Mount Conness

DATE: Sunday, October 10. 2021
DISTANCE: 15.14km / 9.41 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 948m / 3111'
TIME TAKEN: 9:45
INYO NATIONAL FOREST
HOOVER WILDERNESS
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
MONO COUNTY, CA
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CA
NORTHERN PAIUTE, WESTERN MONO AND CENTRAL SIERRA MIWOK STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Uzala: Ice Castle

SUMMITS:
• Mount Conness: 3837m / 12,590'
• Puppy Dome: 2670m / 8760'

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP




...continued.

Mount Conness is a striking mountain on Yosemite’s eastern border, the highest peak in the Sierra Nevada north of Tioga Pass. Though the mountain has massive cliffs on two sides, there are also class 2 and class 3 options for reaching the top. Conness had been in my crosshairs for some time now, as I quixotically pursued my quest to climb my first 12er only after I had climbed my first 11er, and so on. Conness was to be the first 12er, due to its relatively short approach, not too difficult climb, and epic scenic beauty. Due to my retreat from my intended overnight trip to Black Hawk Mountain and Granite Dome the previous day, it opened the gate for me to do a day hike today, and Mount Conness it was to be.

I awoke in my van at the parking lot for the seasonally closed Sawmill Campground, which was to be my trailhead for today's raid on Mount Conness. The peaks of the Conness Crest gleamed in the dawn light, heavenly granite frosted with October snow. It was 8:30AM, and I started off, through the ghostly silent campsites in the snow, there was a decent path to follow at first. It was cold, but Lee Vining Creek was flowing, and I used a casual log bridge to cross it. Just past 9AM, I came up to a curious dilapidated structure that looked like it had been saved from falling over only by the tree next to it. The trail kind of drifted off after this point, and it was cross country through (usually) light and (sometimes) deeper snow. I angled myself uphill to gain elevation to Alpine Lake, per the GPS track I was following, but I didn't angle up fast enough, and I ended up below some big cliffs with impressive boulder rockfall and even some icicles too. Light scrambling now, cross country uphill to Alpine Lake. I was there at 10:30AM. The going past that was slow. A thin covering of snow on the talus field, so I had to be careful not to step through an invisible hole in the rocks and snap my ankle. It wasn't enough snow to just walk over the top of everything, each step had to be considered.

I blame the elevation, somewhat (Alpine Lake is already over 11,000 feet), but more so my general out of shapeness, and possibly the residual effects of yesterday's illness, for my slow going that day. I was now frequently out of breath, and having dizzy spells. So, it took me like, two hours to make it from Alpine Lake, up the east ridge of Conness, and over the lip of the plateau. The snowy rocks added to my difficulty, because I had to find a route up, clearing snow, route finding, climbing, etc. so it was after 1pm, I finally got on the plateau and had some easy going, walking across the comparatively flat expanse in mostly shallow snow. Straight shot to the summit column now, it was right in front of me, like a twisted granite barrel, over 12,500' in elevation. It had been 1300' of elevation gain from Alpine Lake to the summit plateau, BTW. In merely 15 minutes, I had walked across the plateau, to Conness' shoulder, where there was some kind of stone monument / structure, or possibly the remains of a bench?

Now connecting onto the S-curve "staircase in the sky"  southeast approach to the Conness summit, I was privy to dizzying views of the big wall cliffs on the SW and north sides of the mountain, they fell away to either side of the narrow ridge I was upon. I'm sure the "staricase" is a class 2 walkup in normal weather, with maybe some low class 3, but covered in snow, the steps weren't obvious, and I had to pick my way slowly and carefully up, due to the exposure on both sides. I must have taken a long break somewhere in there, don't recall exactly, because I did not reach the summit until 2:30PM. Baby's first 12er! I savored the views all around, I was higher than anything else close by, dilligently dug the summit register ammo box out of the snow and signed it. I wasn't gonna let this one go.

I came down the staircase, just as I had come up, following my footprints in search of solid rock. I followed close to my same route getting down the east ridge, not that it mattered, one path was as good as another, as long as I avoided cliffs. I did not descend elegantly or efficiently, it was a combo of kicking steps, nasty postholing, sliding on my ass, and scrambling down the rocks that were exposed. I changed course when I saw another human being down there, so I decided to say "hullo." It was a man with a dog that would not stop barking at me. I guess the guy was heading up Conness, also, but on a pretty late schedule, seemed like he would be returning in the dark. He said something about drinking a lot of tequila last night in Sonora, and that the dog didn't like my orange hat. So I bid him "bon chance," and continued down, sticking higher (farther north) on the ridgeline than on the ascent, and ultimately meeting my old path down at Alpine Lake.

I don't know what took me so long to get back, analyzing the timeline of my photographs now, months later, it doesn't make sense. I guess I was pretty beat from my useless 17 miles hike the day before, and now my climb of Conness in the snow. Maybe I'm too hard on myself. Back to the van. Down to Tuolumne Meadows to see if anything was still open (fuck no). I decided to climb up Puppy Dome in the twilight for an easy bonus peak. Then, parked by the shores of inky black Tenaya Lake, I cooked myself an excellent dinner of ramen, salami and cheese sandwiches, and dark chocolate for desert. Then I went to sleep at a reasonable hour in the van, parked in a dark trailhead parking lot on Tioga Road.

To be continued...

FURTHER READING
• Mount Conness on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• Puppy Dome on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• Iron Hiker also does the east side approach

Point 7360+

DATE: Saturday, October 9, 2021
DISTANCE: 27.7km / 17.21 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 11992m / 3910'
TIME TAKEN: 9:30
SUMMIT: Point 7360+ (2243m+)
STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST
EMMIGRANT WILDERNESS
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CA
CENTRAL SIERRA MIWOK, NORTHERN PAIUTE AND WASHOE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Cannibal Corpse: Force Fed Broken Glass

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

*Note: The header photograph is NOT of Point 7360+ (I did not get any good pictures of that rock). The photo most likely is of a shoulder / false summit of Relief Peak that I admired along the way.


The stars had finally aligned, the fires were out, the smoke was gone, there was snow in the Sierras, and I had two and a half free days to get my ass up to the mountains! The only bad part was having to pick a place to go, with so many options available. The passes were actually closed at the moment, which presented some limitations, but I knew I could get to Kennedy Meadows, which was well below the closed Sonora Pass. I had just been to Kennedy Meadows, but under the constraints of a group / party trip, and so I was eager to go deeper, on my own time, now with my first solo overnight backpacking trip, and catch Blackhawk Mountain (SPS) and Granite Dome (my personal California Domes list). So, I left home the night of Friday, October 9, stopping in Manteca for cheap gas and snacks (snacks which may have been my downfall). I stopped to get my wilderness permit from the freezing cold, dark, closed ranger station at Pinecrest, then on to Kennedy Meadows, where I bundled up against the freezing temps, and passed out in the van at the backpacker's parking lot. I awoke to the beginnings of stomach pains that would shape and define the rest of the day. I had not gotten to sleep until very late, so I allowed myself to sleep in, and I didn't get an early start. Also, I just couldn't resist getting breakfast at the Kennedy Meadows restaurant, the novelty of getting a country breakfast, at a trailhead, on the edge of the fucking wilderness! After all this, according to my photographic timeline, I did not start hiking until about 10:30AM! WTF!

As I started hiking, the pain in my stomach grew worse, and now I realized that this was like the thing that had happened to me in Arizona earlier in the year. It got worse and worse, I felt like I had eaten a bag of nails, and my body was trying to digest it. It had already begun before breakfast, so I don't blame the restaurant. I soldiered on towards Blackhawk, and it got worse and worse. My only possible guess as to what caused it was that I had developed a very bad reaction to jalapeño flavored potato chips (last night's snack), which would be a devastating loss from my pantry if it were to be removed. (SOMETHING LIKE THIS?) When I got to the point on Huckleberry Trail where I would cross Summit Creek, and start cross country to Blackhawk Mountain, I sat down to fill my cantine, and just crumpled in withering defeat as the knife twisted in my guts. I decided to turn back: this wasn't fun, and I had nothing to prove to anyone. Eight miles from the trailhead, and nothing to show for it. All the way back down I went, with my tail between my legs. I eventually stopped again for another break, closer to the south end of Relief Reservoir, and by this time, I realized I was actually starting to feel better. Now that I had hiked half way back. AWAY from the mountains. I still continued back, but I now focused on salvaging the day somehow, anyhow.

At the north end of Relief Reservoir is a significant crag / cliff, nameless as far as I knew. (We shall call it Point 7360+) I was feeling energized now, finally, at 6PM, 630? And I cut over on some use trails to make it to this rock, so I could climb it. this must have been the main trail at one point, because I came across an old bridge over summit creek that looked very sketchy, so instead of using it, I rocked hopped across just downstream. The old trail continued visibly towards the nameless rock; when I got close, I dropped my pack and did a light scramble up the south (easy) side of the rock. There were quality views of the surrounding mountains and the encroaching dust, and to my surprise, a plaque embedded in the top... dedicated to the racist, white supremacist, Indian killing, homophobic John Wayne! Ewwwww! This sure is cowboy country, isn't it? Now that I had climbed something resembling a summit, the day was no longer a total failure. I got back on the old trail, which went down, down, into the meadows by the river, and split into many branching trails, probably for / from the cows. At 7:30PM, I was at the middle fork Stanislaus River, on the wrong side of it to get back to main trail, and I burned a stupid amount of time looking for a good place to cross, until I finally just took my damn boots off and walked through. Now I was about to come back into the cowboy village of Kennedy Meadows, I had wasted a whole day and a wilderness permit, and the idea of going back up again the next day, repeating the same trail, was not too appetizing.

I decided to go for a different plan. I went to the Kennedy Meadows front desk, and asked the lady if she knew if Sonora Pass had opened. She said "Yes, but it's colder than a witches you-know-what up there!" That was the information I needed to take the next step, and I hightailed it back to the van. My failure that day had opened the door for an unplanned triumph tomorrow. I drove over Sonora Pass and down into Bridgeport, got on 395 South and saw the electronic sign that told me Tioga Pass was also open. So down I went to Lee Vining, and then up towards Yosemite. I crashed out in the van in the cold darkness, just off of Saddlebag Lake Road, at my trailhead for the next day. 

...to be continued. 

Granite Chief

DATE: Tuesday, August 3, 2021
DISTANCE: 14.63km / 9.09 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 1202m / 3944'
TIME TAKEN: 6:36
PALISADES AT TAHOE RESORT
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST
GRANITE CHIEF WILDERNESS
PLACER COUNTY, CA
NISENAN AND WASHOE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Three Inches Of Blood: Chief And The Blade

SUMMITS:
• Granite Chief: 2745m / 9006'
• Needle Peak: 2734m / 8971'

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP





Since I didn't roll into Tahoe the night before until about 1:30AM, and didn't close my eyes until about two, the mandatory minimum amount of sleep for basic human functionality, for me anyway, five hours, required me to sleep until 7AM, which was not the ideal early start that I'd hoped for. Luckily, I was tired enough to pass right out on the bench seat of the van. Awaking at 7AM, I got right out of the Eagle Point Campground, and drove up to my first Tahoe hiking expedition of the week. I was pretty unfamiliar with the area, so I accidentally drove into Alpine Meadows first, instead of my intended destination, Squaw Valley, which by the time you read this will have been renamed "Palisades Tahoe." The driving around cost me some time. After that, I drove the proper way, into Squaw Valley. Parking was not allowed at the trailhead, so I had to park in the giant lot by the "village," which is like an open air mall, so that's my first Sierra Nevada hike ever that's begun in a mall parking lot. By then it was about 8:20AM, and it was already hot. I realized I had forgotten to bring sunglasses, so then I had to go into the mall, and buy some expensively priced cheap sunglasses!

So now, it was almost 9AM by the time I started hiking. The first stretch of the Shirley Canyon Trail is a well maintained track through the woods and increasingly steep boulder landscape, up to Shirley Lake. There were multiple parties ascending, and I passed them all in due time. There were dry waterfalls on dry Shirley Creek, and with the elevation gain, views opened up of the multitudes of surrounding peaks. And out of the trees, and onto the granite, the heat amplified. Seems like most of the other hikers were going up to the lake, I took a glance at it, and then continued. My plan had been to continue south from the lake on the Solitude Trail for a hot minute, then cut cross country, directly up towards Granite Chief, possibly following the course of Squaw Creek. But I was not paying attention, and I continued on Solitude Trail for too long. I realized my error when I took my first break of the day, and determined to have a cross country section, off trail, (for some reason, it was really a slow down waste of time that probably cost me Lyon Peak), I cut back into the bush. I love how my navigational errors become the fuel for extra adventure! Up ahead, the Squaw Creek drainage looked too brushy to ascend, so I stuck to the left of the canyon. The front country nature of this hike really hit home now, as I found voluminous amounts of garbage littered about. Everything from bottle caps, to beer cans, to shoes and orphaned single ski poles. No where near the trail or even the ski lifts. Is this stuff left out here by cross country skiers in winter?

I came up a trail that wasn't on any maps, that took me to the maintenance road for the Shirley Lake Express ski lift. I then veered back into my precious "wilderness," back into the bush, determined to make a hard time of it, apparently. And now it actually got interesting, keeping left (south) in the canyon, I came to some steep hiking, pine tree shade, and even a bit of light class 3 as I climbed a chute up to the dirt road at the top. Now that I had forced a backcountry experience in the front country, I could move on. At the top of the Squaw Creek watershed, it was 11:30AM, but I was very close to Granite Chief, and I followed the trail up, never losing sight of the omnipresent ski lifts. I got to the top of Granite Chief at noon exactly, and signed the register. The day was a little hazy, but not smoky. I took in the views from all directions, and I could see the smoke from Dixie Fire in the north. I spent less than ten minutes on Granite Chief, and headed off to the next peak, Needle.

There was a faint use trail for some parts along the ridge, but mostly it was rocky, and more tedious than I was expecting. I have no Idea why I was expecting something easier. Going along the ridge, I had a bird's eye view of Needle Lake below, and other points north. By a quarter to one, I had reached the cliff band below Needle Peak: Suddenly, red volcanic rock. I veered to the north side of the ridge to get around the cliffs, and I found a chute on the north side of it with a brief class three scramble to the top, where there was an old summit register in a rusty tin can. By now, it was 1pm. I had already bought a ticket for, and was planning to use the aerial tram from High Camp, to descend to the parking lot, which would save me three miles on the back end. The last actual tram went down at 4:30PM. I was pretty sure I could make it to the day's third peak, Lyon, and back to High Camp in time for the last tram. But I decided I didn't really want to be out all day, it was hot and dry, and I was out of shape for hiking, and feeling it. My friends would start arriving at Eagle Point Campground around 4PM, and I wanted to hang out. So I abandoned Lyon Peak, a decision which irks me to this day, because it makes so much logical sense to do it line with Granite Chief and Needle, and now I have to go back and do it by it's self some day. Dumb. Should have gotten an earlier start. Should have brought sunglasses. Should have stuck to the trails: D.U.M.B.

So now, trying to get back efficiently,  decided to, rather than pick my way back along the ridge, I would plunge down the hillside and hit the Tevis Cup Trail, taking that back to civilization. It was some elevation loss and regain, but I'm sure it was still ultimately faster. I reached the Tevis Cup Trail by 2PM, a dusty, well established track through the pines. By 3PM, I was at High Camp, the place where the aerial tram descends. I noticed that there was a bar there, and my ears perked up, but then I saw a tram was about to leave, so I was like "fuck it, I'm just gonna catch this one and go down, and get the fuck outta here." The view from the tram was nice, when it pulled away, I got the flutter of anticipation in my chest, like getting on a roller coaster. I hadn't ridden a ride in a long time. I was able to identify a lot of peaks of the Squaw Valley area from up there, and get a good lay of the land. Ultimately, for the tram, I paid $39 to travel 1.3 miles, the most I have ever paid to travel such a short distance, although peak hours Lyft rides in San Francisco have come dangerously close.

FURTHER READING
Granite Chief on PEAKBAGGER / SUMMITPOST
Needle Peak on PEAKBAGGER / SUMMITPOST

Kibbie Ridge South

DATE: Thursday, July 15, 2021
DISTANCE: 6.6km / 4.10 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 261m / 856'
TIME TAKEN: 2:25
SUMMIT: Kibbie Ridge - South Peak: 1680m / 5512'
STANISLAUS NATIONAL FOREST
TUOLUMNE COUNTY, CA
CENTAL SIERRA MIWOK STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Thin Lizzy: Southbound

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

Was party camping at Cherry Borrow. Went up to Kibbie Ridge South because it was the closest "Peak" and I needed to stretch my legs. Class 1. Mild bushwhacking.

FURTHER READING
Kibbie Ridge - South Peak on PEAKBAGGER

Sierra Buttes

DATE: Friday, July 9, 2021
DISTANCE: 7.72km / 4.8 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 489m / 1605'
TIME TAKEN: 3:26
SUMMIT: Sierra Buttes: 2618m / 8590'
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST
SIERRA COUNTY, CA
NISENAN AND WASHOE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: David Bowie: Young Americans

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP











FULL HIKE REPORT COMING SOON

FURTHER READING
Sierra Buttes on PEAKBAGGER / SUMMITPOST