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Boundary Peak   13,143'
October 1997

Boundary Peak, which is the highest peak in Nevada, is located on the border with California a little northeast of Bishop.
It is actually part of a double peak with the other peak, Montgomery Peak, being higher but in California.

    I had spent several days in Kings Canyon National Park with my friend Barry and his brother Kevin in snow and rain when I decided to climb the highest peak in Nevada. I called the wife who had declined going with me and she agreed to accompany me to Boundary. It was the weekend of our 1st anniversary and I hadn't felt right not sharing at least some of it with her. 
     The easiest route to the summit starts from the Nevada side up a dirt road off Nevada route 264. I reached the road by going up US 395 to Bishop, taking Rte 6 through Benton and over Montgomery Pass. I then took route 264 in south towards Dyer. The area can also be reached from US 95 in Nevada from around the Tonopah area.
     We stopped at the casino near Montgomery Pass. That casino is now closed along with the brothel, which was in the same area. Pinion pines hem in the road leading up the East Side of the mountain and my camper was a tight squeeze. (Actually I damaged the ladder and a bicycle which was hanging from it by being a little too fast and careless). I actually got to try some pinion nuts, which were a little too sappy for my taste. There was a point where several vehicles were pulled off in the trees and people were fishing a small pond off the side of the road. The road just gets rougher the higher you climb and finally peters out at probably around 9000 feet. 
     The actual climb is just a long hike through scree. The occasional small snowfields provided easier footing. You just spend hours working up the shoulder towards the top. The view back down the canyon the road followed is eventually replaced with a view off the shoulder to the north and at the summit with a long unobstructed view in every direction but south. To the south are Montgomery Peak and White Mountain. Walker Lake can be seen in the distance to the north-northwest. There wasn't any real trail I could find and the climb wasn't really that interesting or eventful, although the view was definitely worth it.

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