| Aside from the scenic views, getting to the summit of any mountain
bears "rewards" which are a little different for each individual. For
example, I enjoy relaxing at the summit, taking photo's, reading summit
register entries, and knowing that the remainder of the trip is mostly
down hill to a tasty cheeseburger somewhere. Today most of that was gone
- no summit register, barely a summit at all, smoke filled skies and so
forth. So off I went to find the pass that'll take me down to White
Chief Canyon. The map would have me believe the pass would be obvious,
but it wasn't. One has to peer over the ridgeline to find the correct
spot to drop off else you would be base jumping and not hiking (sans
parachute). No problem though, once seen it does become obvious.
Starting down the unnamed pass above White Chief
Canyon
The first fifty to hundred feet were a little tricky, but beyond that
it is simply a matter of good route finding to get down the pass to the
canyon below. I zigzagged a lot to avoid cliffing out as I came down the
boulder field and sought any solid slabs of granite to make my downward
travels easier. The pass looked easier than it was, glad I made a
counter clockwise loop for this hike; I doubt I would have found the
motivation to ascend this pass in an upward direction given the
destination.
Looking back up at the unnamed pass (about
two-thirds down) - above White Chief Canyon
By now I was ready for a trail; no scree or boulders, bushwhacking or
route finding. Just the luxury of walking down a path. From my vantage
point I could see some people below checking out the small lake and
ponds at the top of the valley and the mining caves that the valley is
famous for. Most importantly, I could see the trail that'll take me to
that tasty cheeseburger and a cold soda.
Mining caves in White Chief Valley created in the
1800's
As I got to the valley floor I eventually connected with the others,
a nice group of people hiking together and exploring the valley. As I
looked up over my shoulder I could see why the label "peak" was appended
to White Chief from its founders - it looks like a peak from below.
Obviously whoever named the thing was too lazy to climb up the pass and
have a look.
Looking thru the smoke to White Chief Peak from the
valley below
The valley is quite beautiful with all of the colors of rock (white
granite in sharp contrast to the red rock) and greenery below.
Looking down White Chief Valley from the granite
covered hillside
Further down I crossed a creek and the trail opened up nicely, no
more rock for a while but a lot of flowers and trees.
Purple fields in the valley
I stopped a few times at the creek to wash my face and hands with the
refreshing cold water. This also gave the other people on the trail some
space. As I turned back to have one last look at the upper valley I
couldn't help but to take another photo.
White Chief Valley, Vandever Mountain in the
distance (left of center)
Since the skies had cleared a little, I took another photo of Mineral
Peak while my camera was in hand.
Mineral Peak
The rest of the days journey was uneventful, just a nice walk down
the trail. As I got close to the trailhead a few others passed me by,
apparently just curious what is beyond the next corner. Of course by
now, you know what I was thinking about.
Say "cheese" cheeseburger that is; at the best
place in town - the Silver City Resort!
Here's a map of my day hike:
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