TRIP REPORT PHOTOS
Thimble Peak appears for the first time while driving along Titus Canyon Road:
Zooming in on Thimble Peak as seen from the road long before reaching Red Pass:
Steve Sr., Sally, Daria, and Steve standing at Red Pass. This was the first time that Steve Sr. and Sally ever drove through Titus Canyon:
Steve and Tiffany just starting out on the hike above Red Pass:
Looking back down on our trucks parked at Red Pass. If these parking spots had been taken, I wasn't sure where we could have parked to do this hike:
A clearly defined trail starts right from the beginning and continues virtually the whole way:
Javan and Tiffany heading up the trail from Red Pass:
Spectacular view of Mount Palmer from early on in the hike:
Wahguyhe Peak stands out no matter where you view it from with its cone-shaped texture:
Steve Sr., Sally, and Daria leaving Red Pass and driving down through Titus Canyon while we did the hike:
Titus Canyon Road winding down the other side of Red Pass as it heads toward Leadfield:
Looking back the other way to see Titus Canyon Road coming this way from Nevada:
Heading up on a basic ridge climb with the assistance of a path:
Tiffany back in Death Valley for the first time since November 2010. She missed the Spring trip in 2011 due to studying abroad in New Zealand:
Looking over the top of the Cottonwoods, the Inyos and the snow capped Sierras are barely visible:
The path continues working up the left side of the ridge:
Javan and Tiffany keeping pace a short distance back:
Moving on to yet another section of the ridge. Elevation gain on this hike is about 1,800 feet, including an unavoidable drop of 400 feet in the middle:
Far above Red Pass now, which would not be visible for much longer:
Tiffany taking a moment to appreciate the grand scenery all around her:
First appearance of Thimble Peak from along the trail:
And here it is, an impressive full view of Thimble Peak:
More uphill from here to complete the initial ridge portion of the hike:
Now we could see far back into Nevada and the beginning straight section of Titus Canyon Road:
Yet another majestic view of Thimble Peak appeared from the top of the initial ridge section:
We came upon this rock outcropping area which was perfectly set up for pictures:
Steve with Thimble Peak in the background:
The marked route is the easiest way up to the top of Thimble, and there is a path to follow most of the time. Print this picture out to take with you if you go:
A nice view of Corkscrew Peak from this area:
Looking over at the Mesquite Sand Dunes and Stovepipe Wells area:
This picture shows the route down, where we had to lose 400 feet of elevation in order to keep going:
Zooming in for two close-ups of the top portion of Thimble Peak:
Continuing to head down to the saddle:
From the saddle, we had to head to the right of the rocky area to get around it:
Tiffany and Javan standing on the saddle before beginning the final climb:
The cliffs of Thimble Peak limit the possible routes to the top:
Look closely and you can make out the still well-defined path leading up:
Javan at the top of this section as he moved ahead of the group:
Tiffany tackling this portion as the hike got quite a bit steeper:
View of Corkscrew with the cliffs of Thimble on the right:
Time to start watching our footing more carefully with loose rocks and greater steepness, as shown in the next three pictures:
The back side of Thimble has this large cave. I have read about others trying to hike up to it but having trouble due to the tough terrain:
Titanothere Canyon winds its way far below us (canyon cutting horizontal across the center of the picture), dividing Corkscrew and Thimble Peak:
The last section of the climb is quite steep and somewhat nasty:
Javan standing at the top of the trickiest part, which is a large step up or mini-climb, with a cliff behind you:
Tiffany heading up to this spot along the trail:
This picture is taken from where Javan was standing, showing the huge drop-off behind me:
Almost there now, resting up before the final climb to the summit:
The small summit of Thimble Peak was a welcome sight for all of us. Time to relax and enjoy lunch. The nice thing about this peak is not feeling rushed at all:
Thimble Peak benchmark at the summit:
A new tradition I have started lately of getting a close-up next to the benchmark:
We start with the view to the Southeast of Corkscrew Peak:
Zooming in on Corkscrew Peak. The best view when standing on the summit of Corkscrew is that of Thimble, and the reverse is true as well:
Looking due South down towards central Death Valley and Furnace Creek:
To the Southwest, the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes really stand out:
A wider view in the same direction showing all of Tucki Mountain:
Mount Palmer, Grapevine Peak, and Wahguyhe Peak are all visible to the North:
The center peak shown here is Mount Palmer, which intrigues me as a future challenging destination:
The left peak is Grapevine, while the right peak is Wahguyhe:
This view is actually due North of the summit:
Returning to look at Corkscrew from a slightly different angle:
A picture of Javan with Corkscrew Peak. Javan did very well for his first trip to Death Valley at 13 years of age:
Steve with Corkscrew on one of the steep rocky slopes just off of the summit:
Steve and Tiffany saying goodbye on another great Death Valley hike:
Panoramic looking towards Corkscrew Peak and central Titanothere Canyon (click to enlarge):
Panoramic looking towards Tucki Mountain and the mouth of Titanothere Canyon (click to enlarge):
