Tule Peak Hike

On the Summit of Tule Peak

My Dunham Cloud 9's at Journey's End

Tule Peak beckoning at 8a.m.

I took a break from painting and hiked to the top of Tule Peak with my buddy Barry Brady this weekend. There's no trail to the top of this 8,724' mountain and since starting elevation is about 3,500 feet below, it's a darn steep 3 miles up. Our route up was a very direct one so to save our knees and ankles we decided to come down a less direct and somewhat flatter route (basically the ridge to the right in the photo above). This added several miles to the trek. Overall journey approximately 8 1/2 hours. Daytime high at the base of the mountain, about 97 degrees. Liquids (water and gatorade) consumed, approximately 4 liters. Things most thankful for on this trip - Camelback hydration pack, walking stick, gators, and the best boots ever - my Dunham Cloud Nines! (worn with a pair of liners and a pair of Smartwool socks) - read, no blisters! These boots are simply the best; they are lightweight, have great wicking properties, have this great rollbar technology that keeps you from twisting your ankles especially on side hill descents and are as comfortable as my New Balance tennis shoes (no exaggeration!) And in case you are wondering, no, I'm not being paid by Dunham for the endorsement either! I just like passing on great info about a great product once in a while!
The view from the top - the local landmarks (and some not so local) that you can see from this peak are phenomenal! Here the list in a clockwise sweep starting out looking south: Job's Peak, Slide Mountain, Mount Rose, Peavine Mountain, Squaw Peak, Sierra Buttes and the Sierra Valley, the Smoke Creek Desert, Mt. Lassen, the Black Rock Desert, Pyramid Lake, Pah Rah Mountain, and Spanish Springs Peak.