Starting from the trailhead (pullout along Northshore Road 24 kilometres east of the junction with Lake Mead Boulevard or 44 kilometres west of the junction with Valley of Fire Highway), Zosia and I followed a well-defined trail which soon descends into Cottonwood Wash.  We followed the wash to Cottonwood Spring where we had to scramble up a short pour-over before resuming our easy plod.  A little over a kilometre from the pour-over, we left the wash to take a brief short cut over a low ridge.  Dropping down the far side of the ridge, we regained the wash and followed it westward and around a bend to the south and east.  Where the wash begins to enter Pinto Valley, we left it for good and headed more or less southward across the desert flats toward an unnamed pass which is not readily obvious at first.  The route is rather ambiguous here, and we relied heavily on the downloaded GPS track to keep us pointed in the right direction.  Even with the GPS track, I inadvertently led us into an incorrect drainage, but thankfully, we did not get far before I realized my mistake.

	Zosia begins the long hike with a familiar descent into Cottonwood Wash.
	Zosia scrambles up the pour-over at Cottonwood Spring.
	After taking a brief short cut, Sonny regains the trail and enters a very colourful valley below the northeast aspect of Hamblin Mountain. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Leaving the trail, Zosia heads across the flats aiming for where the right rocky ridge peters out.
	While crossing the flats, Zosia pauses to gaze at some of the colourful peaks in Pinto Valley.

Upon reaching the crest of the pass, Zosia and I got our first good look at Bearing Peak, but at the same time, a light rain began to fall, steadily for a short while and then intermittently for the next several hours.  We pressed on southward after donning our rain gear and eventually came across some cairns while descending into an interesting canyon.  This canyon turns into another long and winding wash that runs past the west side of Bearing Peak.  About two kilometres south of the pass, an unmistakable pinnacle stands alone in the middle of the wash.  About 100 metres further, yet another wash enters from the left.  We turned up this intersecting wash and almost immediately found the entrance to another canyon below the northwest slopes of Bearing Peak.  This canyon leads to a steep drainage which runs all the way up to the summit ridge.  Some easy scrambling is required to get up one or two pour-overs in the canyon, but otherwise, the rest of the ascent is nothing more than steep off-trail hiking.

	This is the first glimpse of Bearing Peak from an unnamed pass east of Hamblin Mountain.
	Sonny finds a bit of shelter from the light rain and stops for a quick snack. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	A small portion of Lake Mead is visible in the distance as Zosia descends a wash to the south of the unnamed pass.
	Bearing Peak is visible again as Zosia continues down the wash.
	Zosia leans against a prominent pinnacle not far from where the route bends eastward to briefly follow another wash.
	Zosia enters a canyon on the northwest side of Bearing Peak.
	Some scrambling is required to proceed up the canyon.
	Zosia grinds her way up a steep drainage.

Just below the summit, Zosia and I spotted two bighorn sheep who appeared to be astonished by our presence.  They quickly moved off as we took our last steps to the top of the mountain.  Despite being surrounded by rainy mist, we were still granted some respectable views of Lake Mead, but having stood on a few other summits in the area during much clearer weather, I could not help but feel a little disappointed at the lack of far-reaching views on this day.  Fittingly, the rain, which had abated somewhat during our ascent, returned to chase us off the summit, but fortunately, it was again light and did not adversely affect our descent of the drainage and canyon.  In fact, the sky eventually cleared up, and we were finally treated to some much-welcomed sunshine as we marched back up the wash to the canyon below the unnamed pass.  After climbing through the canyon and over the pass, we had an easier time finding our way back across the desert flats to regain our approach wash near the entrance to Pinto Valley.  The rest of our hike out was long but uneventful.

	The summit is barely visible through the mist.
	Some of the rocks here harbour an eye-catching lime-green lichen.
	These two bighorn sheep seem a little surprised to see people tramping up Bearing Peak.

Despite rainy conditions on this day, there is still a respectable view of Lake Mead from the summit of Bearing Peak.

 

	Sonny and Zosia stand on the summit of Bearing Peak (772 metres).
	Zosia down-climbs the same drop-off she scrambled up earlier.
	The sun comes out again as Zosia retraces her steps through the canyon south of the unnamed pass.

Here is a last look at Bearing Peak (right) from the unnamed pass.

 

Clouds shroud the peaks of Pinto Valley as Zosia descends the north side of the unnamed pass.

 

	The cliffs at Bowl of Fire live up to their name as Sonny returns to the trailhead late in the day. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Total Distance:  ~20.6 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  8 hours 29 minutes Total Elevation Gain:  860 metres GPX Data