Mount Ballard and Mount Fissure

View west from Fissure Peak.

Nice hike up to Mount Fissure today with my friend Ira. Pretty much all up hill to Mount Ballard, then a decent into the saddle separating Ballard from Fissure, and a scramble over rocks to reach the top. Quite a rocky path for this last part. And some tremendous views from the top of Mount Fissure.

Ballard on the left; Fissure on the right.

Ira looking west at Fissure Peak.

Fissure from Ballard.

Fissure from Ballard.

The path to Fissure begins behind this rock outcropping

Ira beginning climbing around a rock wall on path to Fissure.

Cairn marking the summit of Fissure.

View of the Huachucas range west of Fissure. The high peak on the left is Miller Peak; the one to the right of Miller is Carr.

Miller Peak (left); Carr Peak (right).

Cacti or cactus?

The hike begins behind this stele commemorating the use of slave prison labor to build the road over Mule Pass (Hwy. 80). It also incorrectly identifies this as the Continental Divide, which actually lies 120 miles to the east in New Mexico.