Howdy All
After two failed attempts to climb the north chutes (weather and equipment issues), Sally and I headed up again yesterday hoping that the third time would be the charm. A friend had gone up Sunday and gave us excellent beta on his route and snow conditions.
Once at Southfork meadows, we took the trail to Dry Lake. From there, we went XC up to the base of one of the left chutes. After donning crampons, ice-axes and helmets, we followed our friend's track up.
As we ascended, the route became steeper and our friend's tracks were less distinct. A bit below 11 K, I took a short break and looked down.
Started climbing again. It wasn't long before I needed another break. Every time I looked directly up, I saw a snow covered ridge that didn't seem to be getting any closer In the picture below, I'm looking left at the San Gorgonio backbone.
I finally popped out on the ridge.
Sally arrived a few minutes later and we made our way over to the peak.
We enjoyed lunch and views from the summit.
We didn't feel comfortable glissading, so we hiked back down the chute. I don't think we down-climbed any faster than when we went up When we started breaking through the snow, we took off our crampons and booted it down. I enjoyed looking back at the beautiful wilderness.
Miles of smiles,
Ellen