Campito Peak, Blanco Peak

28-May-55

By: Parker Severson

none

NEW PEAKS IN THE WHITE MOUNTAINS

Two new peaks in the White Mountains were explored over the Decoration Day week end (May 28-30). Campito (11,543) and Blanco (11,280), located in the southern end of the White Mountains, were the peaks climbed. The DPS party met where the White Mountain road turns off from Westgard Pass, east of Big Pine, Saturday A.M. With Bob Bear as leader, our caravan of five cars struggled up the steep and narrow road to our campsite at Big Prospector Meadow, at about 10,000 feet. It was low gear work, engines boiled over and some cars had trouble getting up. My car was one of them. On the steeper pitches, I had to turn around and go up in reverse.

We found an abandoned miner's cabin at the meadow, equipped with cook stove and table so our party of 15 used it as headquarters. Campfire sessions were held in the cabin with the stove going full blast to ward off the frosty air. Sunday A. M. we hiked up Campito Peak and enjoyed the ever-wondrous view of the snow-mantled Sierra. Blanco was climbed in the afternoon.

On the nearby slopes we found the bristle-cone pines, believed to be found nowhere else in California except here, and in a few spots in the Inyos and Panamints. A beautiful obsidian arrowhead was found near camp by Wallace "Avocado" Smith.


DPS Archives Index | Desert Peaks Section