On Friday, I got a chance to bag Muddy Peak near Lake Mead/Valley of Fire . It's a really pretty area. Here are some of the pictures I took:

http://kathywing.smugmug.com/Nevada-Hikes-and-Scrambles/Muddy-Peak-5387-A-Desert/10465502_DfVTi#726012075_KqJou

I'd recommend this trek/scramble to anyone willing to drive down the road to where you start.

Kudos! That's a creepy one to do alone. Nice pics!

How's the road in from the north? It seemed to be getting worse each year, and BLM has said it will not do maintenance. I was last there 3 years ago, and wondered if there have been miraculous improvements.

Register?

1000Pks wrote:Register?

You can see it clearly in this photo.

Wing, do you recall any start date or any usual register info---pages used, left, type of book, condition, etc.? Thanks in advance!

Pete: There were two registers in the register box. Both had empty pages and were in good condition with an assortment of pens and pencils. I did not spend any time looking at the old register entries, but the books didn't look real old. I looked at the last page in each book and the last entry in the big book I signed was by Daryn Dodge. The last entry in the little book was by Bob Burd.

Maybe Bob spent more time looking at the register books and can fill you in more details.

Harlan: I expected the road to be good until the quarry, but it deteriorates prior to that and really wouldn't be a lot of fun without good tires and high clearance after the first couple miles or so. After the quarry, having 4WD was nice. There are some secondary roads after the quarry that are in about the same condition as the main road. It seems like some of them have been created as shortcuts or to avoid rough spots, but I think some of them head off in different directions too. I was glad I brought a GPS with some waypoints because it helped with the decision making. Anyway, the roads are okay for a stock truck with 4WD all the way to the parking area. There's only one spot that gave me pause going down and then the truck struggled a bit getting back up through that area, but when I locked the rear differential all went well. The side road down to the parking area is in okay shape as long as you don't mind getting some new pinstripes.

I think I'll head back either next spring or next fall to do the highpoint - Muddy Mountain. I had time to do it the same day I did Muddy Peak, but the clouds were building pretty good and I'm paranoid about being out on backcountry roads alone in the rain. It is funny, I am more concerned about driving on those roads alone than I am about hiking/scrambling alone.

I do see why some peaks make onto the LVMC "Classic" list. I've really enjoyed the 14 I've done so far, but that leaves 36 left to do.

Kathy

Thanks for the report!

I guess our 2002 DPS sign-ins are forever gone, so goes it. Nice to hear about the road, maybe I'll think better about going back. I could easily make it to the quarry with my passenger sedan in 2002.

I put up more photos (albeit 640x480) at PTP>Desert Peaks>Muddy Peak, Muddy Mtns. HP Feb. 23, 2002 awhile ago, but some may have never seen them.

wingding wrote: It is funny, I am more concerned about driving on those roads alone than I am about hiking/scrambling alone.

I do see why some peaks make onto the LVMC "Classic" list. I've really enjoyed the 14 I've done so far, but that leaves 36 left to do.

Kathy

A lot of the peaks are pretty accessible from Vegas. I can't promise much till my ankle is better, but I do know some faster routes, and have GPS tracks for all. I actually think "they" missed a lot of nicer peaks down by Lake Mead and elsewhere, but at least a "list" provides some structure to make one get off the beaten path.

I've been looking for a back way to Muddy that doesn't involve such extreme roads. We used to go from the S -- which gave easier access to the highpoint -- but that road was closed off partway along, back in 2003.

Kathy, really nice photos, Muddy is one of my all-time favorites. I was up there 3 yrs +1 day before you, on 11/26/2006, and took photos of some register pages.

The first register was placed 10/18/1986 by DPS-SC, and the first entries are by Gordon MacLeod and Barbara Lilley. They also apparently transcribed some earlier entries into the register going back to 2/8/81. The last entry I took a photo of was 1/18/97, and I think there were more pages after that, but I was in a hurry, as I was already doomed to walk out the last mile or so alone in the dark.

The first entry in the second register was dated 4/4/2004. The last pair of pages also had 2 entries by one Harlan WS, before my entry on 11/26/2006.

The Desert Protection Act and and road closures - it seems like they were willy-nilly without a lot of thought, but they'll never go back and look at each closure individually to make a better determination. A lot of great areas were protected, but I'll bet there were roads that could have been left open with very little impact to the area they go through. Sometimes it's tough walking down a road I could easily drive down, but that's probably just being selfish.

wingding wrote:The Desert Protection Act and and road closures - it seems like they were willy-nilly without a lot of thought, but they'll never go back and look at each closure individually to make a better determination. A lot of great areas were protected, but I'll bet there were roads that could have been left open with very little impact to the area they go through. Sometimes it's tough walking down a road I could easily drive down, but that's probably just being selfish.

I'm all for protecting the land, and don't mind a few extra miles. But we were told that particular closure was to protect the bighorns from human disturbance. Yet nearly every other year the agencies get together and chase down a portion of the bighorns (around Muddy) with net guns, then helicopter them up to the Delamar Range and other places where hunting is more convenient.

I saw Fish and Game moving Big Horn Sheep in New Mexico when I was hiking to Wheeler Peak. It wasn't because there wasn't enough for them to eat in the area because the cattle that are grazing in that area are nice and fat.

When I first moved to Arizona 18 years ago, there were freakin' sheep all over the state.

Now, I can (easily) count more sheep in my sleep than I can in the wild.

I know - guess I have to move to Nevada !

1000Pks wrote:Thanks for the report!

I guess our 2002 DPS sign-ins are forever gone, so goes it. Nice to hear about the road, maybe I'll think better about going back. I could easily make it to the quarry with my passenger sedan in 2002.

I put up more photos (albeit 640x480) at PTP>Desert Peaks>Muddy Peak, Muddy Mtns. HP Feb. 23, 2002 awhile ago, but some may have never seen them.

Pete: I'll let you know when I'm going to head back in there to do the highpoint - if you just happen to be headed over there at the same time, I'll be happy to pick you up in the Vegas area and take you down the bumpy road with me.

Kathy

Oh, thank you, you're so kind!

But I would wish to bag Muddy Peak 2X, Muddy HP is fine but not much of a climb. And usually there has to be a long spell of nice weather forecast before I commit to any trip. Those ways from the south sound interesting, I had something in mind at one time, but none to do this with. Someone suggested that Muddy Peak is only class 2 from the south, I forget.

A glorious area, nice to see it all again, thanks again for the photos!