

Hike The Thumb, Bar Mountain, and Van Patten Camp Organ Mountains - Desert Peaks National Monument, NM

Starting along the Dripping Springs NRT.

I left the trail and headed up to The Thumb, seen ahead.

View back toward the trailhead. La Cueva Rocks seen top left.

A fenceline on the east ridge of The Thumb. I followed it to the little cliff ahead, then wrapped around on the right. Class 2 brought me to the summit.

The Thumb summit, view toward Bar Mountain (right) and Van Patten Camp (left).

Close-up toward Van Patten Camp and Dripping Springs (too small to see).

Along a wide, arcing ridge to get to the base of Bar Mountain (seen top right).

A small drop into a drainage, where I picked up the spur ridge seen center on the opposite side.

View back the way I came (right). The Thumb seen top left.

Bar Mountain ahead.

Class 2 up one of the gullies I chose.

Class 2 along the ridge to reach the summit.

Bar Mountain summit, view toward The Thumb and La Cueva Rocks.

Bar Mountain, view south into Bar Canyon.

View east toward the bigger Organs.

I backtracked and took this very overgrown road to reach the Dripping Springs NRT.

Along the trail, headed toward Van Patten Camp.

View back. You can see Bar Mountain on the left and The Thumb on the right.

The Livery.

The Livery.

A shot I took from 2016 of The Livery.

Onward to Van Patten Mountain Camp.

Junction that forms a small loop.

Van Patten Mountain Camp.

Van Patten Camp, a nicely preserved structure. Photo from 2016.

Dripping Springs.

Closeup of Dripping Springs.

Short spur trail to Boyd's Sanatorium.

Boyd's Sanatorium.

Some old stuff at the start of the Dripping Springs Trail.
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