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BETA PHOTO: Sugarloaf Mountain. The Flea Tree Dihedral route ...
Description
Shady most of the day, windy at times, very secluded- be self-sufficient (although we did get cell reception.) Good granite, although expect some looseness and test everything.
Getting There
Park at the Aguirre Springs picnic area (which does not open til 8AM). Take the trail from the parking lot, which trends southeast around a large hill. Once you get around the hill the trail heads back to the southwest and up to the base of Sugarloaf, which is the large dome visable from the parking lot. Hike to the base depending on which route you are attempting.
Descent
copied from North Face route description The descent requires an exposed traverse down the south spur of the summit. It's 4th class but quite exposed and you won't see the 2-bolt anchor until you are almost at the end of the spur. A double-rope rappel reaches the ground, but an intermediate rap-station consisting of 3 fixed wires and an ugly rat's-nest of webbing will allow you to reach a saddle in two rappels. From the saddle, scramble down to the west where another short rappel from a 2-bolt anchor gets you to the ground. Follow the base of the cliff all the way back to start of the climb and regain the climber's-trail for the return.
This climb is described as a highly recommended Organ classic, and is a great way to reach the Sugarloaf summit, for a party that's up for climbing 5.10 slabs. [Don't be discouraged by the 5.11 rating, the 5.11 crux is right at a bolt which you could easily aid off of to get through, or avoided altogether by poorly protected 5.9 friction traverse.]Some, but not all, of the original 1/4" bolts have been replaced with modern 3/8" bolts, and all of...[more]
To access Sugarloaf, and other east side routes, park at the Aguirre Spring Campground approximately 5 miles south of Highway 70 on Aguirre Spring Road. The gate is often locked until 8:00am. A pay station is located near a group campsite on the one-way loop road. Proceed to the second “group area” approximately 0.4 miles beyond the pay station. The Sugarloaf trail-head is located to the south of this “group area.”
From the parking lot, Sugarloaf is obscured by a large hill. The trail traverses the hill to the left. Find a gate south of the restrooms and follow the trail across the stream bed. It turns to the east after the stream bed (a common mistake is to walk up the stream bed). Traverse the large hill high along its base. Follow this trail for approximately one hour. If you encounter a fence, you are on the lower trail and should turn back to the correct trail.
After approximately one hour, the trail crosses a campsite. It is common to leave water here for the walk out. After a short level walk, the grade becomes steep. Just after the grade change, take a left fork and follow an obscure trail to the base of SL. Watch for snakes! The entire approach usually takes approximately 1.5 hours.
By George Perkins Administrator From: Los Alamos, NM Oct 8, 2007
Next time I'd descend with 2 ropes down the south ridge of the summit to the saddle, as described above.
Various other options exist too, none this simple or good. I got down with 1 rope and some 5th class downclimbing, but it would have been more straightforward with two ropes; there's also an intermediate rat's nest anchor that would work with 1 rope. Supposedly you can also go down the East side with 1 rope... but the hike back would be longer.
By Aaron Hobson Administrator From: Las Cruces, NM Feb 6, 2008
Sugar Loaf
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