Day 13: Day hike up to Teutonia Peak then looping around the west side of Cima Dome via Deer Spring, Mojave National Preserve
Too bad my camera is broken and I don't have photos of most of this excellent hike! 12 miles round trip from my campsite on the east side of Cima Road near Sunrise Rock.
I start the day not knowing exactly where I'll go, since this stop on the trip wasn't planned. I liked it when I stopped here during my 2006 trip, so now's my chance to explore some more.
Most photos here are actually from my trip to this area in 2006.
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Date: May 05, 2008, 10h00
Size: 15 items
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I have the whole day to spend up here on Cima Dome, so I'll do a hike up to Teutonia Peak and beyond
I really lucked out that the Cima Store was open yesterday afternoon when I passed by. I wouldn't be at this great location if it had been closed.
Date: April 25, 2006, 18h04
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It's so windy up here on Cima Dome this morning that it takes quite a while to boil water for coffee
After moving my burner around a few times to try to shelter it somewhat from the swirling wind (ha, good luck!), I eventually manage to make a second cup of dark coffee, and then an instant backpacker meal.
Date: April 25, 2006, 18h12
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View of Teutonia Peak from the area of my campsite near Sunrise Rock
I take the morning easy and study my maps. I decide to start with the obvious 4-mile round-trip hike up to Teutonia Peak on the official trail and then follow that with a counter-clockwise loop around the west side of Cima Dome via Deer Spring.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h57
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After a lazy morning, I start hiking the half mile up the dirt road that leads from my campsite to Cima Road
It's 13h15 already! Kessler Peak is that mountain straight ahead, and it would also make an interesting day hike.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h44
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The road curves and aims toward Teutonia Peak as it heads back to the paved Cima Road
This area does get occasional traffic, as evidenced by the fresh tire tracks here. However, I didn't see anyone else camping in the area last night, nor have I seen signs of anyone yet today.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h44
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Just before reaching Cima Road, I pass a point of interest: the "covered cross"
When I saw this during my first visit to Cima Dome in 2006, I thought it was an old sign whose message had been weathered away. It turns out to be a cross on the hill that is being covered to conceal the fact that it's a cross.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h40
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The dirt road ends and I walk across Cima Road to reach the Teutonia Peak Trail, looking back to Kessler Peak
The mass of exposed granite on the other side of the road is always interesting to look at.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h17
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The two-mile trail to Teutonia Peak is one of just two official, maintained trails in the expansive Mojave National Preserve
Of course, hundreds of miles of old roads, some of which are no longer open to motor vehicles, serve quite nicely as Mojave National Preserve's de facto trail system.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h17
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Interpretive panel ("Desert Woodland") at the start of the Teutonia Peak Trail
The hike up to Teutonia Peak is an enjoyable walk mostly through joshua trees, and I reach the top at 14h15, an hour after leaving camp. After I come down, I head north on an old (now closed) road that ends at the Valley View Ranch corrals.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h34
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View of Teutonia Peak from the Valley View Ranch area
This view was taken two years ago in 2006 from Cima Road near the Valley View Ranch. I'm in the adjacent joshua tree forest right now, and not out on Cima Road, but the view of Teutonia Peak is similar.
Date: April 26, 2006, 10h35
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The 3-mile hike up the dead-end road to Deer Spring climbs slowly, then I hike over the summit of Cima Dome through joshua trees
After I reach Deer Spring and its stagnant water, I follow an old closed road over the summit of Cima Dome at almost 5800 feet that's not on my maps and which turns out to be the highlight of the day.
Date: April 26, 2006, 10h35
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I walk across Cima Road with images of the loop hike around Cima Dome still fresh in my mind
When I started today's hike on the Teutonia Peak Trail, I passed a couple that was just finishing the hike and returning to their car. Besides them, I've not seen any other humans today.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h14
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I walk the last 1/2 mile down the dirt road to my Cima Dome campsite for one last night in Mojave National Preserve
I watch another beautiful sunset, and feel somewhat sad that this will be my last sleep-out in Mojave National Preserve before heading back to the world of employment and mortgages in San José.
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h42
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Cima Dome / Teutonia Peak hike route as viewed in Google Earth
Date: July 21, 2008, 22h00
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Mojave National Preserve map: Day 13: Cima Dome day hike including Teutonia Peak and Deer Spring
Continue to day 14: Cima Dome to Baker via Kelso Depot and Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve .
Date: July 23, 2008, 20h29
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