Ten days in Tuolumne & the High Sierra backcountry
Posted: Tue Aug 21, 2012 12:21 pm
The day after my birthday I loaded up our Honda with enough food for 5 days of rock climbing in Tuolumne and another 5 days backpacking in the High Sierra.
I had spent many days preparing for this trip and I was itching to get on the road. I left Pasadena at 9:45am. The drive into Tuolumne was uneventful. I stopped in Independence at the Indian Casino gas station (cheapest gas for a few hundred miles in any direction) and in Bishop at the Vons to pick up a pre-cooked turkey for $5
My climbing partner was scheduled to come back from a 20 mile backpacking trip with his father the same day I arrived in Tuolumne so I was not expecting him to be gung ho to climb. Boy was I was wrong. I had not been in Tuolumne for more than 2 hours when we racked up and simul-climbed the Northwest Books on Lembert Dome via the 5.9var. We went back to camp had dinner and decided to climb Cathedral Peak by full moon. We picked up another climbing partner around the campfire and the three of us set off at 2200 (10pm) on the trail to Cathedral Peak. We simul-climbed the Southeast Buttress in two long pitches and returned to camp by 0300!
The next day we were a little groggy and the weather was not cooperating (raining off and on) so we headed to a "secret spot" on the Tuolumne River and swam and napped on the shore while sipping on cold beer and snacking on avocados!
The next day the weather was stellar and my buddy and I rallied and climbed Fairview Dome via Fiddler on the Roof 10aR We simul-climbed a few of the upper pitches of the Regular Route but down low we had to climb shorter pitches due to rope drag. I got a pretty gnarly sunburn.
View looking east from the summit of Fairview Dome
View looking Northish from the last belay on Fairview Dome
The next day we headed over to Daff Dome and climbed Cooke Book 10a and we also sprinted up The Great Circle 10a but then we ran out of water and decided to head back to the car. That evening we dined at TPR before heading over to Saddlebag Lake for some fishing. I got one bite but the line broke and my buddy caught 5 fish! WTHeck!?
Fish and chocolate stuffed bannans for dinner
The next day we were both pretty tired and took it easy in the morning. My buddy was also anxious to return home to his new fiancee and I had to get to Lone Pine by 1700 (5pm) to pick up my backpacking permit for the next half of the adventure.
On the way to Lone Pine I stopped in Bishop and found a nice secluded spot to bathe (with soap!) in a creek. It was glorious 8)
I met my other buddy at the Portal where we dropped off his car transferred the necessary gear around and then drove to Shepherds Pass where we camped at the trailhead with our alarms set for 0500 (5am).
The first day dawned with a spectacular sunrise but even that early in the morning it was pretty warm at the trailhead. We were anxious to get as high as possible before the warmest part of the day. The first day was the hardest with nearly 6,000' of elevation gain, 12+ miles to hike, and full packs (5 days worth of food is HEAVY)... But after what seemed forever we made it to the Shepherds Pass...
... and the views of Tyndall were awesome!
We got hammered by an epic thunderstorm that afternoon with hail the size of marbles being blown nearly horizontal by the wind. The next day we got a late start but by 1100 we were on the summit of Tyndall my 2nd 14,000' peak! We ascended via the North Rib.
That afternoon our secluded lake was not so secluded anymore and so we bailed and headed towards Lake South America and found a very nice campsite at Lake 11,450'.
View of our campsite from the pass just before Lake South America
View from our campsite
Sunset
Life is a beach
The next day I was pretty tired but after a very lazy morning we packed our lunch and rain gear and headed to Lake South America. We got caught in another hail storm but it was not nearly as bad as the first one on the 1st day. After the storm cleared I went for a swim while soaking in the views of the Kern River headwaters!
Afterwards we rallied around 1400 (2pm) packed up and pushed all the way to just past the Crabtree Meadows ranger station before finding a nice spot below Mt. Young to camp for our last night.
The next day was also an early start with reveille at 0500 (5am). We ate breakfast, broke camp, and charged up to Guitar Lake where the smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs from a guided group tormented us. We summited Mt. Whitney before 1100 and hightailed it out of there when we started hearing (and seeing) incoming thunder.
Mirror Lake
After 4 days of solitude (we saw maybe a dozen people) the crowds on the Whitney Trail were a rude awakening but our sore feet and the promise of burgers, beer, and fries propelled us down.
Stats
Backpacking portion
Tuolumne Rock climbing 15 miles of hiking, 0 fish, 2 thunderstorms, and 3,000'+ of rock climbing
I had spent many days preparing for this trip and I was itching to get on the road. I left Pasadena at 9:45am. The drive into Tuolumne was uneventful. I stopped in Independence at the Indian Casino gas station (cheapest gas for a few hundred miles in any direction) and in Bishop at the Vons to pick up a pre-cooked turkey for $5
My climbing partner was scheduled to come back from a 20 mile backpacking trip with his father the same day I arrived in Tuolumne so I was not expecting him to be gung ho to climb. Boy was I was wrong. I had not been in Tuolumne for more than 2 hours when we racked up and simul-climbed the Northwest Books on Lembert Dome via the 5.9var. We went back to camp had dinner and decided to climb Cathedral Peak by full moon. We picked up another climbing partner around the campfire and the three of us set off at 2200 (10pm) on the trail to Cathedral Peak. We simul-climbed the Southeast Buttress in two long pitches and returned to camp by 0300!
The next day we were a little groggy and the weather was not cooperating (raining off and on) so we headed to a "secret spot" on the Tuolumne River and swam and napped on the shore while sipping on cold beer and snacking on avocados!
The next day the weather was stellar and my buddy and I rallied and climbed Fairview Dome via Fiddler on the Roof 10aR We simul-climbed a few of the upper pitches of the Regular Route but down low we had to climb shorter pitches due to rope drag. I got a pretty gnarly sunburn.
View looking east from the summit of Fairview Dome
View looking Northish from the last belay on Fairview Dome
The next day we headed over to Daff Dome and climbed Cooke Book 10a and we also sprinted up The Great Circle 10a but then we ran out of water and decided to head back to the car. That evening we dined at TPR before heading over to Saddlebag Lake for some fishing. I got one bite but the line broke and my buddy caught 5 fish! WTHeck!?
Fish and chocolate stuffed bannans for dinner
The next day we were both pretty tired and took it easy in the morning. My buddy was also anxious to return home to his new fiancee and I had to get to Lone Pine by 1700 (5pm) to pick up my backpacking permit for the next half of the adventure.
On the way to Lone Pine I stopped in Bishop and found a nice secluded spot to bathe (with soap!) in a creek. It was glorious 8)
I met my other buddy at the Portal where we dropped off his car transferred the necessary gear around and then drove to Shepherds Pass where we camped at the trailhead with our alarms set for 0500 (5am).
The first day dawned with a spectacular sunrise but even that early in the morning it was pretty warm at the trailhead. We were anxious to get as high as possible before the warmest part of the day. The first day was the hardest with nearly 6,000' of elevation gain, 12+ miles to hike, and full packs (5 days worth of food is HEAVY)... But after what seemed forever we made it to the Shepherds Pass...
... and the views of Tyndall were awesome!
We got hammered by an epic thunderstorm that afternoon with hail the size of marbles being blown nearly horizontal by the wind. The next day we got a late start but by 1100 we were on the summit of Tyndall my 2nd 14,000' peak! We ascended via the North Rib.
That afternoon our secluded lake was not so secluded anymore and so we bailed and headed towards Lake South America and found a very nice campsite at Lake 11,450'.
View of our campsite from the pass just before Lake South America
View from our campsite
Sunset
Life is a beach
The next day I was pretty tired but after a very lazy morning we packed our lunch and rain gear and headed to Lake South America. We got caught in another hail storm but it was not nearly as bad as the first one on the 1st day. After the storm cleared I went for a swim while soaking in the views of the Kern River headwaters!
Afterwards we rallied around 1400 (2pm) packed up and pushed all the way to just past the Crabtree Meadows ranger station before finding a nice spot below Mt. Young to camp for our last night.
The next day was also an early start with reveille at 0500 (5am). We ate breakfast, broke camp, and charged up to Guitar Lake where the smell of pancakes, bacon, and eggs from a guided group tormented us. We summited Mt. Whitney before 1100 and hightailed it out of there when we started hearing (and seeing) incoming thunder.
Mirror Lake
After 4 days of solitude (we saw maybe a dozen people) the crowds on the Whitney Trail were a rude awakening but our sore feet and the promise of burgers, beer, and fries propelled us down.
Stats
Backpacking portion
Tuolumne Rock climbing 15 miles of hiking, 0 fish, 2 thunderstorms, and 3,000'+ of rock climbing
