Diaz Peak, Arizona, January 2023

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Paul McClellan

On Saturday morning, January 28, I left Tucson and drove west to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. My goal was to climb Diaz Peak. Diaz Peak lies immediately south of Mount Ajo in the Ajo Range. Diaz Peak has 1501 feet of topographic prominence, making it the 153rd most prominent peak in Arizona. It also has a rocky and complex structure. I hoped the GPS track provided by Matthias would guide me as I climbed to the summit.

Diaz Peak from the crest of a ridge, the summit is left of center above a sunlit ramp
Diaz Peak from the crest of a ridge, the summit is left of center above a sunlit ramp

I drove the Ajo Mountain Drive past Mount Ajo and parked off the road at Stop #15. It was later in the morning than I had expected and Diaz Peak looked far away across the desert. So I set a tentative turnaround time for myself. It was going to be a close call as to whether I would be able to summit by then.

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Mohawk Peak, Arizona, January 2023

Posted on January 17, 2023 by Paul McClellan

On Saturday, January 14, I attempted to climb Mohawk Peak in the Mohawk Mountains of Southwest Arizona. Mohawk Peak (Hawk Benchmark) has only 1975 feet of elevation. But it has 1435 feet of topographic prominence and a remarkable summit horn that has drawn my attention as I pass by on Interstate 8.

My view of Mohawk Peak Saturday morning shortly after leaving Interstate 8
My view of Mohawk Peak Saturday morning shortly after leaving Interstate 8

I left Tucson Saturday morning and drove to a parking spot to the north of Mohawk Peak. The weather was overcast with showers expected that evening and overnight.

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Table Tooth, Arizona, December 2022

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Paul McClellan

On Saturday, December 31, I joined Dave Kohnke, Peyton Kohnke, and Annie Fahey for a Southern Arizona Hiking Club climb of Table Tooth above Pima Canyon, near Tucson. Table Tooth has only 280 feet of prominence, but is a rock tower requiring some exposed scrambling high above the canyon.

Table Mountain and Table Tooth across Pima Canyon to the NNW from Valentine Peak
Table Mountain and Table Tooth across Pima Canyon to the NNW from Valentine Peak

I climbed Table Tooth four years earlier, and found an alternative route gaining the exposed summit ridge that avoided the most difficult part of the climb. Dave hoped I could share that with him on this day, and I hoped I could remember how to find it.

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Valentine Peak, Arizona, December 2022

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Paul McClellan

On Monday, December 19, I joined Dave Kohnke, Thomas Holt Ward, and Tony Krystoff for a Southern Arizona Hiking Club climb of Valentine Peak above Pima Canyon, near Tucson. Valentine Peak has only 146 feet of prominence, but is a rock pillar requiring some route finding and scrambling on exposed rock high above the canyon. None of us had visited the summit before and the SAHC information on the route was vague. We were a small team of experienced desert mountaineers and were eager to solve the puzzle.

Looking up Pima Canyon, with Valentine Peak on the right
Looking up Pima Canyon, with Valentine Peak on the right

We left the Pima Canyon Trailhead in the blue light before sunrise. We soon entered the canyon and spent most of the morning in the shade cast by the high ridges above us. Following the trail up the bottom of the canyon we eventually spotted the tower of Valentine Peak ahead of us up canyon.

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