Cabezon

glorious cabezon

Made it up Cabezon on my first attempt. Stayed the night near the trailhead. Good breeze going all night and all the next day. Signed in at the trail around 8a, reached the peak around 945a. Route finding can be challenging but be patient and look carefully. Cairns and arrows really help. My first semi-major climb/scramble. I'm a chain smokin', TN born flatlander who had no problems with this ascent. I left my backpack near the first wall due to balance issues( I carried a gallon jug and have no camelback). Made it fine. Getting down I had to trust my legs and feet more than ever before. A little nerve wracking but well worth it. Anyone wanting to get vertical for a spell, especially new climbers like myself, this is an excellent starting point. Great confidence builder. And gets you looking at rocks in new ways.

As far as the trail to the base...that took longer than the climb. I went to the right at the trailhead since I saw no clearly marked way to the left. Mostly uphill and somewhat steep. On way down, I wanted to complete the circle trail around cabezon, so I started to the left once I reached the base. the trail quickly diminished and I got lost in a heartbeat, even though I knew my car was close. I ended up walking around cabezon, but below the parking area. took me several hours and intense uphill climbing to relocate the trail, which fortunately, was marked with a few scattered cairns. I probably just overlooked them heading out, but if you do want to complete the trail around the base, be careful and keep a sharp eye out for the cairns.

Overall, an excellent day.

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