| Pt. 1860, Pt. 1928, and Michell Massif Route |
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| Pt. 1860, Pt. 1928, and Michell Massif   | 
| Page Type: Route Location: Oklahoma, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 34.72230°N / 98.7612°W Route Type: Rock Scramble and Bushwack Time Required: Most of a day Difficulty: Class 5
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| Page By: truchas Created/Edited: May 8, 2005 / May 8, 2005 Object ID: 164978 Hits: 1044 Loading... Page Score: 86.03% - 1 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Approach
Start from the Sunset Trailhead. See the MAIN page for directions to the trailhead.
Route Description
Head west from the parking lot past the restrooms, then make a left turn over an old metal bridge across the pond. After making a right turn you will pass the wilderness boundary and begin hiking west through some dense brush and an old burned out grove of trees. At a dry (most of the time) crossing continue hiking straight ahead, do not turn left. The trail will split again, take the right split. You will now be on the Crab Eyes Trail. If you miss this turnoff, climb west up onto a high plateau towards Sunset Peak. You will not need the trail anyway.
Once you have hiked up onto a high plateau between Crab Eyes and Sunset Peak, hike towards the southern summit of Sunset Peak up on the plateau. If you do not hike far enough towards Sunset Peak you will have to lose and gain elevation a couple of times through some gullies.
As you begin to pass by Sunset Peak you will need to make a left turn and follow the plateau around towards Mt. Mitchell. Near the base of Mt. Mitchell you will have to descend down through a dense gully and then bushwack and boulder hop up to a pass below the east face of Mt. Mitchell.
Begin a bushwack descent down the dry wash that heads south through some dense growth and more boulders. There is a game trail on the west side to begin, then crosses over to the east side further on down. It is not necessary to follow this game trail but it is helpful at times to avoid some dense brush.
Once you notice the land to your west begin to disappear, you will need to make a right turn and head up into another gully. Charons Garden Mountain will be on your left when you make this turn. Hike up (right side of the gully is easiest) a little ways until you reach the base of Pt. 1860's subpeak. Hike up the subpeak on some nice class 4 scrambling. A 5th class route runs directly up but would be difficult without rock climbing shoes and has fall potential.
Either summit the subpeak or pass nearby on the left (south) and head for the saddle between you and Pt. 1860. Scramble directly up to the summit boulder.
From Pt. 1860 to Pt. 1928, descend down angling towards the north and the Mt. Mitchell Massif and ascend up the southeast face of Pt. 1928. This will lead you to a false summit. Some more 3rd class scrambling will lead you to the true summit.
Retrace your steps back a short ways and locate a gully dropping down to the east. Descend down this gully and then angle north towards the Pt. 1928/Mt. Mitchell Massif saddle. Bushwack east/northeast towards Peak 2 on the Mt. Mitchell Massif. From Peak 2 you can bushwack northeast over to Peak 3, then bushwack east on over to Mt. Mitchell.
From the summit of Mt. Mitchell, descend south, then east down to the pass below Mt. Mitchell to complete your loop.
Essential Gear
Long pants and plenty of water. Not recommended for summer because of the extreme heat.
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Wichita Mountains
