I spent a second day in the Spring Mtns northwest of Las Vegas, visiting a trio of 10K peaks north of Mt. Charleston. Two of the summits are featured in Zdon's Desert Summits book which I have been loosely collecting over the years. Midsummer heat in the lower reaches played a big part in keeping me as high as possible during my trek across the Southwest to Colorado where I was due in a week.
McFarland Peak
This was the most interesting of the three peaks, reportedly the most difficult of the high peaks found in the Spring Mtns. The Southwest Gully route is steep class 3 according to Zdon and other sources. Starting from the
Upper Bristlecone TH at the highest stretch of pavement in Lee Canyon,
I followed this up for two miles to 
its junction with the Bonanza
Trail along the crest of the range. The
Bonanza Trail continues north and northwest past Peak 10,068ft, for a total of
about four miles until on the south side of McFarland. It's a nice hike along
the trail through forest open to views for much of the journey. Mummy Mtn is
seen to 
the east with the highest peak in the range, Mt. Charleston,
visible to 
the south. Yesterday's clouds had all but disappeared,
leaving a few low ones creeping up from the valleys below as the morning
started to warm. McFarland 
comes into view past Peak 10,068ft, with
sharp cliffs on its 
eastern flank
discouraging shorter approaches from that side. I followed the trail until it
begins a series of short 
downhill switchbacks. A large snag leans
against a 
large rock that I recognized from one of the photos I'd
seen. A use trail can be found leading away from the trail to the base of the
Southwest Gully. The climb was not as difficult as I had been led to
believe, most of it steep class 2 with a few moves of 
class 3
sprinkled here and there, none of it with any
real exposure. Rockfall was minimal and it did not seem to pose a problem for
larger groups that might venture up this way. It took about 25min to climb the
gully from where I left the trail to where the gully tops out west of the
summit. Less than ten additional minutes then led to the highpoint. Though
unobstructed by trees, my views were marred by the 
misty clouds that
were rising from below and I only managed fleeting views 
to Charleston
and the 
surrounding terrain. Like the day prior on Cockscomb Ridge,
a register found at the summit dated back only a few months. After
snapping a few 
cloudy photos, less than 30min was needed to get back
down to 
the trail. So much for one of the toughest peaks in the Spring
Mtns.
Bonanza Peak
Less than 2mi NW of McFarland, Bonanza Peak doesn't really have a whole lot to recommend it. The Bonanza Trail doesn't actually go over the summit, but it comes fairly close at less than a quarter mile. The northern route starting from Camp Bonanza is a good deal closer, but if you have the time and energy it isn't so hard from Lee Canyon either - just follow the trail. I left the trail to climb up the west side and then descended down the south side, both steep but class 2. A use trail appears to reach
the summit from the north if
you want
an even easier way to reach the top. A few trees share space with the summit
rocks but it was clouds, not trees that kept the views at bay. Branch Whitney,
a Las Vegas resident, peakbagger and guidebook author had left
a register the previous year, but it appears he has detractors who
chose to deface 
the booklet
with their judgements of Branch - apparently the mountains do not bring good
tidings equally to all of those that visit them.
Peak 10,068ft
This unnamed summit lies a little more than a mile SE of McFarland. I had passed by the top as I followed the trail to McFarland earlier in the morning but decided to pay it a quick visit on my way back.
The summit has a
small cairn and some trees blocking much of the views, and also featured a
Gordon/Barbara register 
from 2002. Seventeen pages suggested it is more
popular than I would have guessed. The entries do not seem to be from the usual
suspects chasing down NV 10Kers, but rather a mix of wandering souls, Boy
Scouts, hunters and photographers looking for a Bristlecone speciman for that
perfect sunset shot. I spent the last hour and change returning to the TH where
I'd started some 8hrs earlier. A few 
shortcuts helped shaved some
distance off the trail miles but probably didn't save much time.
I was happy to 
finish up relative early, before 3p, which allowed me
some daylight time for some serious driving. I was heading to the Tushar Mtns in
Utah where Delano Peak is located, more than 4hrs from the head of Lee Canyon.
A stop in St. George for fuel, food and caffeine would help break up the drive
some. Onward Ho...
Continued...