Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

January 8th, 2023 at 6:57 AMJoshua Tree National Park, CA

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Info

Distance14.4 mi

Elevation gain4,100 ft

CruxClass 5

Route typeLoop

Duration6.5 hr

Quality9/10

Vehicle to trailheadCar

Protected areaJoshua Tree National Park, National Parks Service

EcoregionMojave Basin and Range

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Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Starting along an old dirt road.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Wooden posts at the historic boundary of Joshua Tree National Monument (before it became a national park in 1994).

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Dropping into the wash on the left.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Starting up a Class 2 chute.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Aiming for the notch on the right.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 3 obstacle.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back from the notch.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Aqua Benchmark comes into view.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Scattered pinyon pines are found within the shady canyons.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Starting up Aqua Benchmark's northwest slope.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back from Aqua Benchmark's north slope.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Approaching Aqua Benchmark's summit.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Aqua Benchmark summit. View toward Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Descending Aqua Benchmark's south slope toward Spectre Peak.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Arriving at the saddle between Aqua Benchmark and Spectre Peak.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — A Class 2 chute to the base of Spectre Peak.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 3 slabs on Spectre Peak's east face.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View northwest.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Spectre Peak summit. View northeast toward Aqua Benchmark (left) and Dyadic Point (right).

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View east toward Dyadic Point and the southern reaches of the Coxcomb Range.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View south toward Pinto Basin.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Descending Spectre Peak's east slope en route to Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back up Spectre Peak's east slope.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Climbing east toward Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Pocketed Class 3 section.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — A 10-foot, Class 4 downclimb.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back at the downclimb (left). The route continues past the tree on the right.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Large choke stone, surmounted via an awkward stemming move.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — From a closed contour on the topo erroneously labeled "Dyadic Point", view of remaining ridgeline to the obviously higher true summit.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Descending a ramp to bypass an intervening prominence.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — From the bottom of the ramp, starting up this chute to the climber's right.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View through a notch at the base of Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — My first attempt at gaining Dyadic Peak's north ridge is this Class 5 lieback slab. There's an unnerving, exposed gap at the top. Unwilling to make the leap, I downclimbed the slab and searched for another route.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 5 chimney, so narrow I ditched my backpack in order to fit inside. (The following several photos were taken with my phone). For reference, the aforementioned lieback slab is on the far left.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 3 above the chimney (behind the dead bush).

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Gaining the ridge. From here, I climbed the slabs on the right to avoid the exposure on the left (north) side of the ridge.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — 1-foot wide ledge on the south side of the ridge. It can be bypassed by dropping down to the right.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back across the ledge. (Notice the exposure on the left.) From here, it's a short and straightforward Class 2 scramble to the summit.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Dyadic Point summit. View northwest toward Aqua Benchmark.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View south.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — To avoid downclimbing the slabs, I returned via the north side of the ridge. View back.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back across an exposed leap used to rejoin my ascent route.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — After retrieving by backpack, I returned to the saddle between Spectre Peak and Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back toward Dyadic Point.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Descending a northerly drainage to the saddle below all three peaks.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back up the drainage.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — From the saddle, starting down northeasterly drainage that serves as the primary DPS route to Spectre Peak.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Some tedious, bouldery terrain.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View back.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — View southeast as the drainage merges with a major wash.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Turning left toward minor saddle to the northwest.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 2 to the saddle.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — From the saddle, view back along a use trail.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Following a northwestern drainage.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Some standing water inside a (possible) mortero.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Class 2 boulder-hopping.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Rejoining the old road.

Aqua Benchmark, Spectre Peak, and Dyadic Point Loop — Final view back toward the Coxcomb Mountains.