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Eaton Saddle to Desolation Pinnacle

Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 7:15 pm
by Sean
Tekewin was telling me about an attempt he made on the nifty, cone-shaped bump a little SW of Mt. Disappointment. He calls it Desolation Pinnacle, which fits with the general theme of peak names in the area.

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Like most nifty, seldom-visited things in the Gabes, it had been on my mind for a few years now. And yesterday was the day to get it done. Plus, my friend Willie was itching to do some scrambling.

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After deciding against a direct, gully approach from Markham saddle (too much brush), we walked the trail and road up to Mt. Disappointment, and then started down the south ridge.

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Some poodle dog blocks the ideal path, so we managed some class 3 downclimbing on pointy boulders.

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The ridge is quite narrow with steep, slick, sandy surfaces. A stumble could result in tumbling off the ridge and sliding some distance into brush or worse on either side.

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We soon came to the small saddle between Disappointment and the Pinnacle. From here it's a steep, but relatively easy scramble to the summit blocks.

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It's perhaps the best viewing spot in the canyon, because you have a clear, 360-degree panorama of all the surrounding mounts: Lowe, Markham, San Gabriel, Disappointment, and Deception. You can also see other peaks in the distance, like Harvard, Wilson, Lawlor, Strawberry, and Josephine. The clouds blocked our view of Brown.

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For the return trip, we avoided the ridge and dropped into a little gully leading up to Disappointment's SE shoulder. The short climb out was steep but merely class 2 with easily avoidable poodle dog.

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Re: Eaton Saddle to Desolation Pinnacle

Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 1:04 pm
by tekewin
Super! Cool photos and charred rocks. I got down to your 5th photo, with Willie on the gray dirt, before turning back. Now that you've found a better way to get there, this will have to go back on my agenda. Thanks for documenting the route. That jagged little pinnacle needs more visitors.

Re: Eaton Saddle to Desolation Pinnacle

Posted: Thu May 07, 2015 10:17 pm
by scottawr
Ive always looked up at that little peak and wondered if it was possible to climb or too loose. cool hike!

Re: Eaton Saddle to Desolation Pinnacle

Posted: Wed May 20, 2015 2:32 pm
by tekewin
I couldn't resist the new route so went up before work. Thanks Sean and Willie for the route guidance. Here are a few "me too" photos and a 360 video link.

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Sleepy town

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Mt. Wilson

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Near the bottom of the gully

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Cairn set up by Sean and Willie

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Descending the pinnacle

360 video from the summit

Re: Eaton Saddle to Desolation Pinnacle

Posted: Sun May 24, 2015 8:29 am
by VermillionPearlGirl
I've always wanted to check this out as well, good to know it's doable :)