Mummy's Tummy - Summit

This was our third attempt at Mummy Mountain and we completed the hike this time in about 5 hours and 15 minutes total.  You can read about our other attempts here and here.  By this time Karen and I were more than ready to complete the hike, and it looked promising since the weather was clear and warm.  We purposely checked the weather and avoided Saturday, since rain was predicted.  It was a good call on our part as it did rain in the Spring Mountains on Saturday.

When we started the hike, we both noticed that we weren't feeling as robust as last time.  My legs just felt sluggish, so we assumed we were on a slower pace (not that we are speed hikers).  However, we reached the junction of North Loop and Trail Canyon on almost the same schedule as last time.  A bonus is that I was able to take some photos along the way.  The colors are definitely changing in the Spring Mountains, and I was happy with the photos I was able to get as fall began to set in.

After the junction, our sluggishness remained but our enthusiasm was unabated.  I snapped a few more photos just before Cave Springs and we reached the infamous scree slope fairly quickly.  Other than the soggy, frustrating attempt last time, this was our first shot at the slope and I have to say, it took a lot more out of us than we expected.  We rested fairly frequently and it took us about 35 minutes to reach the top.  Halfway up, we adapted the "duck walk" that climbers on Everest are famous for using in order to ascend.

After the slope, the summit looked so far away and our legs ached from the challenge of the scree.  However, it felt really good finally have reached a point in the hike we hadn't previously.  We pushed on along the ridge toward the summit cliffs.  The path was easy to follow and it was moderately uphill. Our final challenge was a relatively safe scramble through a little chute in the summit cliffs.  The rocks there were very sharp and loose, but care won the day and as we climbed, we saw more and more of the clear blue sky revealed to us.

Reaching the top was a great feeling for us both.  Of course, the view was great, but we both reveled in the feeling of an accomplishment that was three attempts in the making.  It made getting lost the first time and rained out the second time worth it.  Our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches tasted superb and we smiled as we ate and enjoyed our time at the top of the 2nd highest peak in the Spring Mountains.

The summit is very large and broad and not a soul was up there.  According to the summit log there were about 20 groups from the month of September, and most were doing the "trifecta" (Griffith, Charleston, Mummy).  The last logged summit was 3 days before ours.  We took some photos and explored the area.  Now that I have been to the top of Mummy and Lee, I would say that Lee's views are much more impressive.  Mummy's views are far reaching being at 11,500 feet, but many trees prevent a true panoramic view.  Our total elevation gain in the 8.5 mile trek was about 3,700 feet.

Our hike back was quick and largely uneventful.  We descended the scree slope in under 15 minutes and drank in the site of the setting sun over the valley.  The backlit autumn leaves seemed to glow in the golden sunlight, and we couldn't help but feel the whole scene was our reward for a job well done.