Boundary Peak, Montgomery Peak

15-Jun-91

By: Maris Valkas

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Thirteen people showed up In Dyer, Nevada to climb these fine peaks. Since this was a backpack trip, and the peaks would be climbed on Sunday, we were In no rush. The saloon, next to the post office opens regularly at 8 am. however, since we were there earlier, they started to serve breakfast before. It is a nice place to eat, and the people were friendly.

We followed the instructions in the Peaks Guide. When we got to the middle Creek Canyon Trail turnoff, the mileage was correct, but the sign was no longer there. We had to backtrack a couple of times because we were not sure about the exact mileage, or we were not sure which was the road, and which was the side road. However, we got there by 12:30, and after eating lunch we started our backpack. There is a pretty good trail two thirds of the way up, but then we lost it. We continued west up the canyon and up to the saddle between peaks 11,325 and 12,201. We were In camp by three pm. Since there was a large patch of snow, we did not have to worry about water, however. In low snow year you should carry water with you. The weather was beautiful and we had plenty of time. Some of us climbed the 11,325 Peak, where a register has been placed. The view was great In all directions. Afterwards I put my conservation hat on, and got about twenty letters requesting the protection of the old growth forests and the spotted owl. (This is not a requirement on my trips, I just bring the materials and ask if anyone would like to write).

Sunday morning we started our climb at 5:30 am. Since we had to do both peaks and hike out, plus drive a long distance home we wanted to get an early start. This did not prove to be difficult because the sun was coming up at that time. We just followed the ridge to point 12,201 and then the ridge line to the summit. Snow, up to this point, was not a problem.

From the summit of Boundary we could see that we could not do Montgomery without crampons and Ice axes. Two thirds of the way across where there are some cliffs, steep snow could be seen on both sides. Therefore, in accordance with the Club rules, we aborted this part of the trip, and returned to camp. We returned to the cars by 3:00 pm.

Participants were: Paula Peterson, Keith Martin, Rob Talbert, Peter Kinman, Devra Wasserman, Mark Adrian, Paul Backer, Mario Gonzalez, Barbara Reber, Anna Valkass, Nancy Bell. and leaders Jim Farkas and Maris Valkass.

My thanks to everyone for making this trip a rewarding experience.


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