The Eastern Sierra Nevada is perhaps the most beautiful and inspiring mountain range in the whole world. The views from US-395 anywhere between Lone Pine and Mammoth Lakes are second to none. When deciding where to go for a week-long adventure in September, this was an easy choice.
An evening on Crystal Crag
After jumping into Horseshoe lake, we and our LA based friends charged up to Crystal Crag to celebrate the start of the adventure. Upon reaching the “crystal corridor” at the top, the last light of the day turned the quartz orange. The view over the Mammoth Lakes basin was sublime.
Cardinal Pinnacle
After a restful night among the pines, we drove south to Bishop. Near lake Sabrina, Cardinal pinnacle stands just 100 yards from the road. The West Face (5.10a) of the route is an absolute classic; the views from the pinnacle are amazing!
After whetting our climbing appetites, we congregated on Matt’s deck* and snacked hard. We had just enough light left afterward to jump into Lake Sabrina to rinse off the day’s dust.
Cragging at Pine Creek
The original plan was to get deep in the alpine, either at Temple Crag, Whitney, or perhaps even the minarets. But with rain consistently in the forecast, we opted to crag at Pine Creek canyon instead. The adventure junkie in all of us wanted to just go for it, but I think we were all glad when reason won out. The highlight was definitely Sheila (5.10b) – a ridiculously aesthetic dihedral that draws the eye immediately. It almost didn’t happen! Intermittent rain made the granite slick, turning even easy climbs into challenging problems. I had basically given up and we were thinking about leaving when I realized that it hadn’t rained in about 15 minutes and the rock was drying out. I racked up hastily and started up the corner. After 70m of adrenaline, I was at the ledge, happy as a clam – a birthday gift to myself! Even with a little rain to make things challenging, the send train continued and everyone got a turn climbing the route
The summit before the storm – Mt Emerson
With a storm for sure happening in the afternoon, we got up early to summit Mt Emerson. After the fun 5.4 chimney to start us off, we packed up the rope and solo’d the rest. What an amazing climb! The scrambling is clean and fun, and once you gain the ridge, the views are absolutely amazing. Thoughtful traverses along the ridge spires led us to the summit, where we enjoyed our lunch before getting off of the mountain.
As we reached the trail at the bottom of the climb, it started raining. But the weather was still good enough for a quick dip in the lake! We were all smiles as we hiked back, and we drove straight to the hot springs! To spend an evening at Hilltop hotspring with great friends is to spend an evening in heaven…
Rest day at the beach
With the weather settling in, and tired from four days of constant fun, we took a rest day at Convict lake. We recharged by reading, swimming, slacklining, painting, and just chillin’. We did have to hide under a tarp periodically to stay dry…
Until next time…
With more weather in the forecast, we made our way over Tioga pass to the magical land of Tuolomne. As soon as you leave the Eastern Sierra, you want to go back! We’ll be back for more adventures when the pass opens in the summer!
