W6/NS-070 Airola Peak

From the col between Hiram and Airola, we picked our way through the trees to the base of the climb. There were a fair number of footprints in the dirt, so this route must be more popular than it seems. The first section of the climb in the forest is steep, but not difficult.

The peak from Hiram. It is a nice looking mountain.

As the forest ends, however, the slope goes up. The first section of scree was steep, especially for those who forgot to bring poles. There was a short grassy section, then more steep scree.

Looking back down at the first steep section.

As we climbed we kept looking at the class three section at the top of the scree slope, wondering if it would be passable. It was hard to tell from so far away, so we kept going closer.

Getting closer to the crux.

Eventually we got close enough and high enough we decided it would be safer to climb up rather than go down. 

Looking down.

Thankfully the climbs were short, but the rock was incredibly loose. I had to reach for hand holds multiple times to knock out loose rock before putting weight on it. Luckily Rex had a helmet and agreed to go second. I am not a climber, and the crux section was uncomfortable, but I did it. It was a great feeling to walk up to the top of 9545.

Last walk to the summit.

The final ridge to the summit is a straightforward walk. The summit is rather narrow, but not scary. There was enough room to stretch out our antenna along the summit. Neither of us had cell service, so we relied on RBNHole to spot us. It worked well, and we got plenty of contacts.

Knife edge right before the summit.

We had a long hike back. Going back down the same way would have been unpleasant and dangerous, so we took the usual route back to 9545 then down the ridge to the left. The ridge gets steeper as it goes, but the talus wasn't too bad. There are cliffs that block a more direct route back to the trail in the valley, forcing you to take a longer route. 

Some interesting rocks on the way down.

There were some use trails and lots of evidence of camping in the valley. It is probably a popular area in the summer for backpacking. 

Tree clinging to the steep talus slope.

It was a bit of a slog hiking back up to the Highland Lakes, but we did it. The afternoon sun made for some pretty scenes behind us once we got above the trees. 

Climbing up to the trailhead.

Back at the campsite we quickly put on our warm clothes before the sun's warmth totally disappeared, then started looking for dinner. Overall, a great day in the mountains.

Trailhead: Highland Lakes Campground.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: From the Hiram-Airola col, go up the scree slopes along the ridge. There is a loose class 3 section just below Peak 9545. From the sub-peak, follow the ridge to the summit.
Red Tape: None.