They must scale the near-vertical base by climbing rocks and tree roots like ladders -- or take a longer switchback trail -- and then begin an arduous hike uphill, sliding on mud and grasping at alders and shrubs to pull themselves up.
From there we made the sojourn west, to explore the red rocks of the southwestern United States from a base in Santa Fe, and later to visit the storied national parks in Utah, Montana and Wyoming.
It is at the base of this peak that the rover expects to find some of the most interesting rocks during its mission, although it will be many months before it gets there.