W6/ND-235 Almond Mountains High Point

 It was a cool and overcast day in Ridgecrest as I left the hotel for the trailhead. The ground even appeared to be wet, and I quickly realized it had rained overnight. Not what I was expecting for the day. Just past Johannesburg I turned north onto Trona Road, then pulled off onto Granite Wells Road. There was some space to park on the dirt road. I left the car here, and started down the road. 

Dome Mountain, my second summit for the afternoon.

The road was in good condition, and my rental sedan could have made it a few miles down without any trouble. But I needed to get some miles in so I ran it. It was cool and overcast, and much more humid that you'd expect for the desert. Just strange weather conditions. About four miles from the road, after going over a small col, there was a turn off with a small trail to some petroglyphs. It seemed like a good spot to leave the road and head cross-country.

The Almond Mountains, looking ominous.

I needed to cross an open, mostly flat area to get to the base of the Almond Mountains. I knew where I wanted to aim for after studying the maps, but I kept an eye out in case I saw a better route on the way over.

The rain did make the flowers bloom.

The first half of the crossing was straightforward, but the second half was not. It had more erosion channels, getting worse as I got closer to the slopes. Nothing that couldn't be crossed, but annoying nonetheless. I tried staying in the bottom of the gullies, but that wasn't any easier and it made it harder to check I was still heading in the right direction. Eventually I made it to the base of the climb.

Almost on the ridge.

 I didn't see any route up the steep climb that was obviously better, so I just started up. The nature of the terrain encouraged me to drift away from the peak, but I didn't realize that until I got onto the ridge farther away from the summit than I had intended. No matter, it was easy going on the ridge. The wind had really picked up though. I was a bit concerned I'd freeze while trying to do the activation, but I was warm enough while moving. 

On the summit looking in the stormy direction.

On the summit looking in the sunny direction.

 I was a little surprised to find an ammo box with a register at the summit, which was at the far end of the ridge. I was getting blown around there, so I went down the lee side a little before getting on the air. I had cell service, and was able to spot and get my contacts. The view was excellent, but I was getting cold so I didn't spend too much time enjoying it. And there was another summit on the list for today. 

On the desert floor again.

 I retraced my steps back down the ridge, but went straight down towards Dome Mountain at the end. The descent was steep, and I warmed up quickly as I got out of the wind and the sun started to come out. Back on the desert floor, I made a beeline for Dome Mountain.

 

Trailhead: As far along Granite Wells Road as you can or will drive.

Website: SOTA Site.

Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.

Route: Head across the desert towards the base of the mountain. Pick a good place to climb on to the ridge, then follow the ridge around to the summit.

Red Tape: None. Don't wander into the nearby military base.