Butterbredt Peak, Mayan Peak, Onyx Peak #2

27 January 1990

By: Frank Dobos

Twenty-six hikers met at 9am at Jawbone Canyon in spring like weather and drove to the Butterbredt trailhead. The nearby peaks were covered with snow, however the southern slopes were clear, and the hike was pleasant and short. After this we drove to Mayan, had a short lunch break and attacked the steep hill of Mayan, climbing it in an hour. The view was infinite, we named all the known HPS peaks and newcomers were impressed, promising to come back. Then the real fun: to run down from the peak on the soft sandy hillside. Some people wanted to climb the peak and do it again. Back at the cars Barbara announced that she had climbed 200 peaks, so let's party! After some discussion, some hikers signed out. I led the caravan to the Auxiliary Campground but most of us didn't like the wind and the humming noise (the pumps were working at the dam). Tili Creek was the next choice. By then my assistant drove in, complaining that her Dodge Caravan was stalling. Charlie Knapke volunteered to keep an eye on her (and the car) and we all drove in and invaded the empty campground. We started a fire. Barbara provided champagne for her 200th, red-white-green bottles. John Gibba and Barbara Reber were telling good stories. Keith Martin had his 8 inch telescope fixed on Jupiter giving great details of the big planet and its moons.

The frost made Sunday morning long. Some people went for breakfast at a restaurant, so it was after 9 when we started to drive to Onyx. 16 hikers started out. I chose the first canyon which is more rocky, but solid ground. Dr. Ruth signed out after a while, feeling a relapse of the flu. When we reached the ridge, I turned the lead to Paula Peterson and she got us on the top where her 100 Peak made her a new emblem holder. When the time came to go down, we enjoyed running down the steep sandy hillside.

Back at the cars we didn't find Ruth who was supposed to be there reading a book and waiting for us. After some scouting for foot prints we decided to go back and find her. As we spread out the search party and started toward the canyon, Charlie saw someone with the binoculars. Sure enough, it was our lost soul. After some questioning, she confessed she decided to do some exploring, seeing an inviting ridge and climbed the peak solo. One more peak for her Pathfinder emblem. We quickly forgot the incident and drove over Walker Pass, stopping occasionally to wait for Barbara whose car still kept stalling. By then I made a decision not to climb Aquilla Peak as the North side was icy with snow. So we headed to Mojave, where after a dinner at French's restaurant we drove home from a fun weekend. Thanks to Barbara for assisting and congratulations to her and Paula for their achievements and thanks to the participants for being such a fun group. See you on the hills!