Cerro Gordo, Pleasant Point dayhike, min es & ruins

“Sunday, 8 May 2005

PHOTOS: http://community.webshots.com/album/341792014ITsTDO

In the morning, everyone pretty much agreed that a slightly less strenuous day was a good idea, so the five of us drove up to the ghost town of Cerro Gordo to hike Pleasant Point. I had always heard it was a rough drive, but it turned out to be really fun! The flowers, impressive rock walls, and the dramatic views down into the Owens Valley made for a scenic and exciting drive.

After parking at the saddle above town (8,200'), we began the 1.5 mile hike up a dirt road to some radio towers. From there we left the road and followed a use-trail along the ridge, heading northward. From this vantage point we could see a very impressive false summit that blocked the view of our intended peak. Since we ended up passing just below this smaller peak, Calhiker and I decided to climb to the top as well. After a quick little descent, we caught back up to where the group was having lunch, and then headed for Pleasant Point (9,690'). It was really windy up there, but once again, the views were outstanding! We even spotted the lightly colored southern end of the Racetrack playa to the east.

After signing the register, taking photos and adding layers (it was cold and really windy), we headed back. Instead of re-tracing our route along the ridge, we headed straight down a steep scree slope, looking for an old mining trail that would lead us back to Cerro Gordo. Along the way, we found several mines, cabins, a pumphouse, and pipes. We came across some pretty cool stuff on the lower trail, and it didn't appear that anyone had hiked this route in quite a while! There were no sign of footprints whatsoever. Back at the trucks the wind was howling like crazy, so we all quickly got into our vehicles and headed down to Lone Pine. On the drive out I stopped along the way to take the flower pictures I had missed on the way up. This was another awesome hike!

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last edited: 5/13/05 8:11:30 PM”

“It's always amazing the see the variety of hikes available in California. EXC TR SN.”