
A long walk through the desert on a heavily degraded wilderness road. The Coxcomb Mountains are visible ahead in the center.

Slowly making progress to the major drainage.

Within the major drainage. Keeping within the drainage leads along the standard route, but we opted to take the more direct route, visible right of center in this photo.

View back into the wash we ascended from.

Lots of boulder-hopping on this direct route.

Class 3 as we make our way higher, toward a saddle.

Almost at the saddle.

View back the way we came, just below a saddle.

At the saddle, view toward Aqua Benchmark up there somewhere. The route required dropping down a bit from the saddle.

Reasonable terrain as we headed up toward Aqua Benchmark.

Bit still lots of boulder-hopping.

View back as we make our way up to Aqua Benchmark.


Wide shot of the area just below Aqua Benchmark. It's a bit difficult to find the "best" route. Whiley and I went slightly different ways, but we both reached the west slope of Aqua in roughly the same spot.

After we crested the west side of Aqua Benchmark, this lovely view of Spectre Peak greeted us.

Aqua Benchmark ahead, some Class 3 up the west ridge.

Aqua Benchmark summit, view back into the jumble of granite we came out of.

Aqua Benchmark, view toward Dyadic Point.

Close-up toward Dyadic Point.

Class 2 down Aqua Benchmark's south slope, headed to Spectre Peak ahead.

A drainage leading to the left side (northeast) of Spectre Peak

At this second dead tree, we headed up.

Class 2+ up a minor gully.

View back down as we make our way up Spectre Peak.

Class 2/3 scrambling to the summit. Dyadic Point visible top right, and the drainage/wash most use as the standard route (which will be our descent route) visible left of center.

Spectre Peak summit, view south-ish.

View back up toward Spectre Peak as we head down the main wash most use as a standard route.

Class 2/2+ down this wash.

View back up, lots of boulders.

It was certainly slower-moving than we thought it would be.



Some fun talus caves, but overall just lots of boulder-hopping.

One of a few dryfalls to scramble.

View back up the descent from Spectre Peak, just before making a hairpin turn and heading northwest.

Heading northwest up to a low, sandy saddle.

At the low, sandy saddle, view back the way we came. The drainage/wash we came down from Spectre Peak is somewhat visible on the right.

Descending into the major wash draining from the Coxcombs, completing the loop.
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