Devils Peak, a local outing

[Lighthawk]

We've fallen behind in our blogging We are several trips behind and the farther in the past the trips are, the less likely we will write them up. I've decided to knock out a quickie report here on WTW, just like the good ol' days. I can always scoop up the content and transfer it to the http://lighthawkphoto.blogspot.com/ later.

Over the years of skiing SugarBowl and most of the surrounding peaks I've often looked at Devil's Peak, a steep plug of columnar basalt, seemingly inaccessible from most approaches. It's quite dramatic looking from the Palisade Creek Trail which is accessed from the Royal Gorge XC ski area. I took this photo several winters ago while we were ski touring in from Troy Road at Hwy 80.



Someday I'll have to ski that shoulder.

But, it was the Solstice weekend and we were there for a summer hike. A quick trip from Nevada City to Soda Springs where we drove in past the Royal Gorge Lodge and down Pahatsi Rd. to the Palisade Creek Trailhead. The area is popular with a PG&E camp at Kidd lake and day hiking to Long Lake to enjoy swimming with granite slabs to lie upon.

Our goal was to hike cross country to Devils Peak and summit the SW chute, a class 2/3 route. Of course we brought Callie along. She's an agile pup and I figured we would get her up there or leave her at the base, secured to our packs. The off trail brush can be brutal, so we wore long pants, a good move.

We parked at Cascade Lakes and hit the trail.



Half a mile or so down the Palisade Creek trail is the turn off for Long Lake.


Shortly after that we left the trail and went west to navigate around the north side of the peak.
The day was overcast with a haze. I noticed a ring around the sun, of illuminated ice crystals miles above our head. It was breezy, which helped with the bugs.




The area is littered with tarns and lakelets.


After crossing the saddle we found a paved road for a short distance and a trail marker for the Truckee Trail. The caption reads, " We nooned ... to the left of the road and clost to the foot of a high rocky peak on the south, which I called Pinnacle Rock (some call it the Devil's Peak). A fine spring rises here at its foot." (sic) Augustus Ripley Burbank, 1849

More information on the Truckee Trail is here.
I wonder if the Ski & The Lady have seen TT markers out in the Nevada desert?



No desert here. The wildflowers were in abundance. The private property had been groomed, at apparent expense, with all the lodgepoles trimmed up and chipped. We must have crossed someone's private Idaho, en route to the peak. However, we saw no signs turning us away.

 

[Lighthawk]

Part II

I could see a broken section on the SW shoulder, but was wary of getting caught in the brush. We zig-zagged our way up the face, looking for trail sign. The best route was fields of mule ears, as we kicked steps into the loose mountain soil, thankful for the cooling breeze. It was midday and the sun was intense.

West Face



We ultimately ascended to the very southern tip of the peak and then swerved back under the west face to access the route.

South Face




We reached the base of the rock climbing section. SR says, "We're going up there?"


There were three or four sections where I had to grab Callie and toss her up onto the next shelf, but otherwise we were able to link ledge systems with a fair amount of loose rock.


We made it to the ridge after one pitch of Class 2.






And the views are spectacular.


My favorite view is SR looking so elegant traversing the ridge. Our vehicle is back there behind the bird shaped lake, right of the north summit.



We reached the South Summit.



I traversed to the north summit along a knife edge ridge.

Looking back at the south summit with SR and Callie.



There's a sense of exposure at the north summit and a traverse down that buttress would be challenging.



Looking south.


All climbers know it's harder to go down that climb up. Not so much with our dog. Callie was unable to jump past rock obstacles on the way up, but was comfortable descending in "four paw drive" coming down. I used a length of 6mm perlon to create a chest harness with handle so I could grab her and lift her down the few chest high drop offs. It was easy and we knew the route.



Soon enough we were at the base. A traverse of the brush was best done on large talus to reach the south shoulder.

 

[Lighthawk]

Part III
After looking at the map, we considered a circumnavigation of the peak. I knew of a logging road that traversed the east face from a previous attempt, and the Palisade Creek trail was below us on the granite slabs, just 1,000' below. We decided to go for it.

We paid for it too. Just as I was noticing the volcanic rollers were looking similar to the apron of nearby Castle Peak, where there is eroded andesite with 1" round rubble. I fell on my right hip pretty fast, despite each of us using a hiking pole. I did have my pole in my downhill hand and paid attention to proper mountaineering technique the rest of the way down the treacherous slope. The small rollers shifted to moraine materiel with softball to bowling ball size and Susan went down. I fell once more, trying to keep my footing. Beware loose volcanic slopes at their angle of repose, or you may find yours!

Strange caves were visible to the north as we descended the steep east face.




We resorted to using a wash gully to beat the brush, finding springs along light colored fine-grained volcanics. The dog was able to quench her thirst, otherwise we had been sharing our water from our camelbaks. Nasty stretches found us beating our way through deep brush with bear scat visible from time to time. No bear would be surprised in a slumber by our noisy crew!

At last we made it to the logging road, but decided it would only lead us back to the north saddle, when we preferred to get down the the Palisade Trail. Another two hundred feet of extreme bushwacking (no photos!) were required.

We found Palisade Creek Trail and soon the creek itself. We dipped our bandanas in the cold spring creek and washed our faces and arms and took a well deserved break.

A bush with lovely pink flowers was there at the stream. We haven't identified them yet.


At last we were back to granite slabs and off the volcanics.




We had visited this area in 2009 and knew of petroglyphs in the area. We took a few minutes to locate the correct slabs and once again were inspired by the Martis peoples millennia-old signs on the granite slabs. We could read the classic rear bear paw print, and circles, hatch marks and zigzags we frequently have observed in the area.





About this time my battery gave out on my Fuji XT-1. My second battery wasn't fresh as I thought it was. Here's a final shot off SR's phone before we put in the last three miles back to the car.
It was a great local outing, and no campers were deployed in the making of this trip report.

 

[longhorn1]

Great report. Thanks for posting.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Very nice! Looks like a great trip!

 

[takesiteasy]

Looks like a fun and challenging afternoon! Beautiful country. Thanks for the report.

 

[ACEBLACKDOG]

lighthawk...
your wildflowers are beautiful.
1- corn lilly
2-scarlet gilia
3-lewis monkey flower (some now call it a pink moneyflower)
fantastic pics....your dog appears to do similiar adventures as mine....part mountain goat?

 

[Lighthawk]

lighthawk...
your wildflowers are beautiful.
1- corn lilly
2-scarlet gilia
3-lewis monkey flower (some now call it a pink moneyflower)
fantastic pics....your dog appears to do similiar adventures as mine....part mountain goat?

Thanks, Ace! You know your botany! SR appreciates your info.
I always thought Callie had some jack-a-lope genes, but mountain goat is a distinct possibility.

 

[billharr]

Very nice report. The valley heat is making the high sierra look nice.

 

[ski3pin]

Wonderful trip Lighthawk and SR! Thank you. When you see Devils Peak, it just calls you to the top doesn't it? This brings back memories from back in the 70's. On the way to Devils Peak from Cascade Lake I remember passing a small memorial to Charles Stanton. As I recall, the USGS topo had a small circle symbol with "memorial" marking the site. I see it is not on the current, newer, Soda Springs quad. This website also says -

"Charles Stanton, sitting alone smoking his pipe, said goodbye to his companions and froze to death. Until recently a grave marker sat along the emigrant trail at near the place where the trail left the lake and entered the ravine."

Yes, we have seen Truckee Route trail markers out in Nevada. Also, south on the PCT from the new Donner Summit on 80 takes you out to Roller Pass and other amazing spots that emigrant wagons were brought up. In looking at the Soda Springs quad, I notice an Airmail Beacon site located at Troy along the transcontinental railroad tracks just north of Devils Peak.

Wonderful day hike and you guys and Callie Girl are lucky to be so close!

 

[Casa Escarlata Robles Too]

Thanks Andy.Such a nice hike.
Frank