Russell Peak 6696′, Deception Peak 6650′ and Backus Peak 6651′
Sierra Nevada
Total Time: 5:50
Elevation Gain: 3600′
Distance: 8.5 miles
Crux: Class 3
Trailhead: Dirt road east of Walker Pass, no services
Although not pursuing the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peak section list as aggressively as when I lived in Los Angeles, I had been slowly ticking off summits since moving back to the Golden State, particularly those closer to home in the Southern Sierra. I only had two summits left north of Route 178, Russell and Backus Peaks just east of Walker Pass. The two are often combined in a single outing, and with a storm system bringing precipitation to the northern and central Sierras, it made for a good, dry objective for the day. Unfortunately Walker Pass pushes my limits of how far I’m willing to drive for a day, taking over 3.5 hours to get to the trailhead from home. I parked at the locked gate leading to Walker Well and started out at around 7 AM, the sun just starting to hit the upper slopes of the peaks above.
My plan was to climb Russell Peak first via the southwest ridge, reported to have some class 3 that I figured would be more enjoyable to ascend rather than scramble down. Hiking through the desert, I pretty easily lost the old 4WD track, weaving through Joshua Trees and scrub up the broad canyon. I reached the fenced off Walker Well and found the road was actually better defined beyond, perhaps with the upper reaches of the canyon receiving less water run off and the road being reclaimed by nature a bit slower. I left the old road as I neared the base of the SW Ridge and started up cross country.
Although not extremely steep, the ridge was sandy and a bit loose, and I was definitely feeling my lack of fitness as I made my way up the ridge. I stopped about half way up, mostly due to the high winds being on the edge of the storm system, and paused to put on my wind jacket before continuing up. I could see the summit rocks above, although the class 3 wound up being quite minimal- maybe 100 yards and fairly tame. Although to be fair, the Hundred Peak Section is not known for its good scrambles.
I found a place slightly out of the wind and signed into the summit register, the summit seeing a handful of ascents during the cooler months each year. It had taken me a bit under two hours to summit Russell, with the ridgeline connecting to Backus looking a bit more complex than I expected.
Dropping off, I quickly went up and over 6515′, making sure to tag the highpoint in case the chucklefucks in charge of the HPS peak list decide to add yet another peak to the list, or if the random unnamed point is on Peakbagger (it is). There was one more intermediate bump en route to Backus Peak, unofficially named Deception Peak. The ridge leading up to Deception was a bit more complex, and I dropped towards the south to avoid several fins of rock cutting across the ridge and northern slopes.
I found no register on the summit of Deception, and after a quick water break, dropped off and started up the final push up Backus. On the summit, there were two points vying to be the highest, and I tagged the north one first looking a few feet taller. But I was blasted by wind and with no options for cover, I moved to the southern summit. It was indeed a few feet shorter, but had some protection from the wind allowing me to hunker down for a break.
The traverse had taken me a bit longer than expected but was quite enjoyable, with excellent views down into Indian Wells Canyon, across to the Five Fingers and across Owens Peak Wilderness. To the far north I could see Olancha Peak in snow, along with the Mount Langley massif peaking out behind. I decided it was not worth walking back to the north summit to find the register and started down the southern slopes. Although the HPS guide recommends dropping to the southeast, it was clear from above that the southwest slopes would go without issue to the desert floor. So I started down the scree, slowly at first until the terrain became more consistent sand allowing me to pick up speed.
About halfway down I hit a series of granite cliff bands that had been clearly visible from the hike in, but there were plenty of weaknesses in the gully systems to allow me through without issue. Getting back to the desert floor, I initially stuck to a wash, then cut my way cross country on a more direct line for the car.
I found the old road cresting over the shallow saddle between points 4978′ and 4507′. It was only about noon by the I reach the car, plenty of time to bag another peak in the area. So I head back over Walker Pass to tag another HPS summit- Pinyon Peak…
