Mummy's Toe

Mummy's Toe was a no-brainer for me. Awesome-looking, seen by many, climbed by few. It pretty much ticks all the boxes. 

In addition, we needed a peak that would have a far amount of plodding on a trail with a heavy pack, as opposed to scrambling and climbing. We were training for our Denali backpacking trip and wanted to get our bodies accustomed to carrying heavier loads over potentially long distances. The first 3 or so miles are on the NLT, which is perfect for long, plodding miles.

The route up from Mummy Springs is very steep and there are a couple 3rd-class climbs necessary to bypass small cliff bands. We were prepared for a long slog from the saddle to the peak, but I challenged Karen to beat the "15 minutes" we were quoted by our route description. We made it in 12 ;)

The views from the Toe are actually one-of-a-kind, so we soaked them in for awhile. It's one of those small, private summits that are great to luxuriate in. We felt as though we were perched above everything else.

The way down is steep but it goes quickly. Our trekking poles helped immensely, especially since we were carrying heavy loads and inertia was pulling us ever-downward.

We even jogged a bit on the NLT back to our car. We commented on the way down that this would be a good introductory "Phil and Karen hike". Tougher than the typical official trails, with an awesome payoff, and just enough spiciness to keep things interesting but not dangerous.

Stats: roughly 3500 elevation, 8 miles, 6.5 hours.