Day 4: Cypher's Mine to Mt. Phillips

A steep 1000 foot climb faces you as you leave Cypher's Mine which is situated in a narrow canyon with a small creek plummeting through it.
Five trails (both jeep and foot) diverge from the ridge above Cyphers's Mine - it may be worthwile to confirm your route by taking several compass bearings on nearby peaks. Never trust trail signs - they may become twisted in the wrong direction.
In the saddle below Comanche Peak, you have a magnificent view of Touch-Me-Not, Baldy and Costilla Peak. The trail up Comanche Peak is one of the most physical ones on the ranch.
This section of trail, laced with steep switchbacks, is super difficult. Put your slowest hikers in the front and keep the group together. Deep, measured breathing is best when climbing.
Comanche Peak Camp is located at this trail junction. The sites are marked with numbers routed into wood blocks fastened to trees as are most campsites.
Devastatingly high winds blew down several acres of trees in this area during the winter of 1973. Many of them were corkbark firs, noted for their gray bark that compresses much like cork.
Mount Phillips, formerly called Clear Creek Mountain, was renamed in 1960 in honor of the then living Waite Phillips who gave these mouuntains for us to enjoy. The panorama from the top, right at timberline, is unmatched anywhere. Delicate forget-me-nots sprinkled among the rocks offer a contrastingly gentle beauty. Look for the Verticle Angle Bench Marks (VABM) on top. These three altitude markers were positioned by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Department of the Interior.
All campsites here are in a dense spruce-fir forest on the leeward side of the mountain, protected from wind and thunderstorms. You still need to be well prepared to withstand the vicissitudes of high elevations campling, however. Snow can usually be found here in June to melt for water. It can and has snowed on Mount Phillips during all months of the year!