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

Signal Peak

DATE: Thursday, July 8, 2021
DISTANCE: 7.4km, 4.6 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 560m / 1837'
TIME TAKEN: 3:09
TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST
COUNTY: NEVADA COUNTY, CA
NISENAN AND WASHOE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Rush: Signals

SUMMITS:
• Red Mountain Lookout: 2353m+ / 7720'+
• Signal Peak: 2390m / 7841'

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP








FULL HIKE REPORT COMING SOON

FURTHER READING
Red Mountain Lookout on PEAKBAGGER
Signal Peak on PEAKBAGGER / SUMMITPOST

Glen Alpine Falls / Eagle Point

DATE: Thursday, May 27, 2023
DISTANCE: 3.97km / 2.47 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 98m / 323’
TIME TAKEN: 1:21
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
EL DORADO COUNTY, CA
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Taste: Over The Glen

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP 1 - Glen Alpine Falls
MAP 2 - Eagle Point











TRIP REPORT COMING SOON!

 

Eagle / Cascade Falls

DATE: Wednesday, May 26, 2021

EAGLE FALLS
DISTANCE: 1.9km / 1.19 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 76m / 250'
TIME TAKEN: 1:09
EMERALD BAY STATE PARK

CASCADE FALLS
DISTANCE: 3.51km / 2.18 MILES
ELEVATION GAIN: 128m / 421'
TIME TAKEN: 1:28

ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
EL DORADO COUNTY, CA
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Hüsker Dü: Everything Falls Apart

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

TRIP REPORT COMING...?

Half Dome

DATE: Thursday, May 20, 2021
DISTANCE: 29.27km / 18.19 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 2307m / 7568'
TIME TAKEN: 13:15
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
MARIPOSA COUNTY, CA
SOUTHERN SIERRA MIWOK AND NORTHERN PAIUTE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Soundgarden: Half

SUMMITS:
• Half Dome: 2694m / 8840'
• Liberty Cap: 2157m / 7076'

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP







FULL TRIP REPORT COMING... EVENTUALLY!

 

El Capitan

DATE: Wednesday, May 19, 2021
DISTANCE: 25.57km / 15.89 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 1912m / 6276'
TIME TAKEN: 9:47
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK
MARIPOSA COUNTY, CA
SOUTHERN SIERRA MIWOK AND NORTHERN PAIUTE STOLEN LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Captain Beyond: Dancing Madly Backwards

SUMMITS:
• El Capitan: 2307m / 7569'
• Eagle Peak: 2371m / 7779'
• Peak 7566: 2306m (FAILED)

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP





FULL TRIP REPORT COMING... SOMEDAY!

 

Elephants Back

DATE: Sunday, May 9, 2021
DISTANCE: 4.83km / 3 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 331m / 1087'
TIME TAKEN: 3:00
SUMMIT: Elephant's Back 2921m / 9585'

ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
MOKELUMNE WILDERNESS
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
ALPINE COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Bison: Stressed Elephant

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP









It was Mother's Day, and neither me nor my little brothers had a functional vehicle, but we though it would be prudent to go visit our mother for her titular holiday, so I rented a tank-like, new style Toyota 4-Runner, and off we went to Jackson, CA. We had a fine Mother's Day dinner that night, but we also used the afternoon to try out the snow shoes we had all gotten for Christmas. For some reason, we had never gotten the chance to use them until now, and the winter's snow was going fast. We went to old familiar territory, Carson Pass, with the moderate goal in mind of Elephant's Back. Short, easy. To use the most direct path, we had to take the snowshoes on and off a few times, but they were mostly useful, and we got a good feel for them. 

The shoes stayed off for the rocky slope of Elephants Back, where a faint use trail presented it's self and took us to the top, where we enjoyed panoramic views of Round Top, Red Lake Peak in the distance. An Anchor Porter bottle was passed around, a funeral rite for the classic old label design which was to soon become extinct (What's this about? Click HERE.). We then descended the way we had come up, mostly, Zuma the dog enjoying the snow as usual. Then, after returning to the 4-Runner, it was the familiar cruise down Highway 88, back to Jackson for a nice dinner with Mom.

FURTHER READING
• Elephants Back at SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• "Visit Lake Tahoe" profiles Elephants Back

Echo Peak

DATE: Sunday, October 11, 2020
DISTANCE: 7.98km / 4.96 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 918m / 3013’
TIME TAKEN: 5:20
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
DESOLATION WILDERNESS
ELDORADO COUNTY, CA
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Pink Floyd: Echoes

SUMMITS:
• Peak 7758 (“Dumbo”) /  2365m
• Flagpole Peak: 2549m / 8363’
• Echo Peak: 2711m / 8895’
• Peak 8760’ / 2670m
• Indian Rock 2621m / 8600’
• Angora Peak (2X): 2617m / 8586’

PHOTO ALBUM
MAP

 Angora Peak previously climbed September 29, 2020

 

CONTINUED: Previous day’s hike: Freel Peak

This day’s hike describes a point to point traverse of the ridge north of Echo Lakes, with six summits attained along the way. This is almost completely off trail, but can be done over pretty easy terrain if you so choose, with a few exceptions. A brief class 3 scramble is inevitable to get to the very top of Flagpole Peak, and the crux of the trip is a stiff class 3 (some say class 4) down and up climb through a rocky notch between Peak 8760 and Indian Rock. Almost unlimited bonus scrambling on high quality granite can be had in this area if you’re into that sort of thing!

Awaking again at Fallen Leaf Campground, Alex and I decided to use our bikes that we had both brought and check out the path out to Baldwin Beach, which was pleasing to the senses of course. We had a clear sunny day on our hands now, just the type that was meant to be spent hiking at Lake Tahoe. We returned to camp and packed up. Then, since we had bikes AND two cars, we used all of the vehicles in our next maneuver. We put both bikes on Alex’s bike rack, and dropped his car up at the Angora Lakes parking lot. Then biked back down, past the Angora Lookout (nice views of Fallen Leaf Lake and Tallac), back to the campground, where we threw the bikes into my van, and drove up to the Echo Lake parking lot, starting the hike from there. With all of the morning’s beach going and driving and biking around we didn’t start hiking until 12:30PM, but it wasn’t a big deal since we only anticipated about five miles.

We crossed the bridge at the east end of Echo Lake and followed the trail west for a few minutes, before heading uphill, over the granite towards what we presumed was Flagpole Peak, the first stop on our agenda.Instead, we arrived at another, lower summit, Peak 7758, which someone later called “Dumbo.” The day was cloudless, Echo Lake sparkling, and we already had views of the Crystal Range coming into sight. From the top of Dumbo, we now had a clear view of Flagpole Peak and our path to get to it. We descended down into a sandy saddle, and then got right to the excellent granite that awaited. There’s probably an easier way up, but we found extremely fun class three most of the way: ramps, slabs, cracks, you name it, it was a granite paradise! It was about 1:45PM when we made it to the top of Flagpole Peak (yes, there is a flagpole), there were two fellas up there already who told us of their ascent route, and of the colloquial name (“Dumbo”) for Peak 7758. After admiring the view (almost straight down on the lake!) we wished them well, and carried on.

The next goal, Echo Peak, the day’s highest point, could have been reached more easily and faster if we had stuck to the south side of the ridge, but we chose to stick right along the top, where we took every opportunity to get into class three scrambles on the excellent rock. At that pace, we didn’t reach the summit of Echo Peak until after 3PM. Echo Peak is more of a ridge highpoint, and not a very interesting peak, but the view was sublime, with Angora Lakes, Fallen Leaf and Tahoe spilling out in front of us like a sapphire necklace. We enjoyed the peak and a snack, and had a nice chat with a nerdy couple from Davis that had hiked up there. Next came an easy section, north on the sandy ridgeline, where we passed over Peak 8760, a bump so insignificant that we didn’t even notice it. Just after that, the soft ridge came to an abrupt end, and we approached the fractured granite notch that separated us from Indian rock. This required a downclimb on the granite jumble with a steep slope on one side, and VERY steep cliffs on the other side. Alex led the way down, gracefully, and then chose a successful route up the other side. The rock was of good quality, and we had no issues. Some have denoted this section as class 4. I’ll let you judge it for yourself!

Next up was the summit of Indian Rock, which was less a peak, and more like the high point at the edge of a huge cliff. Indeed, it towers over 2,000 feet above the Glen Alpine Creek area to the north, and is quite an impressive sight from that direction! Now it was time for the sixth, and final summit of the day, Angora Peak, which I had visited just twelve days earlier, from the other side, unfortunately in a smoky haze. I was happy to have a clear day for the return visit. It was now about 4:30, and we took almost an hour to pick our way over to Angora Peak, slowing our pace now, coming to the end of a busy two days. Once more, we met another pair of hikers at the top of the peak, this time a local couple. They complained about the amount of outsiders (sorry!) flooding the region during the pandemic and confirmed our suspicion that it was still unusually busy, for October. The Angora Peak summit register that I had signed less than two weeks ago was gone, so we made our final descent now, twilight crawling in, down the slopes to Alex’s car in the Angora Lakes parking lot. He gave me a ride to my van back at Echo Lake, we sorted out our bikes in the now darkness, and went our own ways back to the Bay Area, through the snaking highways of the California night.

FURTHER READING
• Bob Burd: Does a similar traverse
• The Outbound: Flagpole Peak from Echo Summit
• Greg Lamy: Echo Peak from Echo Lake
• Trails Guide: Angora Peak from the east
• Peak 7758 (“Dumbo”) on PEAKBAGGER
• Flagpole Peak on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• Echo Peak on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER
• Peak 8760 on PEAKBAGGER
• Indian Rock on PEAKBAGGER
• Angora Peak on PEAKBAGGER

 

Freel Peak

DATE: Saturday, October 10, 2020
DISTANCE: 22km / 13.66 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 1327m / 4354’
TIME TAKEN: 7:06
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
EL DORADO COUNTY, CA
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Deodato feat. Camille: Are You For Real?

SUMMITS:
•Trimmer Peak: 3022m / 9915
• Freel Peak: 3316m / 10,881’

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...continued: Previous Day's Hike: Tahoe Mountain

Freel Peak is the highest point in the Lake Tahoe Basin rim, clocking in at nearly 11,000 feet above sea level. This alone should be enough reason enough to pay it a visit. But there's more! The height and prominence of this peak provides the most complete and sweeping view of the spectacular Lake Tahoe area that you will see anywhere! And while the top of the peak is pretty much just a pile of talus, the approach hike is a treat in it's self, bringing you through locations of scenic granite majesty. This can be done as a class one hike all the way to the top if you stay on the trail. 

I was up with my alarm at 7am, Alex had slept on the open ground as he is wont to do, and he was also waking up. We were in pretty good shape, because it had been too cold outside the night before to stay up late and drink too much beer! It was our second annual October trip to stay at Fallen Leaf Lake and do some mountain climbing (last year: Mount Tallac). Our original plan today had been to approach Freel from the south, via Willow Creek Road. I’d read that some people needed 4WD to get up that grade; my van is 2WD, but high clearance at least, so I though it was worth a shot. We got to the turnoff, and then only a few hundred feet up the dirt road before I found my wheels spinning uselessly in the dust. Now, we could have just parked at the bottom of the road and walked up, this might have been more economical for time in the big picture, but instead, we decided to drive around, back to Meyers, and use the other trailhead at the end of Fountain Place Road, which probably burned an hour.

It was almost quarter past nine by the time our boots hit the dirt at Fountain Place. There are two ways to go up to Freel from there, the proper Armstrong Connector Trail to Armstrong Pass, or a gated private dirt road that leads through an inholding in the woods. The private road was more direct, supposedly steeper, and word on the street was that no one had been hassled for trespassing. We decided to take the proper trail on the way up, and maybe use the private road on the way back. The Armstrong Connector Trail was dusty and well worn by foot and mountain bike, a forest freeway. It wasn’t very direct (towards Freel Peak), but it was a nice walk, with the open granite shoulder of the mountain soon coming into view, followed by our arrival at Armstrong Pass one hour and twenty four minutes after we started out. Three different trails converge at Armstrong Pass, and we took a short break to much on a breakfast of trail mix, while two other parties came and went. From here, we now had a view to the South, and could see Hawkins Peak, among many others. From the pass, we turned north on the Tahoe Rim Trail towards Star Lake. The path starting gaining elevation in earnest now, creeping up the rocky western side of the Freel Massif. Tallac and the Crystal Range came into view. I had heard Freel Peak was a basically a pile of sand at the top (not wrong), but I had no idea about the granite wonderland that was to be passed through on the approach. We came through right below the massive rock known as “Fountain Face," Peak 9841 and it’s jagged eastern ridge appeared soon after.

It was just past noon when we got to the turnoff trail for Freel Peak (I’ll call it Freel Pass), but having admired the jumbled Granite of Trimmer Peak from down in village on last month’s visit, I was keen to give it a go. I asked Alex if he wanted to do Trimmer before or after Freel, and the results came in for Trimmer. So off we went, out to the west. We followed the rocky ridge, right over point 9885, down through a sandy saddle, and then up to the granite stronghold of Trimmer Peak. This was our first unabated view of south Lake Tahoe, which never disappoints. We could also see that a lot of clouds were blowing through, though luckily they weren’t bringing rain or snow. It took us about an hour to get to the summit of Trimmer, longer than I was expecting, but it provided much beloved extracurricular granite scrambling, and we found the summit register as well.

I thought I saw a quicker way to get back to Freel Pass, and I led us back, this time cutting to the south of Point 9885. This proved to be a terrible idea, with much sidehilling on loose scree, steep plunging cliffs, and a struggle to not lose and regain elevation. It was very tedious, and it burned more precious October daylight than necessary, taking another full hour to get back on track for our Freel ascent. Now 2:30PM, it was getting cloudier and colder, but we pushed on, and made it to the final 1,200 feet to the top in less than an hour. It was very brisk and windy, but Alex had thoughtfully brought a flask filled with Scotch whiskey, so that helped. The previous party had already gone down, so we didn’t have to share it either! Now at almost 11,000 feet, at the highest point on the Tahoe Rim, we had a 360 degree view of the surroundings, snowless mountains, the lake, now slate grey beneath the clouds, the drier expanse of Nevada to the east. We spent about 20 minutes up there, and decided to forgo any more bonus peaks (Jobs, etc.) due to the waning daylight (almost 4PM now), and the cold winds. I had hoped to also include Jobs Peak and Job’s Sister in the day’s hike, but apparently I had traded them for Trimmer.

Now that it was time to go back down, the more direct trail through Trout Creek Canyon seemed worth a shot. Down we went, the trail plunging down a steep sandy hill, which was fun to descend, and would have been a pain to come up. So we accidentally made the right choice in trails. There was one final view of the fabulous cliffs of Peak 9841, and then we were down into the aspens on the canyon floor. The trail almost disappeared, at times, in the thicket, but this was easily forgiven with the beautiful fall colors surrounding. Soon, we came to an old fenceline, saw "No Trespassing" signs, and we were in the old Fountain Place property inholding. The trail became a dirt road, and like an omen, we saw a shotgun shell lying in our path. The omen turned out to be meaningless, though. We saw a few a dilapidated structures in the distance, one car parked, but no people. And then, just like that, we were through the gate, back at the trailhead parking lot, no trouble! Just over seven hours out. We went back to Fallen Leaf Campground to stay another night.

To be continued: Sunday, October 11, Echo Peak!

FURTHER READING
• Ted’s Outdoor World: A very similar route to ours (minus Trimmer)
• The Outbound: Another description
• Trimmer Peak on PEAKBAGGER
• Freel Peak on SUMMITPOST and PEAKBAGGER

 

Tahoe Mountain

DATE: Friday, October 9, 2020
DISTANCE: 3km / 1.87 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 160m / 526’
TIME TAKEN: 46 min.
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
ELDORADO COUNTY, CA
SOUNDTRACK: Cathedral: Copper Sunset

SUMMITS:
Tahoe Mountain SE Summit: 2172m / 7127’
Tahoe Mountain: 2210m / 7249’

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I had established camp at Fallen Leaf, and it would be a few hours still until my brother Alex arrived, so I decided to enjoy the afternoon and go for a bike ride up to the Devron Connector trailhead, which connects into a neighborhood on the west side of Fallen Leaf Lake. It was quarter past five, but I had still enough light remaining for a short hike, so I locked the bike to a tree and went for it. After I gained some elevation, I could see out to the south, and saw some smoke haze lingering in the atmosphere, but it was much better than my visit in September. In about five minutes, I was at the Valley View Trail, which switchbacked me up to the top of the NW-SE trending ridge. I now had a good view out at Freel Peak, tomorrow's destination, and the red and white striped tower on Tahoe Mountains SE summit.

The top of the ridge was very flat and civilized, with dirt road access for the radio towers. I had a partial view of Lake Tahoe, to the north, through the trees. Fifteen minutes later, I was at the proper, taller NW summit of Tahoe Mountain. This one had a small shack structure on top, more trees, less views. But I could see the almost set sun going down behind Mount Tallac and Fallen Leaf Lake, and it was nature's glory indeed. I wasn't in a big hurry, because I had only a short way to go, and still enough light, but I decided to cut downhill through the woods from there, taking a shortcut back to my bike, and I rode my bike back down the road to the campground uneventfully. Alex showed up sometime after dark, and we dined on takeout pizza and decent beer, ah the joys of camping in Lake Tahoe!

CONTINUED: Saturday, October 10: Freel Peak

FURTHER READING
• The Long Green Tunnel: Description of this short hike
• PEAKBAGGER: Tahoe Mountain NW Summit and SE Summit

Cave Rock

DATE: Wednesday, September 30, 2020
DISTANCE: 1.67km / 1.04 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 61m / 199’
TIME TAKEN: 49 min.
SUMMIT: Cave Rock 2000m / 6560’
HUMBOLDT TOIYABE NATIONAL FOREST
DOUGLAS COUNTY, NV
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: High On Fire: The Cave

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One last day of a Tahoe vacation, I picked the morning’s agenda, a quick ascent of Cave Rock, on western shore Nevada side. It was another smoky day at the lake when Amber and I started off before 8AM, trying to catch the sunrise. It’s about a half mile from the trailhead to the top of the rock, and even on this weekday morning, we were not alone. I’m pretty sure there was a woman flying a drone to film herself doing yoga poses, or something ridiculous like that. I couldn’t quite tell. Didn’t want to know, really. The company wasn’t wholly unwelcome, though. Some nice people took our picture for us! The view from the rock was astounding, even with the smoke, especially the vertigo inducing vantage of the highway directly below. On the way back, I found a disturbing message in the woods. then we spent the rest of the last day of our vacation at Amber’s favorite place, Sand Harbor, where we enjoyed the beach and also did some kayaking.

ON PEAK NAMES
The original Washoe name of Cave Rock is De’ek wadapush or Standing Grey Rock

FURTHER READING
• Washoe Tribe sacred site information
• Tahoe South: "A short hike with beautiful views"
• Cave Rock on PEAKBAGGER

Angora Peak

DATE: Tuesday, September 29, 2020
DISTANCE: 6km / 3.76 miles
ELEVATION GAIN: 514m / 1687’
TIME TAKEN: 2:55
SUMMIT: Angora Peak: 2617m / 8586’
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
ELDORADO COUNTY, CA
STOLEN WASHOE LAND
SOUNDTRACK: Smoke Mountain


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...CONTINUED: Yesterday's Hike: D.L. Bliss State Park

I was awake in the Angora Lakes parking lot at 7:30AM, shortly after sunrise, Amber still asleep in the van. In order to satisfy my lust for elevation gain, I set out solo to ascend Angora Peak. I quickly saw, to my dismay, that the wildfire smoke had returned to the Tahoe Basin during the night. I walked part of the way up the dirt road towards Angora Lake, then turned due north, following what looked like a use trail going up to the peak. The trail came and went, and ultimately trying to follow it didn’t really matter. I tried to follow the shoulder of the ridge, it was steep, more rocky than brushy. As I gained elevation I could see how much smoke had poured in, obscuring the views. I burned my knees on the steep scree, and was happy to get to the giant granite boulders close to the summit. I had a look down at Angora Lakes, which appeared equal in size, like two eyes in the trees.

After that, pushed up the boulders to reach a false summit, but I could see the real one now, a few hundred feet away. More scrambling. I tried to focus on the joy of the granite instead of the disappointment of the hazy air. The top of Angora Peak was pretty much a big pile of rocks, and hidden amongst them was an ammo box summit register / geo cache. The smoke seemed to be getting worse as I surveyed the area from the top. I originally had planned to do a loop including Indian Rock and Echo Peak, but the smoke was a buzzkill, and I decided to return to the parking lot. I took a slightly different route on the descent, just to the north, not quite as steep, again finding patches of a use trail that came and went. I was back at the van by 9:30AM, and Amber was just waking up. We went on to spend the rest of the day lounging by Upper Angora Lake, enjoying our holiday. Later on, we observed some extreme cliff jumping occurring across the water!

FURTHER READING
• Lake Tahoe Getaways: Angora Lakes
• Angora Peak on PEAKBAGGER