Pyramid Peak Traverse 2022

Sue and I led our Outdoor Club hike on Nov 1, 2022, on the "Pyramid Peak Traverse". This is an off trail route that we refined over a few years of trial and error. It’s a short hike, just 4 miles, with 900 ft of elevation gain, but has a couple of difficult sections. It takes the hiker through the rarely visited southern portion of Chimney Rock National Monument. The route climbs steeply up a ridge, where we pick up game trails taking us to the the summit of 7052 ft Pyramid Peak, passing Ancestral Pueblo ruins on the way. There are spectacular views along the way. After descending from the summit, the route wends its way through mixed Ponderosa Forest, crossing the Chimney Rock Cuesta, before descending precipitously through bands of sandstone, and then ridge walking back to the valley. Perfect weather for a hike, and a great group on this outing.