Trip Leader and Author:
Dennis Brandt - Bio
Participants: James
Taylor, Tom Claus, David Hand, Menanee Hand, Ron Morgan, Rick
Kelley, Karen Grace, Mark Silla, Jan Studebaker, Jackie Little, Don
Krier, Kelly Gallagher and Dennis Brandt
Dennis's Slideshow:
click
here.
Photo Galleries from:
Jim Taylor, and
Rick Kelley.
Getting
There: click
here.
The Los Alamos Mountaineers enjoyed an
exciting and successful climb of Cabezon Peak in windy and chilly
conditions. Cabezon is a striking volcanic plug that dominates the
skyline northwest of San Ysidro, New Mexico. It is the solid basalt
core of an eroded volcano that was part of the Mount Taylor volcanic
field. It rises through Cretaceous marine sediments that are rich in
fossils. Approaching the peak from the north, as we did, it has an
imposing presence, looking like a diminished version of Devils
Tower.
Cabezon as seen
from the trail on the hike in! "We're going to climb that!"
The Los Alamos folks left town at
about 8:25 and picked up Jan and Jackie at Thompson Ridge. At San
Ysidro, we waited a while for all the vehicles to catch up. From
there we drove about 15 miles north on US 550 to NM 279 and turned
west toward the tiny village of San Luis and Cabezon peak. We got to
the trailhead on the west side of the peak at 10:45 and began hiking
at 11:00.
Some climbers
requested a rope on this section of Cabezon's 4th Class
chimney.
Cabezon looks daunting from the steep
approach trail. The well-traveled trail ascends to a bench on the
southwest side of the peak and then traverses eastward, beneath
fortress-like columns of basalt. The bench-trail terminates
southeast of the summit-block below a chimney – the first visible
break in the evenly spaced columns of the summit. We climbed a path
through steep and very loose talus to the base of the chimney and
the beginning of the climb. The chimney has a near-vertical 4th
class section as well as a considerable amount of loose rock. To
minimize the rock fall danger, our party of 12 climbers divided into
two groups. The second group waited for the first to climb above the
loose rocks in the chimney before starting up. Both groups climbed
efficiently and safely under the watchful guidance, and/or belays
provided by Tom, Jan, and Ron. Above the chimney a series of steep
rock ribs and traversing ledges lead us to the top. There is some
breathtaking exposure along the way and occasional gusts of wind
forced everyone to take care with every step. We were on top by
1:00.
A short rest stop
on the way up made for a nice photo shoot as well.
The top is gently domed and offers
unobstructed views of the Jemez mountains and the Mt. Taylor
volcanic field. After taking in the views and we ate lunch in a
wind-shelter made up of volcanic "bombs", chunks of lava that had
been ejected through the air by the volcano, before heading down the
same route we took to the top. We rigged a hand line for the 20'
cliff, just below the summit. There was a real danger of slipping on
marble-sized pebbles just above this cliff. Later, a belay was
offered for the steepest part of the chimney descent. Below the
chimney one climber
sat on a cactus – the only mishap of any consequence on the
trip.
We got back to the cars at 3:30 and
drove to Jemez Springs for a relaxing dinner at the Los Ojos tavern
before heading home.
Crew of Los Alamos
Mountaineers at the base of Cabezon.
Only
Dennis, the photographer and trip leader, is missing from
this group shoot.
My thanks go to all the Cabezon
climbers for their attention to safety and excellent teamwork.
