Distance: 3.5 miles round trip on dirt road and cross country
Summit Elevation: 6280'
Elevation Gain: 935'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.7
Round trip time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on OHV Roads
Difficulty: Easy
After Bighorn Mountain, I parked at an intersection of the road leading toward Meeks Mountain (HPS #165). Meeks was visible from there and since it was a short hike, I wasn't worried about adding an extra half mile. When I got to a bend in the road, I decided to head directly toward Meeks. I saw cairns once in a while, but was just following a path of least resistance. I found a car wreck in a wash that might have been a road in the distant past. As I got closer, I stayed south (left) of major rock outcrops, though any path through might have worked. It was steep, but easily kept class 1. The summit had a benchmark stamped "EEKS" which I think would make a better name. There were several registers in a set of green cans. I signed the newest one. Meeks had 685' of prominence and the views were the best of the day. I loitered on the summit a little longer than usual enjoying the sights. There was bighorn scat on Meeks, but alas, no visible sheep. I started off the summit following cairns north of my route. This was the official use trail and a better route than my haphazard ascent. It was easy to follow the cairns all the way back to the road. Meeks was the clear winner of the day and I'm glad I saved it for last.
No comments:
Post a Comment