A mound of scree below Mt. Mellenthin, with our goal the saddle & knob to the left of the mountain.
Mustering the boys around the trailhead.
A minor brook crossing early on, marked by golden asters.
Tom no doubt making a point about geology to Scott.
The veins of Mt. Peale in all their glory.
Following an abandoned double track between tree & scree.
Wherever there was a hint of moisture, golden asters were in bloom.
A knob below the ridge to Mt. Peale that invites investigating next time.
The canyon wall & ridgeline between Mt. Peale & Mt. Laurel.
Scott, Geoff, Tom, & Bill having just learned that Ed's decided he's gone far enough.
Mt. Peale seen from a sparsely-forested hill we climbed on our way up.
Mt. Peale seen from the top of the hill, just above the tree line.
Geoff & Scott waiting for the rest of us to catch up, with the saddle above them.
The view toward the canyon wall near Mt. Peale.
Tom & Scott resting before pushing on through some scree on the way to the top.
Geoff & Scott walking toward an isolated rock formation on their way up.
Geoff taking in the scenery from atop the rock formation.
Bypassing this isolated outcropping on the way up.
Following a minor drainage overgrown with golden asters up toward the saddle.
The view back redrock country from the ridge dividing Dark Canyon from Gold Basin & Horse Creek.
Scott & Geoff standing on top of the saddle.
Tom arrives at the saddle, below Mt. Mellenthin, at about 12,000 ft.
Bill making his way up the steep approach to the saddle.
The final hurdle below Mellenthin to the saddle.
The ridge below Mt. Mellenthin.
Gold Basin is hidden between Mt. Tuk & the ridge in the center of the picture.
Mt. Tuk as seen from the lower reaches of Mt. Laurel.
Mt. Peale (left) & Mt. Laurel from Laurel's lower haunches.
Looking down from the saddle back to where the hike began.
Down from the saddle & back on the single track leading to the trailhead.
Scott & Tom pose naturally (as opposed to au naturel) for Moab Marc.
Larkspur that's starting to fade away.
The infamous Utah Daisy.
Bill looking at the route for today's hike.
Ed, Geoff, Tom, Bill, & Scott mapping out the route for a forthcoming mountain hike in September.
It was mostly an out & back route, going up & down 1500 ft. in less than 2.5 miles, according to Tom.
