Sean and Willie climbed Panther in 2016: https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... her#p58229
They found the register, but I didn't.
We started at the Wolverton trailhead and were going to take the Long Meadow trail, but it appeared closed and the first stream crossing was wide and deep. Instead, we took the shorter Lakes Trail. Snow encroached on then covered the trail from 8300'. We donned our microspikes and followed boot tracks for a while until they wandered into a swampy area. GPS got us back on the trail and we met a couple of parties on their way down from camping at Panther Gap. Melting snow bridges covered the rest of the crossings. We tested the snow with our poles near each bridge to see how close we could get, then took a leap of faith to the other side, hoping to land on solid ground and not plunge into the flowing water beneath. This section of trail was shaded and the snow reasonably firm all the way to the Gap. Sun had melted the snow on part of the Alta trail, but we knew there was plenty ahead as we left the trail to climb the western ridge of Panther.
We found a use trail at the start of the ridge, but it quickly faded under patches of snow. The ridge was somewhat open with low vegetation, downfall, snow mounds, and boulders. We picked our way up going directly over a false summit. At 8800', snow surrounded the summit like a moat. It was roughly 3' deep with drifts up to 6'. The direct approach from the south was steep and with temps hovering around 50F, the top layers of snow were soft and we struggled to maintain traction. Because we were slipping so much, Leisa decided to hold her ground while I aimed for a column of high class 3 boulders. I got about 50' up the column before getting stopped by a vertical boulder and a snow bank. In dry conditions, I could have just walked around the boulder. I was high enough to see a flat area with a lone tree below the final 40' of boulders to the summit. The slope further east looked like it might reach the tree. I dropped back down, carefully side-hilled east, then used my pole and free hand to aid my ascent to the tree. Above the tree, I only had another 20' of snow before reaching the final boulder pile. The last scramble was class 2 and I left my spikes on out of laziness. On top, the summit view was exhilarating. I found no register or marks on the summit. The down climb was easier, though the snow slope was still sketch. Had Leisa wanted to go, I would have guided her up, but she was content this far up. Our return trip was mostly uneventful, though I did fall partially through one of the snow bridges, drenching my right foot. At the Pear Lakes junction, we removed our spikes and coasted the last 1.8 miles to the trailhead.
I got around this corner, but stopped about 20' higher
I aimed for this tree, then was home free
Final scramble
Alta is the second peak
