so the bristlecone pines were providing welcome shade. 

Great view of White Mountain Peak framed by Piute and Sheep.

My vote was to go straight down, but everyone else wanted to take the trail back, so we took the trail. In the end, I was glad I did since there were some interesting ruins and mines to see, and a few informational boards. I can't imagine being a miner in this area.

History of the peak.

Back at the car we put on some clean clothes then headed down the hill to Bishop to meet up with Jamie N6JFD for lunch. It was great to see him again, as it had been a few years. We then stocked up on cookies, then hit the road for the long drive back to the Bay Area. We didn't make it very far, however, before deciding a quick drive up to Dry Creek Knoll was in order.

 A few miles down the road from the Sheep Mountain trailhead is the Campito Mountain trailhead. The best place to park is at the col to the northeast of the summit. There is a pullout so you can get off the road. From here, the hike is pretty straightforward.

Looking at County Line Peak and Blanco.

On the way down the scree that was so carefully avoided was gleefully followed. It made it much quicker. Overall, this was a fairly easy summit, and I'd do it again.

Sunrise over the trailhead.

We woke up early again, and started up the hill at dawn. It was chilly, but not too windy. On the way up we just went straight up the hill to the top of the summit by the road. From there it was obvious we could just walk along the wide ridge connecting the two peaks. 

Looking at the summit.

It was a quick walk. The talus was large and easy to traverse, and we were fresh from a good night's sleep. As we got to the summit we were treated to the sun rising on the Sierra across the valley. We could even see the giant triangular shadow of our mountain. It was worth the early start.

Sierra Sunrise

We put up the antenna and got on the air. There was cell service, and good views to Bishop. We did HF and VHF, getting contacts on all the bands we tried. Once we were done, Rex and Saurabh went down the hill, and chased me on 2m CW. Always fun to get weak signal VHF contacts, and doubly fun with the Quansheng.

Looking back at the subpeak.

On the way back we decided to go around the left (north) side of the peak we had gone over on the way up. This saved us some climbing. It was a good route, that side of the hill is not very steep, at least at the elevation of the col. The final descent was steep, but there was no way to avoid that. 

 After getting down from White Mountain Peak we packed up our tents which we had left set up so they could dry out after the previous night's rain. A quick lunch was eaten, then we headed up the hill towards Piute Mountain.

Looking up at the small col.

We hiked up the hill to the ridge, then turned right. There are two small peaks with a low col between them, and we aimed for the col. From the col, the peak is in front of you. Its not very visible before then. It had been cloudy and windy all morning, but the afternoon weather was great. Calm, warm, sunny, everything you'd want for hiking.

Looking back at White Mountain Peak.

The upper parts of the peak are mostly talus, but is was a size that was pretty easy to walk on. The wind picked up as we approached the summit, but it was easy to set up on the lee side of the hill. There was cell service, at least enough to get some spots out. The bands didn't seem as hot as they had the day before, but all three of us made enough contacts without struggling.

Such a beautiful area.

We took the same route down, more or less. We decided, near the bottom, to go down the hill and walk through the meadow near the parking lot. It was a nice choice, the whole area is very pretty. And there's cell service in the meadow, so we could send any last texts before losing it on the drive to the next peak.

 White Mountain Peak is a 14er and the third highest mountain in California. We had driven up the day before, and camped at the end of the road. Despite afternoon and evening showers, including some overnight, it was mostly clear when we woke up before sunrise. 

Sunrise in the White Mountains.

At dawn we mounted our bikes and started up the trail. It was steep, and we quickly went to pushing our bikes up. Turns out its really hard to bike at 12,000 feet. By the time we made it the two miles to Bancroft station, the sun had come up, and it was turning into a nice day. The summit was still shrouded in clouds, but they still had time to clear before we got up there.

The trail up White Mountain Peak is long. The downhill sections were quick on bikes, but the ups were slower than if we had just be hiking. Nevertheless we made steady progress up the trail. The switchback section seemed never ending, pushing a bike up it, but we did it. At around 14,000' we left the bikes by the side of the trail and went straight up. Then we were on the summit. The clouds had mostly lifted, and we got decent views.

Happy to get my first 14er.

There were already a number of people up there. After quickly layering up, we took some photos then got on the air. There was decent cell service, and we had no trouble spotting. It was pretty chilly though, so we didn't linger too long. The walk back to the bikes was quick, then even quicker riding down the hill.

Looking back at the summit.

It took a few switchbacks for me to get the hang of riding down the steep, rocky trail, but I got it. Everything was going well until Rex's back brake cable broke. That made the ride more interesting for him. But we all made it back to the car safely. 

The bike I had was old, and not very fun. Turns out you really do want shock absorbers and working gear shifters when riding in the mountains. Who could have guessed. Next time I think I'll just hike to the summit, or do it as a trail run. 

Video: Coming Soon!

Station Peak is one of the more remote peaks of the White Mountains. With Rex's SUV we were hoping to get all the way to the base, but we had bikes if the road turned out to be too rough. From the main road we turned right towards the Crooked Creek Station (road 5S01). Past the station the road got much rougher. We made it a few miles down before it was too much for the Pilot. 

On the way.

A short distance after starting my bike decided it had had enough, and the rear wheel came loose. Luckily, we had the tools and strength to get it back where it belonged. Thankfully it was the last real problem I had with my (very old and cheap) bike that weekend. After riding downhill a few miles, we turned off and headed up (road 5S01B). Around the place this spur road ended, there was a small station with two guys working. They were doing something with the cattle grazing in the area.

Station Peak.

From here there was no road or trail, and it was too steep for the bikes, so we left them by a rock and walked the rest of the way. On the way up we went straight. It was a decent route, however our return route was better. On the way down we hiked to the col to the east of the summit then followed the reentrant back to the bikes. I think I would take this route up next time.

Large meadow where we left the bikes.

The summit was covered with flying ants or something like that. It was pretty bad when the breeze didn't blow. There was marginal cell service, and we were able to get a few spots out. Sadly, the bands were in terrible shape, and I barely got my contacts. We could see rain moving in, so we packed up quickly and got out. Back at the bikes we rode back to the road, then up the hill to the car. It is hard to bike at elevation. So hard.

Video: Coming Soon!

 This peak is the easiest in the White Mountains, by far. The main road goes around the peak just below the summit. However, the only nearby parking is to the south, at the last switchback below the peak. We parked here.

Radio set up at the summit.

From the pullout, it was about a five minute walk up to the top. I was pretty out of breath despite spending the night at 8000 feet. I guess it takes more that eight hours to acclimate.

Pointing at tomorrow's goal, White Mountain Peak.

There was good cell service on top, and the bands were open. We shared a KX2 so we could eavesdrop on all the QSOs. It was a quick and easy activation.

Bristlecone Pines.

We didn't spend too long on top since we wanted to get another peak or two before heading to the end of the road. We were feeling good and hopeful, so we decided to try and get Station Peak next.

Video: Coming Soon!