Elder North

Hiked: 11/17/2019
Distance: 3.6 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 3482'
Prominence: 600'
Elevation Gain: 1942'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.5
Round trip time: 6 hours 10 minutes
Recommended water: 92 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Salvador Canyon (off road)
Difficulty: Strenuous (class 5 summit, route finding)

Elder North is a spiky peak with good prominence near Elder Benchmark in Collins Valley. I've wanted to bag it since climbing Elder in 2018. It required a long off road drive on jeep trails to the mouth of Salvador Canyon. About an hour once you leave pavement from DiGiorgio Road in Borrego Springs. Then, a hard, steep boulder scramble with no trail to the summit with all 1900'+ of gain compressed into one mile. Capped off with a class 5.9 15' decomposing sandstone summit block. Before my trip, there were 3 ascents listed in Peakbagger and Lists of John. Two of those reported they did not attempt the summit block. The third left no report. I packed minimal rope gear and estimated my odds of getting the summit block at 50%.

Salvador Canyon was further into Collins Valley than I had ever been. I took the dirt road into Coyote Canyon, passed two water crossings, boulder alley, and continued on the main road over deep sand to the terminus at Salvador Canyon. The turn off for Middle Willows would take you further. 4x4 may not be necessary, but high clearance is. After parking, I headed up Salvador Canyon, easy going at first. About half a mile up canyon, I started up the ridge. Scrambling and route finding were difficult and occasional bushwhacking necessary. Slight differences in route can magnify the effort. I was loosely following Richard Carey's track from peakbagger. After picking my way up the lower ridge, I sidehilled around a false summit and drifted down toward the major gully. I should have stayed higher on the shoulder. Instead I got myself into some serious bouldering problems before reaching the saddle below the summit.

Collins Benchmark dead ahead, Square Top far left

Elder North not visible from the start, hidden behind the bump

Starting up the ridge

False summit was passed on the right

Looking down into Salvador Canyon

From the saddle, I followed a ledge system running SE to NW. Near the top of the ledge, there was one exposed move that I bypassed by going through a small tree. The final section is a short gully leading to the summit area. Views of the surrounding area were amazing. There are several house sized boulders littering the summit. The highest point was a 15' chossy block on top of an multi-story apartment sized boulder. It was well beyond my climbing ability. Before dealing with the block, I attended to other summit business. I located the register in a glass jar inside a small red can. It was signed by the party that placed it, Richard Carey and Shelley Rogers, and no one else. I signed it and placed the jar and can inside an upgraded ammo box I brought with me. I left a second register book I had prepared in case I could not find the original. I ate half the sandwich I had since I hadn't really taken a break on the way up other than to remove foxtails or rocks from my boots. Two faces of the highest summit block were accessible. The other sides dropped over a precipice. I unpacked my rope and realized I brought the wrong one.

First view of the summit

A ledge runs diagonally left to right

Looking down from the ledge

The summit block

Collins Benchmark

Toro Peak

Elder Benchmark

The lone register entry

Upgraded register container

I have two orange ropes, one static (40m), one dynamic (30m). This block required the static rope for aid, but I brought the dynamic one. Oops. I forged ahead and tossed one end over the block. It didn't come close to reaching the ground on the other side. My second throw used most of the rope but it was in reach about 60-70' below the summit. I went down the gully below the summit to grab the rope and look for anchors. None of the rocks in the area were usable. The best thing I found was a 4" diameter juniper tree. It was alive, but growing in the sandy soil. I attached the rope to it using 1" webbing. I returned to the summit and weighted it. It held but the rope stretched a good 3' with weight on it. Counterproductive. I had planned to use a prusik to ascend, but ultimately, decided I could not trust the anchor. Maybe I would have continued with the static rope or had better anchor options since it was longer. It was disappointing after hauling the extra 15 pounds of rope and gear up the mountain. We all do risk calculus in our heads in these situations and sometimes the math says no. I was still pleased to be on Elder North and upgrade the register container. Looking over at the false summit, I spotted a better return path at least for that section. I packed up and headed down with much effort but no incident. If I ever return, I'll bring the right rope.

The best anchor I could find with my short rope.
Would you bet your life on it?

Palm grove further up Savador Canyon

One mylar souvenir

See Also:
Elder North Redux
Elder North (Richard Carey)