Hi Corn and Corn Benchmark

Hiked: 1/8/2026
Distance: 3.2 miles round trip on dirt road, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 3171'
Elevation Gain: 1434'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.1
Round trip time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Corn Springs Road
Difficulty: Moderate

Corn Benchmark is a seldom visited desert peak in the Chuckwalla Mountains south of I-10 between Coachella and Blythe. Hi Corn is less than a quarter mile from the benchmark and only slightly higher. I exited I-10 at Chuckwalla Valley Road, then followed Corn Springs Road south for 8 miles. Corn Springs Road was a very smooth dirt road. I was able to go about 30mph on most of it, but it got a little bumpy near my parking spot. I think most cars could make the drive. I hadn't done much research or prep, so I made a navigation error right at the start. I climbed up a steep slope thinking the ridge connected, but realized I needed to down climb to the gully. That added about 200' of unnecessary gain. I followed the gully around a bend, then half committed to the ridge, not wanting to be forced to downclimb again. The ridge did connect and I used it to descend. There were bits of class 2 in the gully and near the top. I reached Hi Corn first with an easy summit boulder. On top, I found a discolored bottle of Corona. There were two registers in a glass jar. One was old and fragile with pages that disintegrated on touch. I left it in the jar. The other was placed in 2013 and only had six entries before mine. The most recent was from 2020. Views were nice in all directions. Hi Corn did not have a benchmark. After signing in, I made the short walk to Corn, which had an official benchmark and a pole still held up with guide wires. I didn't find a register on Corn. Views north were less obstructed, but otherwise the same as Hi Corn. The forecast was for sun, but dark clouds started to roll in cooling things off quite a bit. They didn't threaten rain, but changed the ambiance. After going down the ridge, I made a second navigation error by dropping into the wrong gully. I hit a dry fall with no bypass and climbed out to get in the right gully. A short, fun hike to kick off 2026.

Smooth dirt road

Start, Hi Corn distant right

Downclimbing to the gully

Hi Corn summit boulders

Corn benchmark

Looking back at Hi Corn

2025 Retrospective

Cave Mountain

Hiked: 12/19/2025
Distance: 5.1 miles round trip on dirt road, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 3620'
Prominence: 1740'
Elevation Gain: 1788'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.4
Round trip time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 54 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on BLM Road MT9622
Difficulty: Moderate

I discovered Cave Mountain from Madison Christian aka Uncle Rico. It's a prominent desert peak along I-15 on the way to Vegas. I was looking for a desert peak that was drivable and Cave fit the bill. I drove up I-15 and took the exit for Afton Canyon, a washboarded but easy dirt road. Then, I took BLM Road MT9622 (second dirt road on the left) to get closer. MT9622 had some washes, sand, and ruts. 4x4 recommended, high clearance mandatory. I parked at the same location as Brian Richardson in his peakbagger report. The sand got very deep after that and it might have been difficult to turn around. I brought my La Sportiva approach shoes which had caused blisters on my right foot when I had worn them before. I tried to stretch them out and used this hike as an experiment to see if they still caused problems. Hiking on the road was very much like hiking on a beach with extra rocks. After about 1.5 miles, the dirt road split in two. I took the steeper road on the left, which was correct, but didn't see the continuation and walked over to the other road to see if I had missed it. Then, I spotted Cave rising up from the way I came. I left the road and followed the ridge picking up a use trail that faded in and out. As I approached steeper terrain, I could see the giant cairn that I knew was close to, but not the actual summit. My instinct was to head for the large gully, but when I got near, I saw it would not be easy to reach. Instead, I started up the steep shoulder.

Cave Mountain from I-15

Approaching the road split

Steep shoulder on the left
Once past the shoulder, I took a more or less direct line to the cairn with more class 2 at the end. I added a rock to the cairn, then walked a couple of hundred feet to the summit block, also class 2. Views were great in all directions. A stream of tiny vehicles flowed along I-15. I found two benchmarks, one stamped "El Frio 1929" on a rock below the summit block. El Frio translates to The Cold. The other was on top of the summit block and unmarked. The register was in an ammo box. It was open to the page with Madison's signature from February. Only a couple of other parties had signed since then. I took some photos and noted that my La Sportivas were still comfortable. That changed on the way down. I got down all the steep terrain and could feel the friction on my right toes. I diverted into a sandy gully so I could plunge step to the road. Plunge stepping was the highlight of the hike. As I continued back along the road, the pain built up on my right foot and I had to stop. I took off my sock and saw several layers of skin had been peeled back on top of my third and fourth toes. A bandaid and loosening the laces in the shoe did not help. I resigned myself to finish the last 0.7 miles with just a sock on my right foot. The road had enough deep sand to allow me to walk at almost normal speed. I stepped on a few sharp rocks, but it was far better than letting the cursed La Sportivas shred my foot. They got tossed as soon as I got home and I am now in the market for some new approach shoes.

Big cairn energy

El Frio

On the summit block

Cronise Mountains on the other side of I-15

Morris Peak and Mount Jenkins

Hiked: 12/12/2025
Distance: 14.7 miles round trip on trail, use trail, and cross country
Summit Elevation: 7221' (Morris), 7939' (Jenkins)
Elevation Gain: 4135'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 3.3
Round trip time: 8 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 130 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at Walker Pass Trailhead (Highway 178)
Difficulty: Strenuous (combined)

With unusually warm weather for December, I drove to Walker Pass Trailhead for the standard route to Morris Peak (HPS #109) and Mount Jenkins (HPS #73). I was greeted with a sunrise filtered through the joshua trees. Most of the hike was along the PCT with half mile off trail diversions to reach the peaks. The trail was in great shape and steadily gained elevation as it wrapped like a belt around the midsections of the foothills. In the shady north slopes, frozen snow lingered in small patches. I had considered bringing spikes, but decided there wouldn't be enough for it to be a hazard. After four miles, I reached a saddle with Morris Peak where a clear use trail branched right. The use trail was well worn and steep, climbing about 500' in a half mile and ending at the summit. A nicely preserved benchmark had been set in a flat rock in 1926. The highest point had a reference mark pointing to the lower, official benchmark. Multiple registers were in a plastic container. I signed the most recent one that had visitors as recent as last week. Mount Jenkins had been visible as I approached and looked like a more serious endeavor. I took a break, then followed animal trails down the north ridge, making wide turns to avoid snow. At the saddle between Morris and Jenkins, I rejoined the PCT.

Morris Peak ahead

Mount Jenkins from Morris
I stayed on the PCT as it cut a path on the east side of Jenkins. From the east, Jenkins appeared as a line of broken cliffs with no clear line. From the start of the use trail, it was well marked with cairns. I remained a little nervous as the cliff bands grew closer. I was amazed the trail avoided serious exposure with a fun class 2+ scramble all the way. There were fine 360 views from the summit. Owens Peak (one of my favorites) rose up to the north and snow capped 14ers Langley and Whitney were clear. The jagged granite spine running below Owens was impressive. Although I didn't find a benchmark, there were multiple registers filled with familiar names. I took some aerial video, but a lot of the shots were washed out by the angle of the sun. No matter, I've grown to love the transition zone of the southern Sierra. I took a long break on Jenkins and had just the right amount of food and water. Once I got back to the PCT, I was on cruise control. There was more snow on the trail below Morris, but it was soft in the afternoon and no longer icy. I eyeballed a couple of unnamed bumps on the way back, but none mustered enough interest for bonus.

Plaque was mounted along the PCT a mile from the summit

Approaching the cliffs

Mount Jenkins summit

Owens Peak and the high sierra on the horizon