Smith Mountain 5/31/10
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 10:44 am
Went out to do Smith East predawn. To me a surprise, the gate had been moved up to the Valley of the Moon, so I parked at upper Bear Creek trailhead. On the way back it was jammed packed insane with cars all the way down to the West Fork. I had been to this canyon a couple years back and had remembered a obsure trail that I had taken, but my plans were upended.
I did approach the base of a steep climb that peaks at 4693, but thought it was past my abilities to go up. Going back was such a miserable option, I then made a run for the east ridge of this canyon and thankfully did not cliff out completely. Out of water, but the summit of Smith from this approach was straightforward with one rock outcropping providing some excellent shade. Branches had been placed over the trail making it frustrating.
Smith Mtn I thought was like a 1 star experience...hot, bugs everywhere. Located discarded register and retrieved littered pages. Time to summit was 4 hours.The way down was worse. Steep and way more thorny branches placed over the descent path. It also had been cleared making it a slippery torn up dirt gully and it took me about 1 hour just to descend to the Bear Creek trail. There was water in Lost canyon and one of its tributaries so that was a welcome relief...and the trail was in good condition.
Taco was dead right about the best approach to this wall and I was wrong.
This was taken well into the approach.
Go up or ?
recon shot for an approach from pk 3730
ledge
pk 3730 and the firebreak
looking north
Twin east ridge
2 of the Mermaids & Twin west ridge(pk5014)
Lots of flowers along the upper Bear Creek trail, although the heat had gotten to several of them
This is a redone steepish firebreak which extends north from the old discontinued road to Hwy39...allowing for a straight northerly route from the parking lot.
I did approach the base of a steep climb that peaks at 4693, but thought it was past my abilities to go up. Going back was such a miserable option, I then made a run for the east ridge of this canyon and thankfully did not cliff out completely. Out of water, but the summit of Smith from this approach was straightforward with one rock outcropping providing some excellent shade. Branches had been placed over the trail making it frustrating.
Smith Mtn I thought was like a 1 star experience...hot, bugs everywhere. Located discarded register and retrieved littered pages. Time to summit was 4 hours.The way down was worse. Steep and way more thorny branches placed over the descent path. It also had been cleared making it a slippery torn up dirt gully and it took me about 1 hour just to descend to the Bear Creek trail. There was water in Lost canyon and one of its tributaries so that was a welcome relief...and the trail was in good condition.
Taco was dead right about the best approach to this wall and I was wrong.
This was taken well into the approach.
Go up or ?
recon shot for an approach from pk 3730
ledge
pk 3730 and the firebreak
looking north
Twin east ridge
2 of the Mermaids & Twin west ridge(pk5014)
Lots of flowers along the upper Bear Creek trail, although the heat had gotten to several of them
This is a redone steepish firebreak which extends north from the old discontinued road to Hwy39...allowing for a straight northerly route from the parking lot.