Montgomery a half-mile away just over the California border. Still, no one ever said life was fair, and Boundary Peak is actually one of the more remote and unspoiled state high points. Climbing Notes: Boundary Peak is an easy, non-technical hike, made difficult by dusty, rocky access roads and large talus fields.
The usual approach is from the east side of the White Mountains, where a boulder-strewn desert track called the Trail Canyon Road leads from NV to about feet. Either route then leads up to the crest of the White Mountains and then southwest, up one or two forepeaks covered with talus, to the summit.
From the top, Mt. Montgomery looms menacingly above to the south, safely in California. The White Mountains are the driest range of 14, foot peaks in America, and Boundary can make a good winter climb if there isn't much snow. Conditions can vary, though--the photo above shows plenty of snow in June, uncommon but possible. The parched deserts below get fantastically hot in summer, but the high peaks stay relatively cool and windy. Boundary Peak in the White Mountains lives up to the name of its range as late as June in some years, although the snow is rarely very deep in the driest high mountains in the United States Photo by Peter Stone.
Click here for larger-size photo. Nevada Mustangs Photo by Gretchen Nelson. Boundary Peak is less than one mile from the Nevada-California border and considered to be a sub-peak of its neighboring, taller California-side peak, Montgomery. Boundary divvies up dramatic profile from nearly every direction but is particularly spectacular from the Nevada side in Fish Lake Valley. Wilderness permits are not required for a summit attempt. Unless you are prepared for some serious mountaineering, the safest time to summit Boundary is late June thru early October each year.
The area is known for dramatic wind chill and thunderstorms in the afternoons, so a general rule of thumb is to summit in the late morning and plan to be off the mountain by mid-afternoon. Here, the trail turns into a bit of a scramble with a mostly scree route. The hike is a strenuous one, but the views from the top—of both California and Nevada—are well worth it.
Basecamp can be accessed via the Trail Canyon, but the Queen Mine Road is ultimately much shorter and far less elevation gain and the recommended route. Just below Boundary Peak, elevation 13, feet, I was running out of gas after spending the prior three hours slogging up loose, steep terrain. With that in mind, I took careful steps, testing the terrain before setting my full weight on the scree.
Somewhere around 12, feet I stopped on the downhill side of a boulder about the size of a washing machine. Ahead of me the terrain was loose scree surrounding some larger rocks, which I thought could serve as stepping stones to more solid ground. I stuck my lead foot out from behind the safety of the boulder to test the ground. While I was safe behind the boulder, the rock and the scree above and below slowly slid out from under my foot.
Also, just sliding a little downslope at would have pushed me further away from my goal of making the summit. At the same time, backtracking to find the proper route also meant investing precious energy I wanted to conserve. In addition to being low on energy, we were nearing our pre-arranged turnaround time for the hike. I started to think it was time to give up and head back down the mountain. I even considered potential fail headlines for this article.
The sky was clear. The winds were calm. The temperature was in the 60s. And the view of the desert below and Sierra Nevada on the horizon was incredible. The conditions were perfect. I told myself that even if I failed to summit, I should at least take time to be grateful for having the health, desire and life circumstances to get as far as I did. After a few moments of reflection, it was decision time. Hiking partner Daniel Ellsworth of Reno, who was a few hundred feet ahead having traversed a slightly higher line, suggested that rather than trying to gain the ridge by heading directly uphill, I go back until I find the trail.
It put the summit out of my mind and narrowed my focus. Instead of thinking about finishing the entire hike, I just thought about backtracking far enough to find the proper route on firmer ground.
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