Four Peaks Motherlode

[sbkelley]

Four Peaks Motherlode
December 12, 2008
Partners: aspen_oaks, Tommy, Desert-Boonie

Redemption on Four Peaks

What a difference. This past September, Brian and I spent an unforgettable day on the Four Peaks for all the wrong reasons. This time, we had an unforgettable day for all the right reasons.

We all gathered a little after 5 am on Saturday morning – Tommy had driven up from Tucson – and piled into Ken’s jeep for the long, tiring drive up Four Peaks Road (FR 143) from the Beeline Highway. This time, we knew what awaited: a long, grueling day on unforgiving terrain that would require a delicate balance of patience and nerves. Well, Brian and I knew that. Tommy was making his first Four Peaks foray, and had heard plenty of stories to get the idea. Ken, on the other hand, is the only individual I know of that enjoys the Four Peaks Motherlode. His shoes this morning proved it: etched in black permanent marker on the sides of his shoes were the phrases: “I Love Four Peaks,” combined with “1MML” – or “One More MotherLode.” This would be Ken’s 5th – and final – Motherlode. We were glad to have him along.

We chose to traverse south to north this time, to shorten the hike at the end of the day, and deal with Peak 2’s nasty section upclimbing rather than down. Leaving the TH at 7 am, we were at the Amethyst Mine within 90 minutes, where we stopped for a quick break. With Ken in the lead, we started up the gully between Peaks 3 and 4, fully expecting a brush-bashing grind. We ended up climbing a very difficult and exposed series of ledges before Ken realized we were in the wrong chute. Backtracking that stretch was tough, but provided a good warm-up for the rest of the day…steep, exposed, adrenaline-pumped climbing with cacti in the handholds. Hint: stay to the far right when starting up this gully. Back on track, we trudged up the slope and bashed through the oak to the Peak 3- Peak 4 saddle. The jaunt to Peak 4 from here is nothing tough, and we sat on top just before 10 am. A good start, but now the fun begins. Winds, by the way, were strong (20-30 mph) out of the southwest, but the sun was shining and the weather looked decent for the day.

After backtracking to the saddle, we traversed perhaps a couple hundred yards, slightly losing elevation on the east slope of Peak 3 before Ken found his line that he’d been looking for. Upclimbing this was not bad at all, just agave-dodging, and we eventually gained the ridge of Peak 3 after some moderate scrambling. Exposure increases here, but not difficulty. We sat atop Peak 3 40 minutes after leaving Peak 4. The group was visibly looking anxious (except for Ken) as we knew the downclimb of 3 was next. I’d heard this was nasty terrain, and from previous viewings of the peak, I had not seen any evidence to the contrary. It always appeared to me to be a complex maze of difficult terrain. However, Ken knew of a good line, and the descent honestly was not bad. It stayed on the ridge proper for the first bit, then veered off to the west side of the ridge at a break in the cliffs. The terrain was definitely Class 4 but not exposed, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the 2-3 saddle a short while later. Beginning to feel confident, I started to hope we’d seen the worst of it. Ken assured me that we had not.

Upclimbing Peak 2 is the reason for that. The group fell silent as we made our way to the ramp (the backwards ‘Z’, as viewed from Peak 3), traversing through brush and slabs. Ken found it easily. I overheard him tell Tommy “this first part is the worst.” Choosing to ignore that, I followed them up to the beginning of the ramp. The ramp is angled at roughly 45-50 degrees and is actually an enjoyable, but long, scramble on solid rock, though I don’t think it would be enjoyable at all as a downclimb (right, Tim?). The exposure increased as the ramp went higher and higher, gaining most of the elevation required to reach Peak 2 from the 2-3 saddle. Even though it took awhile to get up, I wasn’t in a hurry to top out. Ken told us that a small, exposed cliff was coming that even made him nervous. Not good news, but we did have a short rope for belaying, if necessary (25 ft). He stopped us at the top of the ramp and we had a nervous, quick break.

Nobody said much until we decided to get moving. Ken went first, up a 10-ft high boulder, which gained the ridge proper. Exposure was extreme here and so was the wind, as Ken cursed once topping the boulder due to the gusts. Tommy followed, and I couldn’t see above him. But I did hear him say, “That’s what we’re climbing!?!?” , in a tone that didn’t help my nerves. Brian’s eyes got huge and he looked back down at me saying not a word. When I clambered up to join him, I’m sure the size of my eyes matched Brian’s. I think I uttered a profanity under my breath. What I saw was a 20-foot high wall, angled at 60-70 degrees, and 5 feet wide. Definitely low Class 5. On each side was a near-vertical drop-off with exposure going from extreme to extra-extreme. There were some small hand and foot-holds on the wall, maybe 1/2” wide. I couldn’t see anything but blue sky above. 55 Colorado 14ers and nothing I saw there matched this. Not even Capitol’s Knife-Edge held a candle to this one. Ken went first and made it up – honestly, watching other people climb it was more nerve-wracking than helpful, but I forced myself to watch for the holds. Tommy made his way up and disappeared. Brian initially misjudged a handhold and let himself back down, fraying my nerves even more (I was the last one…), but regained himself and got up. Me next. No doubt it was hairy, but once you start moving, your focus is extreme and you block out the fear. In less than a minute, I saw Ken’s head poking up above and I let out an adrenaline-charged whoop when I topped out. We all were shaking, but gushing with energy now. From there, the going on Peak 2 is still tough, but it all seemed relatively easy after that little section. A few minutes later, we regrouped on Peak 2 and high-fived and snacked, looking at the last Peak of the day.

The descent from 2 to 1 is fairly straightforward as well, but still rough terrain. We stayed high at the Peak 2-Browns Peak saddle to avoid the oak brush, and traversed a bit to the east to avoid the brush-choked gully that appears to be the easy ascent line when viewed from Peak 2. No more dang bushes for us: we preferred the rock to that. On top of Browns and happy, now the wind was really roaring, as dust now obscured the Valley and general visibility. Time to go. We were on Browns Peak by 2:30 pm. Back in familiar territory, we followed the Scree Chute down and traversed at the route’s exit, and in a few minutes, found ourselves on the climber’s trail. A trail? Been awhile since we’d seen route-markers, much less trails (no cairns at all on the Motherlode). The descent back to the Browns Trail was very windy now and we were glad to be leaving. But it was done – we got through the Motherlode with no incident!

Back in the forest, the hike became an easy cruise back to the car and Brian and I were reflecting back on last year’s adventure quite a bit. Having Ken along made a huge difference: his route-finding was nearly flawless, save for the very first part above the Amethyst Mine, and that was minor. On the Four Peaks, getting off-route (if there even is a “route”), is very easy to do, so I’m impressed it only happened once. Ken, well done. Tanya and Danielle came up later in the day, too, but they hiked to the Amethyst Mine. They passed underneath us sometime on the Peak 2 – Browns traverse, so they enjoyed the views and their own hike. We all regrouped back at the car and enjoyed the Four Peaks beers that Ken brought up. I’m glad we were there for his final Motherlode (though I won’t be surprised if he’s back), and Tommy’s first as well. For Brian and I, Four Peaks beer never tasted so sweet. The celebration was on. Thanks guys, for the wonderful day on some truly rugged and spectacular peaks.
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Mountains complement desert as desert complements city, as wilderness complements and completes civilization. - Ed Abbey

[Suz]

Sweet! You guys ROCK!
Congrats to all of you...........sounds awesome

[azhiker96]

Well done and great descriptions. It will definitely stretch out your comfort zone.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[desertgirl]

Congrats. Great write up as well! Where are the pictures ?
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Photos: http://www.pbase.com/desertgirl/galleries
Life is but a dream ...there is no end to what you can dream!

[Tom Treks]

Holy crap, dudes. I broke into a sweat and started convulsing just reading the write-up. Don't know how you guys do it.

A few of those spots sound too intense for me.

I was going to ask if any pictures also. Maybe a video camera next time? (kidding)

[Hnak]

It sounds a bit too 'interesting' for me, but still a great write up and fun to read...

Congratulations on a great trip!

Hank
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The world is older and bigger than we are. This is a hard truth for some folks to swallow. —EDWARD ABBEY

[desertgirl]

[KIM*]

Nice write up!!! Ken was my guide when I did the Motherlode and I couldn't have asked for a better guide.

Congratulations on completing the Motherlode.

[Tommy]

Nice report Scott! You captured a few of those moments perfectly.

I took a few crappy pics. but have been having trouble uploading them to a computer. Maybe in a day or two.

[Davis2001R6]

Congrats guys! I can't imagine climbing that ledge up to peak 2 in high winds.

What makes it even better is someones trip log on HAZ for Browns Peak that day.

[aspen_oaks]

i have a few pictures as well that i will try and put up.......
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Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.----Henry David Thoreau

[Desert-Boonie]

It was great to do the motherlode with you Brian, Scott, and Tommy. Great to see the reactions of you guys at certain parts of the adventure, especially the ledge. Makes the trip worth it to go with people who haven't done it before. I should have taken pictures, but for some reason just did not feel the need. Still cannot beleive we did it in 8 hours. The wind was the most extreme i've been in on those peaks and I did curse when I approached the ledge on peak 2 because of it. As much as I love the Four Peaks that will be my last motherlode. I will enjoy hearing stories from other people that do them now, but it is time for me to move on and find another favorite spot in AZ before I leave. Thank you Four Peaks for another safe passage, I will enjoy thinking about all the times I was on you.

Again, great hike/climb/scramble/bushwhack/adventure guys, here's to you.

Ken

P.S.- Thanks for the kind words Kim
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~Never Satisfied~

"If I can't be my own, I'd feel better dead"

[paintninaz]

Wow! You guys are impressive!

Great job!!!
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~Tracy

“Friends make the bad times good — and the good times unforgettable.”

[moodrets]

Eck, I take it that this is not a hike very well suited for attempting alone? Just a few hours ago I had intended to drive up there tomorrow (having found out about it an hour or so before then) to try it out. Oh well, hopefully I'll find someone to bring along when I inevitably drive up there next week (unforeseen circumstances ruined my plans for tomorrow)...

How cold was it? Would you recommend gloves?

[fairweather8588]

Still covered in snow and ice, I was on the AZ 188 yesterday and there was still plenty of it that I could see
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But let the mind beware, that though the flesh be bugged, the circumstances of existence are pretty glorious


Kerouac