Climbing Mount Cunningham

Saturday, January 26, 2019 was our last full day in Quartzsite.  It was our last chance to hike up Mount Cunningham, the highest mountain in the area around Quartzsite, and we persuaded our friends Duane and Jean to join us.  Duane even volunteered to drive us in his 4-wheel drive dually pickup.  We didn't refuse his offer.

The drive out from Quartzsite to the trailhead via Dome Rock Road was its own adventure.  The road kept getting narrower and rougher, but Duane was able to navigate our way until we finally reached the trailhead.  We took a selfie in celebration before starting our climb:

The climb was 2 miles long, with 2,000 feet of elevation gain -- quite a steep climb, and we huffed and puffed up the gravel road as it switched back and forth up the shoulder of the mountain:

We paused periodically to catch our breath and take in the views.  Here, Kathy poses with Jean and Duane halfway up the peak, with the Dome Rock Mountains in the background:

Halfway up, we finally got a dramatic view west through a nearby drainage in the Dome Rock Mountains:

The bright red color of numerous barrel cactus surprised us as we came around corners of the road on the upper reaches of the mountain:

Suddenly, as we made a turn up the road, Duane encountered our first close-up view of the summit with its numerous antennae and towers:

The views from the top of Mount Cunningham were breathtaking.  Here is a view northeast with Quartzsite in the distance in the left of the photo below, and Pipeline Road, leading out to Arizona Highway 95 on the right in the photo:

Our passage through these mountains is as brief and ephemeral as shadows upon the rocks.  We marveled at the grandeur of the peaks to our north:

Duane was so inspired, he tried to embrace the entire landscape!

Down there, far away, sat Duane's and Jean's truck, which they circled in this photo.  It was hard to imagine we had climbed this far.  We were a great distance above the truck than we were away from it!

Having reached the top, we stopped for lunch.  Here, Duane and Jean take a well-earned rest:

David, too, munched away on his lunch as we enjoyed the views:

To get a sense of the views we had, take a look at this 360 degree view from the summit of Mount Cunningham.

Of course, every climb up a mountain requires an equal descent.  The walk down is always faster, but much tougher on joints and muscles, than the aerobic climb up.  While our climb to the top took about 2 hours, our return took only a little over an hour -- half the time of our climb!

Needless to say, at least three of us were a little stiff and sore the following days.  We're not sure Duane felt the climb; he seemed to dance like a bighorn sheep up and down the mountain.  Oh, well, at least he was kind enough to pause and let us catch up with him from time to time.

All in all, a most memorable hike!  Thanks for joining us on it, Jean and Duane.