July 2026
{Looks at Bingo Card} Nope. Peak bagging Mt. Fitzgerald not on there.
It's 5am, July 22nd, 2026 and despite the absence of a plan or route info or even a solid reason, I'm on my way to see if I can summit Mt. Fitzgerald, a peak seen prominently from our camp in Lamoille Canyon of the Ruby Mountains of Nevada.
Joannie, Wyatt and I had hiked to the end of the trail in Thomas Creek Canyon the previous day and Mt. Fitzgerald loomed large above the head of the canyon. I confess to hatching a plan on this day as we hiked up the trail. At the head of the canyon Joannie and Wyatt played by the creek for a bit while I bushwhacked toward the headwall and probed for a way up and through. I didn't spend a lot of time but I had climbed through a relatively short rock band above which the way seemed doable.
So on this, this following day, I soon reached the head of the canyon where the trail ends and re-climbed the headwall. Above the way seemed clear but the topo map indicated I needed to cross over into a more western drainage or I would end up stuck below Snow Lake Peak and not be able to access the col I wanted to reach on Fitzgerald's east ridge. As I climbed higher I noticed a few ducks here and there indicating others had used this route but eventually they all petered out once I headed over the ridge and into my chosen drainage. Contouring high I made my way toward the base of the col which looked very loose and steep but once on the slope I had no trouble making it to the col, after all, this was pretty much all normal for me having climbed in the Sierra Nevada for over 40 years.
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| Snow Lake Peak |
The topo map indicated the top of the ridge would be an easy walk based on the contour lines but I was wary of it knowing it could be hiding many ups and downs within those contours so I made may way up and westward toward the summit staying well below the actual ridge top. Finally below the summit mass I topped out on the ridge. The way ahead looked like class 4 territory but I think I identified an easier way that climbed below the ridgeline and snaked diagonally up to the summit. It proved to be pretty easy with maybe 100 ft of class 3 climbing just below the summit.
Looking at my watch it was only 9am on on the summit, I had made excellent time. The views over to Snow Lake Peak were incredible and I've resolved to attempt that summit next time we're in the Rubies. I snapped some photos and signed into the summit log and started down. This time I did stay mostly on the crest of the east ridge because I could see from above that there were no significant obstacles. Soon I was back down to the col and then once again on the steep kitty liter slope but this time heading down which is always a bit more treacherous. Over the ridge, back down through a large rock slide I missed my up route slightly and paid for it by having to bushwhack heavily instead of down climbing the headwall. I arrived back at our camp right about noon to the surprise of Joannie whom I had told not to expect me before about 3pm. When Kurstin and Jody came for dinner at our campsite that evening I shared my days pictures with them. It was a fine day in the mountains.
