Notch Peak

From the Snake Range, over fifty miles away, Notch Peak can be seen prominently on the horizon. It rises like a blade. The sheer face of the cliff appears as if the summit was sliced in half. The sight not only demands attention, but investigation.
 
But the journey begins in Sawtooth Canyon. We travel ten miles on a graveled and sometimes rough road. Near the mouth of the canyon is an old cabin. I notice some tailings on the hillside and wonder if the structure was used by miners.
 

Old cabin in Sawtooth Canyon.

Sawtooth Canyon.

It is hot outside. They say the temperature is supposed to rise to ninety-six degrees. It is ten o'clock already and we are in the West Desert in July. Not too far away is the hardpan of a huge dried lake. Everything here seems to be dry. It is quite a contrast from the patches of snow we found yesterday.
 
The trail follows a dry stream bed. Some of the canyon walls are tall and sheer, and one of them even resembles a sawtooth. There are three of us and we stop from time to time under the shade of a tree to drink from our water and munch a bite or two of trail mix.
 
They say there are various trails to Notch Peak, but being unfamiliar with the area, we remain on the prominent path. As we walk along I think of the Indians who lived here hundreds of years ago and wonder how many of them ascended the summit. The old-timers found a lot of artifacts in this general area, so I would assume that a landmark as distinguished as Notch Peak would hold a level of sacredness with the Natives.
 

Juniper tree growing from solid rock.

An arch in the canyon.

Bark of a white fir.

I am pleasantly surprised that the canyon narrows and a wider variety of vegetation begins to grow. We find cliffrose, mountain mahogany, pinyon pine and juniper. It is amazing how many trees seem to grow directly out of solid rock from the canyon slopes. Dave teaches us how to tell the difference between white fir and Douglas fir by the direction the needles are growing.
 
As we advance, some parts of the wash become steeper and we have to climb up layers of rock to reach the upper level. Dead trees and boulders clog portions of the canyon, having been washed down during flash floods.
 

During this section we meet a man from Pleasant Grove who has just ran a sprint-triathlon in Delta this morning. He is catching a “quick hike” before he goes home. He is in much better shape than we are, but appears to be exhausted. We let him pass, as he seems to be anxious to complete his hike. Other than him and two other hikers, we encounter no one else.
 
Eventually the trail leaves the wash and we follow a couple cairns that lead to nowhere. We walk up the hill, hoping to cross the path, but find nothing. At this point, I will admit, we have lost the trail. I will also admit that I didn't prepare as well as I should have. One internet site that stated that the trail to Notch Peak was well marked. In hindsight, I should have spend four bucks and bought a BLM map and researched the path on my own. Now we stand half way up a ridge, not sure which direction to head. We know we can see the back side of Notch Peak, but aren't quite sure which hill that would be. Our strategy is to walk to the top of the ridge and follow it all the way around. By doing that we are sure to find the right place.
 

Back side of Notch Peak.

As we hike up the slope, we can see the man from Pleasant Grove way ahead of us at the base of a pointed hill. He stands in one place for several minutes, then walks back and forth. He appears disoriented and perhaps lost. We worry about him becoming dehydrated and exhausted after having ran a race. As we continue, we keep an eye on his location.
 
We walk toward the pointed hill and on the backside find a grove of bristlecone pine trees. I am very surprised to find these, as they usually grow at higher elevations (we are probably at 8,000 feet now). Bristlecone pines are among the oldest trees in the world, some dating back before the time of Christ. They are shorter than most pines and have gnarly trunks and branches. The needles grow in bunches and resemble fox tails.
 

Bristlecone pine trees are thousands of years old.

Needles of a bristlecone pine tree.

Even though we are tired, we climb to the top of the pointed hill. From here a new world opens up and we realize that Notch Peak is on the next hill over. It is much higher. But from here we can see the sheer cliff face, having a much better view than if we were on the summit itself.
 

Notch Peak as seen from the east side.

The man from Pleasant Grove makes his way toward us, finally having found the peak himself. He admits that he didn't know where he was going either. We take a picture for him and then he heads back, telling us that he's running out of water.
 
We move on, down the pointed hill and then up an even steeper mountain side toward the peak. It looks pretty rough from a distance, but once climbing up, we find it very manageable.
 

At the peak.

This is about as far as we dared peer over the edge.

At last we arrive at the top, and what a view it is! Looking west we can see the Snake Range as well as several other mountain ranges. All around us are chains of hills with dry valleys between. To the southeast is the massive dry lake bed of Sevier Lake.
 
Notch Peak has the second tallest sheer cliff in the United States next to El Capitan in Yosemite. The cliff face is 2,200 feet high! To look over the rim we get down on our bellies and scoot our heads over the ledge. Needless to say, the view downward creates a feeling of vertigo. There is absolutely nothing to stop an accidental fall. After just a few seconds, each of us back up and retreat to terra firma.
 
By now the hot July heat has retreated also. Monsoon clouds cover the sun and a cool breeze begins to pick up. We spot a couple patches of isolated rain on the valley before us. Every few minutes a rumble of thunder fills the air.
 
There are no trees at the top. Just short, stubby bushes. One small plant catches my attention as there are hundreds of lady bugs swarming all over. I consider pulling out my camera and snapping a picture, but as that thought crosses my mind, the rain drops begin to fall.
 

Sevier Lake as seen from Notch Peak.

Looking directly north from Notch Peak.

We pack up in a hurry. One of the storm cells with lightning is headed our way. At the top of a peak is nowhere to be during an electrical storm.
 
The rain comes down, but not in torrential fashion. Just enough to dampen our clothes and packs. The rocks are a little slippery on the steep slope down to the bottom. Once we arrive at the dry wash bed the rain stops. But the thunder continues to roll, and with each peal the rumbles echo off the canyon walls. ♠

Notch Peak as seen from Highway 50 & 6 near the Utah / Nevada border.