Drive to Blythe, make a left, and drive down a cruddy dirt road for an hour. You will find yourself at the base of Granite Mountains High Point – in the middle of nowhere. This long, cruddy dirt road turned a 3-hour drive into a 4-hour drive, giving us a late start. From the trailhead, the mountain looked pretty boring, and it took 4-miles of hiking across the open desert to reach our access drainage. Fortunately, the weather was sunny and cool.
Fun Scrambling
After getting off route in the drainage, we regained our route and slogged our way up a large boulder field. This led us to the base of a ridge, which gave us a clear visual path to the summit. We gained a nominal amount of elevation up to this point, and the ridge was quite steep all the way to the top. This is where the hike got fun. Wes and I were both ready for a miserable scree slog all the way up. Instead, the ridgeline granted us wonderfully solid steep class 2+ scrambling. Wes and I were both feeling a little low-energy that day, unrelated to the hike. I’d guess it was the 4-hour drive. I broke down and drank a 5-Hour Energy, but Wes decided to suffer through. We made the summit in 3.5 hours, greeted by perfect temps and the views of the vast expanse of the Mojave that I never get tired of.
Wes and I were both ready for a miserable scree slog all the way up. Instead, the ridgeline granted us wonderfully solid steep class 2+ scrambling.
New Summit Friends
Wes and I took 15 minutes on the summit to sit and enjoy the view. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blur and heard a whistling sound as a projectile whizzed past my head. I smiled immediately because I knew what it was. “Did you see that?”, I said to Wes. “I heard him, but he was moving too fast to see”, I said. I few seconds later, I saw one, then another.
I’m in the 200mph camp because I’ve seen this insane speed with my own eyes.
I have encountered Swifts before on two other Sierra peaks. They are now my honorary favorite animal. The White-throated Swift is a migratory bird that flies from South America to Canada. On their journey, they frequent cliffs and high peaks in California. What makes them unique is their speed. Some say they have a top speed of 70mph. Others say 200mph, but no one really knows. I’m in the 200mph camp because I’ve seen this insane speed with my own eyes. At least three of them were playfully whizzing past our heads doing acrobatics. I’m in childhood awe of this fantastic show these creatures are putting on for us today.
Boredom and a Near Miss
The descent was more enjoyable than most since so much scrambling was involved. We got to the car just as the temperature for the day seemed to reach “warmer than I preferred” – which was probably 75 degrees :) Next week, temperatures will be in the 90s in practically every desert within range of my house. This is the end of the season for me. It’s been a great Winter hiking season, and now I’m looking forward to the fast-approaching Sierra hiking season for some epic adventures!
Without warning, we came upon a huge axle-braking trench that spanned the entire road width. I had no time to slow down.
That cruddy dirt road seemed twice as long on the way back. The sheer boredom of it got me to push my speed more than I should have. Without warning, we came upon a huge axle-braking trench that spanned the entire road width. I had no time to slow down. Wes and I both gasped as we hit it… then laughed nervously. Nothing happened. We were going so fast that I think we actually jumped it. I came to a complete stop so I could collect myself for seeming to avoid breaking the axle of my car. Wes and I laughed hysterically at our good fortune, then continued the long 4-hour slope home. Wow, thank God, that could have been a bad one.
Elevation Profile
