Mount McDill and Mint BM

Hiked: 4/4/2025
Distance: 6.9 miles round trip on trail and dirt road
Summit Elevation: 5187'
Prominence: 784'
Elevation Gain: 1645'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Recommended water: 32 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Bouquet Canyon Road
Difficulty: Easy

I drove to Bouquet Canyon Road for a quick hike to Mount McDill (HPS #263). I was driving north on Highway 14 near Santa Clarita, passing a semi-truck when I heard a loud explosion. I saw a cone of large rubber chunks expanding in slow motion directly in front of me. One of the front left tires on the semi had blown out. I braced for the shards of tire to shatter my windshield, but the impact never came. I drove right through the cloud of debris without damage. Pure luck, and the most thrilling moment of the day. I parked across the street from the trailhead at a turnout that held 4-5 cars. While the entire hike can be done on dirt roads, there was a short cut to make it a road-trail-road hike. The gate at the entrance was closed. There was another shortcut at the start to cut off the first switchback on the road. The first leg went under buzzing electrical towers. I spotted the single track shortcut, but wasn't sure, so I went a little beyond before realizing I missed the second leg. The single track was cut shoulder width through soft brush and grass fields. It could use a little maintenance, but was quite pleasant. It intersected the road higher up for the third leg. From the top of the ridge, the road crossed small rolling humps as it traveled east and west. I left the road briefly for Mint BM where I found a bent metal triangle post. Less than a quarter mile further was Mount McDill, where I found a benchmark, but no register. It's hard to believe McDill has 784' of prominence as one of many rolling bumps on the ridge. The weather was warm, the sky was blue, and the wind was still. It was a nice day to be out, but with no reason to hang around, I returned immediately. I increased my pace a little on the way down to make it a light cardio workout.

On the single track

Mint BM

The non-descript McDill summit

Start of the single track on the way down

Castle Dome, AZ

Hiked: 4/4/2025
Distance: 6.2 miles round trip cross country
Summit Elevation: 3788'
Prominence: 2088'
Elevation Gain: 2068'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.6
Round trip time: 5 hours
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on McPhearson Pass Road
Difficulty: Moderate

Fresh off the triumph of reaching Signal Peak just weeks before, my next challenge loomed: Castle Dome (DPS #88), another Sierra Club Desert Peak nestled within the rugged Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. I considered doing an overnight, but decided to gut out the drive both ways as a day hike. I left at 2:30 AM cruising east on I-8. This was my first time driving through Yuma, near the Army Proving Ground. I took Highway 95 north from Yuma, then followed a Military Police pickup onto Castle Dome Mine Road. Based on previous reports of issues with the proprietor of the Castle Dome Museum, I followed Mirian Khamis' track onto McPhearson Pass Road. McPhearson required high clearance and I bottomed out once crossing a stream. Seven more miles of dirt road delivered me to the trailhead. Much of the hike was up a gravely wash. A conspicuous arrow of stones marked the spot to leave the wash for a use trail. The trail headed directly at the vertical north buttress of Castle Dome. I relished the saguaro cacti and green feel of the Kofa refuge as the trail curved east around the base.

Arrow of stones where the use trail starts

Castle Dome after leaving the wash

Split in the base where the scramble begins.

If you reach this chockstone, you've gone too far. Main route is 100' below.
I walked past a split in the rock where the scramble started, reversing course when I realized I had gone too far. I made a second mistake hiking to the notch below a giant pillar. The continuation there was at least class 4. I back tracked and spotted the class 3 chute main route. The rock was volcanic and solid with many holds. Navigation was reasonable with the help of well constructed cairns marking key turns. I passed a wind cave, then traversed further east to reach easier stair step scrambling. Most of this section was class 2 with a short class 3 finish. Staggering views were waiting on top. The summit was long but not very wide. I found one reference mark, but no benchmark. An ammo box with a broken lid held several active registers. Many recent entries testified to the popularity of Castle Dome, though I had it to myself that day. High wind gusts blasted the summit unpredictably, followed by unnatural calm. It added to the mystery of the place. I lingered longer than usual on the summit and flew the drone, attracting curious birds. The drone crash landed during a random gust, but seems to be OK. The descent was uneventful. The noon sun warmed the world by the time I got back to the truck. Adrenaline lasted half the drive home. The rest of the drive was powered by red bull and diet coke. Door to door was 16 hours.

Giant pillar from above

Summit

Heading down