Randomly, Summit Poster Biz, sent me an email and wanted to climb the North Ridge of Mount Conness. I must have been a little buzzed from some red wine when I sat down to reply. I was soon in the middle of changing jobs and packing for my 1st alpine climb. I had no idea what to bring so I just brought it all, climbing gear, camping gear and backpacking gear.
We left Sacramento at 9:00pm Friday September 19th, and reached Saddlebag lake campground after midnight. When we pulled into the parking lot and noticed a few people sleeping on the ground next to their vehicles and soon we did the same. Biz probably wanted to leave earlier, but we woke up with the sun. We organized a small lightweight rack for the day, consisting of a bunch of climbing gear (full set of Metolious ultra light cams, and a set of Black Diamond nuts complimented with lightweight slings and draws). I had some old green tea and set off toward the lake. We met a considerably large group near the dam, they were aiming for the normal route; it seemed it would be a crowded mountain. I didn't make it more than 10 minutes before throwing up all over the trail. Could it have been the old green tea I had for breakfast or something else? Click read more for the rest of the trip report
Posted by squishy on Thursday, October 09 @ 01:07:44 EDT (90 reads)
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Spicer Terraces Rock Climbing 2008
Action Report by Erykmynn
Climbing at Spicer Terraces
September 9, 2008
Bear Valley, Alpine County, CA
Saturday morning, Squishy, Amber and I headed up the Ebbet's Pass Scenic Byway to one of our new favorite spots, Spicer Terraces, for a little crack climbing fun. Amber and I were especially excited since we had been sick the last week and done little to no climbing since our trip. Squishy also hadn't been out much lately since his scrambling trip on Middle Palisade (the trip report even made the Summitpost front page!). Click read more for the rest of the trip report.
New Spicer Meadow Reservoir
Posted by squishy on Wednesday, September 17 @ 17:05:50 EDT (153 reads)
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Middle Palisade 2008
From Aug 6th to 11th Hiking-n-stuff embarked on an epic journey to the east side of the high Serra to climb one of California’s 14ers; Middle Palisade, at 14,012 feet, is the highest several members of the group have ever been. On Wednesday August 6th we drove over Monitor pass and down highway 395, to the famous Whoa Nellie Deli for lunch and some mango margaritas. We stopped in Bishop to pick up our permits and turned onto Glacier Lodge Road in Big Pine. The latecomers from the Bay Area contacted us via radio and we were all in camp by 10pm. We grabbed a nice car camping site next to a small creek filled with brook trout, and a camp fire and some wine rounded out a surprisingly relaxing day.
The next morning on Thursday August 7th, we packed up our gear and began the approach to our base camp near the mountain. At the end of Glacier Lodge Road we took the South Fork of the Big Pine Creek into the John Muir Wilderness toward Brainerd Lake. Leaving the trail at a shallow unnamed lake we ventured up to Finger Lake, our home for the next few days. We found a well used campsite above the lake, and the old Middle Palisade Summit register on the ground. It was dated 1934 from the Serra club, most likely bought down and replaced when its lid broke. Some left over thunder storms from the days before sprinkled on us in the evening, and the wind picked up during the night. Click read more for the rest of the trip report.
Posted by squishy on Tuesday, August 26 @ 11:22:08 EDT (144 reads)
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Pyramid Peak 2008
On Aug 1st 2008 I did my 1st solo adventure and summited Pyramid Peak (9,983 feet) via the Rocky Canyon Creek route. I took 4 liters of water a sandwich and my backpacking gear, it must have weighted about 35lb's. I had the entire summit to myself and I only ran into people lower down the trail who where coming up for day hikes as I was leaving. The Rocky Canyon route up Pyramid Peak is probably the greatest vertical climb in the Tahoe Sierra. Starting from a base elevation of 5,900', the route climbs up nearly 4,100' to the summit of Pyramid Peak in 3.3 miles. I have done this route in the summer and winter and I was confident it would offer a challenging yet safe solo adventure. In just a few days I plan to summit the Middle Palisade and I have been preparing for 14,000 feet. I've been running every other day, hiking, climbing and I figured the best way to acclimate to higher elevations is by going to higher elevations. On a whim I planned to spend the night on top of Pyramid Peak and because it was a Friday (I had to work Sunday) I would need to go solo, all my partners would be working, and I'm kind of glad. I always wanted to go solo, I guess I just never put my money where my mouth is and stepped into the unknown. It was a wonderful experience, and I'm glad I went through with it. Click read more for the rest of the trip report.
Posted by squishy on Tuesday, August 05 @ 20:59:06 EDT (127 reads)
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Yosemite Valley 2008
On June 7th 2008, Lis and I visited Yosemite again like we do every spring. We decided to brave the crowds of the Valley this year and explore some new areas. Lis had been sick just days before and was still recovering during the trip so some of our hiking plans were cut short. We did get a chance to venture up the upper Yosemite Falls trail, a beautiful trail that goes straight up the valley walls following a ravine all the way to the top. Yosemite Falls is the fourth highest waterfall in North America, but arguably the most dramatic. We stopped short of the top and took some great pictures of the upper falls, the normal crowds of the valley were in full force and we made every attempt to avoid them.
We found a great secluded spot on the Merced River for a bottle of wine below Half Dome, the old campgrounds and closed areas were perfect for avoiding the hordes of day trippers and tour buses. Lis has never been to Glacier Point so on our way home we made a side trip up there, Monday morning was a great time to stop at some of the normally crowded locations and vista points such as the classic tunnel view. Check out the new gallery, we took some beautiful pictures. This is obviously a place that needs to be seen in person to appreciate the scale. Everyone should make an attempt to visit Yosemite Valley during their lifetime. Obviously weekdays are much more enjoyable, but don’t shy away from the busy springtime season, the waterfalls flowing in full force are worth the hassle.
Posted by squishy on Thursday, June 12 @ 13:49:35 EDT (146 reads)
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Crescent Moon Couloir 2008 (video)
Posted by squishy on Friday, May 16 @ 19:29:33 EDT (172 reads)
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Machete Ridge traverse (Old Original) 2008
by A_requiem
The weather at Pinnacles National Monument over President's Day Weekend (Feb 16-18, 2008) was clear and dry and almost too warm in the sun; the nights were chilly, with frost in the morning and ice in the water bottles when we woke up on Sunday. Monday morning there was fog through the campsite until the sun rose over the ridge to chase it away. The climbing at Discovery Wall, the most popular climbing area at Pinnacles due to its proximity to parking and concentration of good routes with (relatively) solid rock, was a bit crowded but the local climbers were quite friendly and open with their beta. Machete Ridge was an adventure and a trial of our mountaineering skills: elusive, quiet, airy, and quick to turn dark and unforgiving. A short hike to the Overlook afforded us views of Hawkins Peak and the High Peaks, which we relished over lunch before heading home. Click Read More on the bottom for a complete and very detailed trip report.
Posted by squishy on Tuesday, March 11 @ 14:32:14 EDT (264 reads)
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Mt St Helena Climbing 2008
by Squishy
During the winter we visited Mount St. Helena twice for some top rope rock climbing. We climbed the quarry area, site of the old Silverado mine from the 1880’s and another out of the way area called “the far side”. The 2 mile approach to the far side was short and it was a nice day to relax, climb and enjoy the great views. The quarry area was a tourist trap with passing groups stopping to check out the mine which is close to the main summit trail. Mount St. Helena becomes way too hot in the summer, but it’s a perfect place to play in the winter time.
Posted by squishy on Tuesday, March 11 @ 14:31:22 EDT (246 reads)
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Big Sur 2008
by Squishy
In January Lis and I made it out to Big Sur for a weekend of hiking and exploring. Big Sur is about 120 miles south of San Francisco, where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the sea. We visited several waterfalls including one that drops right into the ocean, but the wildlife was the highlight of the trip. We spotted the California condor, deer, turkey, sea otter, seals, many birds and even migrating grey whales. We met two very nice rangers at the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and they told us about the whale watching spot on hwy 1. They provided binoculars and a wealth of information, Lis was spotting whale spouts in the ocean for the remainder of the weekend. We spent dusk on Pfeiffer state beach with a bottle of California red wine while reading excerpts from Jack Kerouac’s “Big Sur”. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was especially beautiful with redwoods, waterfalls and beaches all within close proximity. We also visited Point Lobos State Reserve on the way back to Sacramento, with its crowed trails and beautiful coast. I took some great pictures from Monterey to Big Sur, here's some sleepy seals. Big Sur has so much to offer I wish we had a few more days for longer excursions; this would be an awesome place to do some backpacking.
Posted by squishy on Tuesday, March 11 @ 14:02:02 EDT (219 reads)
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Fall Rock Climbing 2007
by squishy
This fall the crew has been out climbing instead of just hiking, we are still very new to climbing but are gaining valuable experience whenever we can. A_requiem pioneered a new route near Horsetail Falls which he named "baby steps" and we also broke in a bunch of new climbing gear. We again visited the Cosumnes River Gorge, and everyone learned to rappel and belay, no nude people in sight still. The snow has begun to fall and we are preparing to take it on instead of just sitting around all winter. I compiled a picture gallery consisting of four separate climbing trips, here's a link to the gallery.
