Peak bagging in the Eastern Sierra Nevada

1994-2002

Reiner Stenzel

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Mt Tom

This was a fun trip climbing with dogs. It was jointly scheduled by the SPS and the K-9 section for climbers with suitable dogs. I had a German shepherd Tatanka who had previously been on a ski ascent of Basin Mtn and he should be able to do Mt Tom as well.

The trip went on Sep 23-24, 1995 and was led by Scot Jamison and Julie Rush and there were four human and three dog participants. I learned a lot about dogs on this hike, that they have also leaders, that size does not matter, but experience does. Dogs can get altitude sickness like people, they need booties to avoid bloody feet on rock, they need plenty of water since they cool only with their tongues.

We hiked up to Horton Lake and made camp. Fishing was good and a trout dinner was a good start for the trip. Early next morning we hiked up the mining road of Mt Tom. The weather was perfect. We all made the summit and had a good rest since it was a long climb. Then we returned the same way. Tatanka did get bloody feet but he was a young strong male who could handle it. Otherwise we had no problems with our four-legged companions. It was a fun trip with best friends.

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Bloody Mtn

Many of us have seen Bloody Mountain when driving on Hwy 395 south from Mammoth Mtn. In winter it looks very impressive and challenges the skiers to do the Bloody Couloir. But in summer it makes an easier and rewarding day hike. This is what I did on July 27, 1997. I started from Convict Lake, hiked to beautiful Lake Genevieve and climbed the scree slopes to the summit. I looked down the Bloody Couloir chute which still had some snow left. The upper part is STEEP. The views from the summit were great. Nearby Red Slate with its skiable North Couloir was clearly visible. Puffy summer clouds were abundant but no thunderstorms had started yet.

After a nice rest on the summit I hiked down the same way. My favorite place was Lake Genevieve where I would like to return some day for fishing and swimming. The best hikes are usually those which one would like to do again. This was one of them.

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Cathedral Peak

This was a solo climb of a beautiful and challenging mountain in Yosemite N.P. on Aug. 17, 1997. Cathedral is rated as cl 4-5 which requires rope protection which is tricky on a solo climb. The rope is fixed at the bottom which protects you in a fall but there is nobody to lower you if you are injured and cannot downclimb. It is better than no protection but worse than climbing with a partner. In short, you must be very careful and not fall.

I started at Tuolumne Mdws and reached the base of Cathedral in a short time. Unless one chooses the technical route on the east face the main ascent is class 3. The crux is the steep upper summit area. There is a 15' summit block on the SW face which is climbed via crack on the SE face. It is definitely high cl 4 terrain. The climb went well, but the summit register was empty. The peak seems climbed too much and some consider a register a nice souvenir. I rappelled down and soon was in safer terrain for the hike out. It was a great day.

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Baxter, Black and Diamond This was a solo climb of three listed peaks in the Eastern Sierra Nevada in early summer, June 28-30, 2000. The first challenge was to climb Baxter Pass, about 6,000' up from the desert floor. The peaks were class 2-3. No snow climbing was involved. It was all XC hiking over a lot of scree slopes. One had to keep a reasonably tight schedule to do the three peaks and the long ascent/descent within three days. Although it is a dry barren landscape there is beauty in the scenery of lakes, peaks and some flowers. It was a worthy climbing experience. It added one more of the classical 6,000' Eastern Sierra ascents (Shepherd, Sawmill, Taboose).

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Colosseum

Thanks to the insurance fiasco of the Sierra Club, which forbid scheduled mountaineering trips I developed the habit of solo peak climbs. It strengthened my experience, confidence and the feeling of the "freedom of the hills". Thus, on a short notice I took off on a free weekend (9/21-22/2001) to climb another Eastern Sierra Peak, Colosseum Mtn, and another classical 6,000' trail to Sawmill Pass. Fall or spring are the best times which avoids the summer heat on the long ascent.

Once one reaches Sawmill Pass (11,347') one has a fine view of Woods Lake to the west and Colosseum to the north. The climb is easy class 2. Admittedly, everything is dry and brown in the Fall, while snow fields add nice white patches to the scenery as we saw on a ski trip to Mt Perkins. Each season has its charm and should be enjoyed. I had a good time on this weekend.

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Ruskin, Arrow, Pyramid and Striped

It was a solo hike via Taboose Passon Sep 8-11, 1994. The first day was needed to get over Taboose Pass, a 6,000' climb, and to establish a base camp near Mt Ruskin since I like to climb early in the morning. Mt Ruskin is an SPS Mountaineers peak, with high class 3 climbing, which is exciting and rewarding. So are the views from the summit on a clear Fall day. More details about climbing routes are found in R.J.Secor's guidebook or many websites and trip reports.

After climbing Ruskin in the morning I relocated to a small lake near Arrow and Pyramid, a few miles SW of Bench Lake. Once off the busy JMT I met nobody and it was real back country wilderness where once even a Ranger vanished. The climbs of both peaks went well. Arrow Pk, another SPS Mountaineers Pk, looks impressive from many directions such as from the Cirque Crest or the Muro Blanco. Pyramid was a regular cl 2 peak with fine summit views.

On the last day I was on Striped Mtn, which was climbed on the way back toward Taboose Pass. It is a colorful and pretty mountain, nicer than nearby Goodale. In retrospect the trip was a real joy, the climbs went well, the scenery was pretty, and I enjoyed the good workout.

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Thor, Russell and Carillon

This was another solo hike on Oct 1-2, 1994 to three fine peaks in the Whitney area. Mt Whitney was not the climbing objective since I had done it several times before. Russell was the crux, Thor a pleasure and Carillon a necessary chore.

The first day I hiked up the North Fork Lone Pine Creek to the Upper Boy Scout Lake which makes a good basecamp for the three peaks. There was enough time to do Thor in the afternoon. From the summit (12,306') one had a splendid view of the east face of Mt Whitney (14,505') and of Russell to the north and McAdie to the south. It was a fine start of the trip.

The next day I headed up to the Russell-Carillon Pass to climb both peaks. The east ridge of Russell looked a bit intimidating, especially with some snow coverage. But after a deep breath I started the climb. Getting over the false east summit was exciting, as was the long traverse to the higher west summit (14,086'). A slip on the ridge was not an option, so I climbed carefully taking my time. Another climber joined the fun and we both made the summit.

After getting down from Russell's east ridge I continued the easy walk up to Carillon (13,552'). The views of the east face of Whitney was very photogenic. I hiked down, packed up and descended via the Ebersbacher ledges to the Whitney main trail. It ended a great weekend of climbing.

Ten years later, we revisited this area and climbed several nearby peaks such as Carl Heller, The Cleaver and Tunnabora. Quite a different experience is a backcountry ski tour in this terrain, starting at Mt Williamson.

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