mount conness east ridge

However this descent was far less preferable to simply returning down the East Buttress. Dayhike to Mt Conness. Conness - East Ridge Route Trailhead: Sawmill Campground - marked Distance: 9 miles – up and back Elevation gain: 2,900 feet Elevation peak: 12,590 feet Time: 6 to 8 hours Difficulty: 4 Danger level: 3 Class: 3 – a few spots How easy to follow: 3 Children: No Map: See Page 6 Fees/Permits: None Waypoints (WGS 84): See Page 5 The climbing is enjoyable, clean and generally quite easy even for a 5.6. After roughly 1.2 miles of easy hiking, I crossed by the Carnegie Institute Experimental Station, marked by a sign and a very decrepit cabin. I quietly crept out of camp at 3am, unable to sleep any longer for excitement. Its standard class III climbing with a mercifully minimal amount of scree and boulder fields. Once I got below 10,800', I found a flat section and picked up a great use-trail that returned me to the Sawmill Campsite. Being the highest peak in the area, the view was unobstructed in all directions. That said, there were some amazing sections of exposure climbing along the upper ridge. Of course, its essentially unavoidable if climbing White Peak. PhotoDescr: Mt. A crude but solid crossing was constructed over the creek. My heart dropped a few times with some of the exposed sections. I scrambled my way up a mix of vegetation and rocks to the notch in the photo above. The crux of the route involves the final climb up the East Ridgeline. Next morning I started from Saddlebag Lake around daybreak and made my way towards the tarn east of Alpine Lake and the east ridge of Conness. Armed with a favorable snow report from the guys at telemarktips.com, I made plans to head back to the backcountry skiing mecca of Tioga Pass -- specifically, to climb Mount Conness and ski the chutes and bowls on its east ridge. Routes in Mt. Parents refers to a larger category under which an object falls. Again, I ditched the ridgeline descent, finding a far better route which kept the ridgeline about 100 feet above me until returning to the notch. Some people say they prefer the North Ridge of Conness, but I can't speak to that yet, since I haven't done it. Descend the East Ridge back to the cars. Learn how your comment data is processed. There are multiple routes along the south side of the East Ridge with some class 2 routes lower on the ridge and a class 3 route higher up but still below the actual crest. If I did it again, I would stick with an out-and-back climb of the East Buttress. Conness is perhaps the best moderate alpine climb in Tuolumne. It's more of a scramble most of the way and probably more enjoyable in sneakers than in climbing shoes. You scarcely read of a miserable trip report up Mt Conness. Follow either of these until you get to the "notch in the east ridge" which affords excellent views of the Conness Glacier to the north. Scrambling up through the 5th class sections ju… 2. Its standard class III climbing with a mercifully minimal amount of scree and boulder fields. White Peak's summit was interesting- there's a yogurt container that serves as a register. From the base or summit of the East Buttress, your immediate objective is the ridge junction heading west on the East Ridge which leads to the summit plateau. A few inconsistent cairns marked the way. Mount Conness via the North Ridge. You can also summit the East Buttress by taking a class 2 route up to the ridge crest just west of the buttress and then hiking up the back side (good descent route). The consensus is that it's very exposed but straightforward climbing. September 4, 2010. However I was never far from a good handhold or foot hold. Peaks: Mt Conness, Tresidder Peak (sorted/filed as Conness, Tresidder) ; Place: California Dee and I decided to spend part of our Labor Day weekend climbing alpine routes in the Tuolumne. Description Itinerary ... We continue past small lakes and tarns, steadily climbing towards a pass between Mt Conness and North Peak. Posing with the awe-inspiring ridge traverse of… 2. Mt Conness' imposing cliffs have several high-altitude alpine climbing routes that I hope to ascend some day. After a successful but grueling climb of Middle Palisade, I still wanted to bag a few more before the passes close. Located in Yosemite National Park and Hoover Wilderness. From the western end of Alpine Lake look northeast for the ridge notch and hike up to it. I don't know what possessed me to climb White Peak but that summit was more forgettable (It doesn't really appear on any major peakbagging lists). Alpenglow on the approach. Given this was my first foray into this part of Yosemite, I settled on climbing the easiest and most traditional route- the East Ridge/East Buttress. Everyone who's climbed Mt Conness remarks about this final section. Descend to the start of the West Ridge. Descent via class 2/3 East Ridge Trip Report GPS Track It takes about a full day to summit. Though not a 13er like Mt Lyell (the tallest), its more isolated and sports some incredible high altitude routes. ;-) After drying my eyes, I quickly made haste to Mt Conness by following the North Ridge proper. Drove up to Tioga Pass and out of Yosemite NP powering down some fruit and the coffee I'd brewed the night prior, still hot in the thermos. Usually climbers camp near Tioga Pass and begin the climb at dawn. Nobody had signed the register in almost 2 months! (30), Climber's Log Entries Frank and Stella get ready to go. The summit can be reached by a number of technical and non-technical routes, from the Class 2 S Slopes (from the E) to the classic 10c Harding Route (SW Face). Before me lay the final summit block of Mt Conness and several famous features. It is a prominent peak on the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park, whose vertical southwest wall (one of the best spots for big wall climbing in the Tuolumne Meadows area) is visible from many points on Tioga Pass Road (Hwy-120). We were at Alpine Lake at 9:49 and went up the slabs toward the East Ridge of Mount Conness. Mt Conness East Ridge/Buttress Route Overview By most accounts, the East Ridge/Buttress is the shortest route up Mt Conness. Ascend the trail to a pass on the way to the East Ridge of Conness. I found a better route down. and Eric K. Aug 27, 2011 . As expected, all of the campgrounds were full, so we just found a dirt spot 100 feet off the road and deployed the roof tent. Brett scrabbling up the NOrth Ridge 3. I took the path of least resistance involving a steep but clear route up to the next flat "bench" at about 11,800' -. "One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." I was glad I brought traction for my boots and an ice axe. The Pursuit of Life is an outdoor adventure blog that’s dedicated towards providing guides on a variety of outdoor activities and wild places in the United States and Canada. Bill walks on the well-worn use trail. However, I hit an ice field or unnammed glacier. The route was fantastic, class III climbing with incredible exposure but good quality rock. The route up White Peak clearly received less traffic than anything up Mt Conness. The West Ridge of Mt. I used a combination of scrambling and hiking poles without much trouble. Mount Conness 12589′ ... We quickly lost the trail, but the cross country was fairly easy, and we cut beneath the East Ridge of Conness, trying not to lose too much elevation in the process. All things considered, Mt Conness and the East Buttress were exceptional. Mt Conness, at 12,589', is one of Yosemite's tallest mountains. Mt Conness (Glacier Route) 30 Jun 2002 - by Richard Steele. (10), the ridge junction heading west on the East Ridge. Follow the obvious trail/road through the campgrounds, past the Carnegie Institute storage shed, and up to the foot of the East Buttress*. Please let me know if there is one :-). Mount Conness 12,590′, North Peak 12,242′ and White Mountain 12,057′ Rock Climbing- Sierra Nevada Total Time: 10:20 Distance: 12.6 miles Elevation Gain: 5200′ Crux: Class 5.… I followed the trail through the campground and easily picked up the use trail that heads towards Lee Vining Creek. Protection if you plan on roping up for the whole climb, just bring a regular rack...Most of the climb can be soloed or simul-climbed at easy albeit moderate 5th class high country climbing. Climbers using the Alpine Lake route can join the East Ridge at this point. West Ridge of Mt. By most accounts, the East Ridge/Buttress is the shortest route up Mt Conness. This required some careful down-climbing and traversing on exposed Class 3 rock. It was a 40 minute climb for me. Here's some more photos-, At about 11,100', there's a nice, flat section and the main ridgeline becomes visible. Rope up and climb mostly using simul-climbing with a few pitches of belayed climbing and possibly even some soloing up approximately 1,500' to the 12,950' summit of Mt. 3:20. However, once on the ridgeline, at around 11,800', the route was perfectly clear. Credit: rhyang. So, for all two dozen people who climb Mt Conness in a given year, hope this report helps! As we near the pass the route steepens and becomes loose and sandy. Conness. With plenty daylight, I began an alternative descent with intention of climbing White Peak, to the South. The first few hundred feet were fairly standard Class III down climbing. I retraced by steps down the thread of rocks and back to the large bowl below the main summit. In fact, the ridge-line is so narrow, its nearly impossible to drift off course unless exposed and un-roped Class V climbing is your thing. Route finding wasn't problematic for me but other accounts say differently. Sawmill Campground is a walk-in campground that extends nearly 1/2 a mile along a well-established dirt trail. We wanted to get an early start to make sure we were off the summit before the forecasted thunderstorms hit. 2021 Dates. Mount Conness is a 7.4 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Lee Vining, California that features a lake and is rated as difficult. Hiking Into East Ridge Saddle On Mt Conness Beyond the weather station saddle, the east ridge becomes sharper and more dramatic. Highlight. The west face looked equally daunting and adventurous. From here you can climb the class 3 East Buttress itself for excellent views of North Peak and Mount Conness or skip the buttress by heading northwest to gain the East Ridge more gradually. --Bertrand Russell, Images It wasn't too bad- nothing greater than Class I-II scrambling initially. Other routes exist including the infamously scenic North and West Ridges. East Ridge Mount Conness, September 16, 2016 ; Return to Mammoth 2016 Blog. Conness (12,590 ft) from the east ridge, looking west across the Conness glacier; north eastern edge of Yosemite National Park, California. Conness via Sawmill Meadows, Alpine Lake, and the east ridge is a Class 2-3 scramble that can be done in a long day. Caption: View of the north face (left) and north ridge (center) of Mt. Conness 7. 1-2 Sep 2001 - by Rick Booth. However, it would be difficult to find the same path back on return without clear directions. If you look at the photo above, I preferred essentially taking the route that would run directly through the center of the photo. With the competition including Cathedral Peak and Matthes Crest, this says a lot. There's one section of particularly significant exposure, however the rock and route quality remain consistently good. I met Jim at his hotel in Lee Vining at 5am. Here's what it looks like-. As I was climbing up to the East Ridge, I had differing thoughts about the clear class III route in front of me. Then, there was my clear class III line to the summit-. Start from Sawmill Creek Campground on the way to Saddlebag Lake. Again, I went back and fourth whether I should do it. There seemed to be a lot of snow for this time of year, but generally we were able to avoid snow travel. However, towards the top I got stuck in an exposed and slick slope that made me feel quite uncomfortable. Peaks: Mt Conness (sorted/filed as Conness) ; Place: California Difficulty: glaciers, skis . It wasn’t long before a cold rain started, and I began to doubt our chances of success quite early. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. So, my final thoughts on Mt Conness via the east ridge: first and last thousand feet up loose scree sucks, but other than that, climbing and walking is good. This road to the parking lot unpaved but fairly good quality- I doubt most vehicles would have trouble. Of those 20, 7 of us packed into cars Saturday morning and headed towards Saddlebag Lake and Mount Conness. Daddy play day this year aptly came on Independence Day. At times, I really had to focus on what I was doing rather than take in the views. Conness. On the Sierra Nevada crestline, Mount Conness is the first high ridge at the head of the vast and low Tuolumne basin, a position that bears the brunt of winter snow storms. Hiking Las Vegas.com 1 Hike: Mt. It was only when I reached the saddle that a comfortable route appeared. Bill looks for the faint use trail leading into Hall Valley. 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