Rosa Point, Villager Peak

26 April 1991

By: Bill T Russell

The weatherman forecasted moderate temperatures, like the low 80's in Borrego Springs and Palm Springs, and there was a handy 1/4 moon, so Pat Russell and I decided to climb these two in a loop trip. We slept at the trailhead just south of Hwy. S22, and were glad to have our tent because of the strong gusty wind. We started at 0600 in clear, calm weather and reached the top of Rosa Pt. before noon. After a pleasant lunch, we hiked NW from Rosa along the divide to the Villager ridge. It took two hours to get to elevation 5200' on the ridge and then another 45 minutes to go north to Villager Peak, which we reached at 1500. I estimate that from Rosa Pt. to the 5200' elevation on the Villager ridge is 1800' gain and 3.3 miles. The hiking is easy, the only steep spot is descending the slope on the east side of the major notch at elevation 4230'. We left Villager at 1530 and reached the car at 1915, just as the sun was setting. The total trip is estimated at 6900' gain and 17.3 miles. We each carried 4 liters of water but only drank 2 1/2. The ocotillos were in full bloom and the prickly pear and barrel cactus were well started. There was even a layer of grass, albeit very thin as would be expected in that harsh environment. It was a good trip and complemented our 15 hour climb of Rabbit from Fillmore St. on April 1.

The register books and cans on both peaks are in good shape.