Sutter County Highpoint Trip Report
South Butte
Date: December 23, 2007
Author: Eric Geissinger
I parked along the pass road just before dark. At the suggested saddle a
quarter mile from the gate, not seeing any approaching headlights, I sprinted
down the road, only to look back over my shoulder and spot a car right behind me!
I stopped running, expecting them to stop and inquire about what I was up
to but they did not. As soon as they were out of sight, I hopped the fence,
only to have another car come from the other direction and spot me just on the
other side of the fence. I felt foolish, being that I was supposed to be
"stealthing" and had already been spotted twice in less than 2 minutes!
I hurried off out of sight and it quickly got dark. I was continually looking
back towards the pass road where there was a steady stream of headlights for the
entire hike. I made it to the top in just over an hour to chilly temps and
howling winds. I snapped a picture of the benchmark,
climbed on the highest rocks, and started back.
I didn't spend any time looking for the register as it was too cold and windy.
One the way back down I almost tripped over a porcupine, which was quite a
surprise as I had never in my life seen one before. After that, I was a little
more cautious of where I was walking and decided to use my headlamp.
The round trip took exactly 2 hours.