Indianhead Peak

This was one of the first desert peaks I soloed back in 2013. The name comes from the profile of the mountain at certain angles. There is a popular palm oasis in the canyon below it and a good trail ends at the oasis. After that, you are on your own. I continued up the canyon another mile or so before starting up the least harsh ridge line. The rock was loose and crumbly. Boulders were strewn about and got house sized as I neared the top.

the palm oasis

looking down the canyon

It took some trial and error and giving up a little elevation to find a way around to continue up to the summit. I was also fighting cactus and thorny bushes all the way up and down. I removed at least 20 cactus needles from my legs and arms before it was over. For the first time on any hike, I stopped and applied some anti-bacterial lotion and a band-aid. When I finally made it to the top, I signed the summit register and read some of the old entries. The way down was steep and slow. There were a couple of places that I could not find a way down based on my ascent track, and found a slightly different route down. Despite the difficulties, it was a fantastic challenge and was very satisfying to complete.

I was hoping to find an easier way down

view from the summit