
From my parking spot, I dropped into the wash on the right.

I stumbled on an ATV road, which I followe.

The road made the hike quite easy for the first bit.

I reached a junction, left would be my descent later. Right is where the ATV road continued, and I followed it.

The ATV road ended and I ended up boulder-hopping up the wash.

Looking back at my progress up the wash.


Nearing a minor saddle at the head of the wash.

Looking back the way I came from the minor saddle.

View from the minor saddle, looking down the opposite side. My route dropped down a bit, then skirted around the rock outcropping on the left. From there, I entered the drainage next to the one pictured here.

Starting up the drainage, "Drainage 2". I stayed in it only for a short time, deciding I wanted to start ascending on the right in one of numerous possible gullies.

Looking back as I start my ascent out of "drainage 2". You can see the rock outcropping I avoided in the center, and the minor saddle I just descended from hidden just behind the rock outcropping on the left.

Continuing up my chosen Class 2/2+ gully.

Looking back at my progress. It was a pretty fun scramble, even though some of the rock was loose.

Final push to the summit.

Cargo Muchacho Mountains High Point summit. You can see the rock outcropping I avoided on the left, and the minor saddle I descended from left of it. Right of center is the wash I hiked up. In the center of the photo is my soon-to-be chosen descent gully that would meet up with the fork I had left earlier.

Close-up toward my descent gully route, and the wash I hiked up. My car is somewhere top center. Stud Mountain visible top right.

Close-up toward Picacho Peak in the distance.

I descended a random gully and made it back into "drainage 2". I then began descending the left fork (southern line in attached map), pictured here.

Some Class 2/3 stuff to contend with, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for the Mojave.
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