Lincoln County Highpoint Trip Report
Lookout Mountain enroute to Sierra Blanca Peak - the Ultra prominence
Date: May 22, 2005
Author: Bob Bolton
We found an unimproved campsite along a side road on the drive to the Ski Apache
complex and made a comfortable camp.
In the morning after a great sleep, I identified what I turned out to be a new
bird species for me, the Broad-tailed Hummingbird. Then we went up to the ski
area and started hiking up trail #15 at the last corner before entering the ski
property, as some reports suggest doing. This, however, was taking us away from
the target peaks and, when we got to the trees and discovered rather deep and
infirm snow, we abandoned the trail and headed straight up the ridge, around the
first bowl to the lodge at the top of the lifts, then up onto Lookout Mountain
for our first objective.
From there it was a simple hike and scramble to the summit of Sierra Blanca.
On our return hike we decided to descend under the ski lifts and traversed down
from the Lookout/Sierra Blanca saddle until we intersected the first lift
heading for the lodge. A distant thunderstorm developed but didn't threaten us.
This route was much preferable to the trail and we wished we had followed it on
our ascent.
After returning to our rig we headed back to Ruidoso for Mexican food,
then launched out for southeastern Arizona and the Chiricahua Mountains.