Into the Heart of the Sierras

In the middle of August 2008, my son Russell and I travelled through the best scenery and terrain the Sierra Nevada mountain range had to offer.  We did a loop trip outside of Bishop, CA from North Lake to South Lake, going out over Piute Pass and back over Bishop Pass.  We traveled through Darwin Canyon, Evolution Valley and Dusy Basin along the way.

We were joined on the first two days of our five day trip by John "JB" Burnstrom, my uncle, who set a wonderful, joyous tone to the journey.

Along the way, as you will see, there were incredible sights: big mountains, blue sky, clear water, colorful trout, green meadows, and lots and lots of rocks.  

The trip was one for the books, a perfect journey in a perfect setting.  We were indeed fortuante to spend time in the mountains John Muir called the "Range of Light."

We started at North Lake, bound for Piute Pass.

Los Tres Amigos at the start

With his earphones on and the iPod at full blast, Russ shot ahead on the trail. When we finally caught up to him 2 hours later, we took a short lunch break at a place hidden out of the wind.

JB about a mile and half away from Piute Pass, the low point in the horizon.  That old Kelty pack just keeps on trucking, as does JB.

After the pass, we cut cross-country over to Muriel Lake.  It was incredibly windy, but not that cold.

JB, with cocktail, and Mt. Humphries in the background.

The next day, when the wind died down, Russ and I had a great afternoon fishing in Muriel.  We caught these Rainbow trout and ate them for dinner.  

JB hanging out at the campsite.

Toasting our last night together.  JB showed us how to enjoy the backcountry "old school" style.

Alpenglow on the peaks behind Muriel Lake.

Yo, Russ, what's with the shades? Are you a movie star?

The next day JB went back to Bishop back over Piute Pass. Russ and I headed out cross-country over Alpine Col, a rarely taken short cut to Darwin Canyon and Evolution Valley.  This is the lake just north of Alpine Col.  The going got really rough after here, with lots of tricky boulder hopping.

The last few yards before topping out at 12,000' Alpine Col.  Russ was a real trooper, doing battle with the boulders like a rabid marmot.

Lawrence of Arabia, I'm not.  But it sure felt good to get to the top of that thing.

The view on the other side of Alpine Col.  This is an unnamed lake that guards the entrance into Darwin Canyon.

Skirting around the far side of the lake, finally free of the swarm of mosquitoes we encountered there, the terrain started to open up.  We were pretty beat at this point, but still had a mile or two to go to Darwin Canyon.

Entering the Shangra-La of Darwin Canyon.  We found an incredibly scenic and little-used platform for our camp, and saw nobody else.  In staying there, one gets the impression the canyon has been almost untouched for hundreds of years.

The next day we descended lower Darwin Canyon to the Evolution Canyon area.  The peaks in the background are on the western edge of EC.  The weather remained perfect.  We knew we would run into lots of people on the John Muir Trail through Evolution, so we savored our last few minutes in Darwin.

Lunch stop in Evolution Canyon.  The area is characterized by gentle elevation gain, a string of crystal lakes, and stunning scenery.

Guarding the southern end of Evolution Canyon is 12,000' Muir Pass.  This hut was constructed by the Sierra Club for shelter during storms while crossing the pass. 

Loving it!

The plaque inside the Muir Pass hut.

After Muir Pass, we motored for quite a while.  When we got to Big Pete Meadow we were lucky enough to find a great campsite near a little lake and waterfall.  

Hey Russ, is that rum in your cup?

Incredible granite walls towered over us as we descended into LeConte Canyon the next day.

When we reached the Bishop Pass turnoff in LeConte Canyon, we started the long, hot hike up and out of there.  There was at least 2000' elevation gain into lower Dusy Basin.  Up and up we went, and were eventually rewarded with this view of LeConte canyon the the King's Canyon divide in the distance:

A tired warrior rests after a long climb.  

We again found great camping in upper Dusy Basin.  I was surprised at the lack of running water there, but I guess it was getting late in the season.

Alpenglow on North Palisade from Dusy Basin.

"Welcome to the Hotel Dusy Basin....such a lovely place..."

The next morning, our last pass.  The sign says it all.

At the top of Bishop Pass.

Heading down off of Bishop Pass, toward South Lake.

Back at the truck at South Lake.  What a great feeling to have completed such a fantastic trip in good style.

Can you say Carl's Jr. Six-Dollar Guacamole Burger????

I was fortunate to have two great traveling companions: JB and Russ.  To traverse such incredible terrain with two of my favorite people, three generations in all, was quite humbling for me.  I hope Russ will take his son there someday as well.  They can push me in my wheelchair!

The Ruth Gorge 2008

The Ruth Gorge 2008

There are some things in life that just are.

For alpinists, it means climbing in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska.  The legendary routes there inflame the imagination of all climbers.  Within its confines scores of alpinists over generations have tested their mettle, re-defined their perception of commitment and found deeper meaning toward life in general.

In May 2008 Jeff McCarthy and I found out what it was all about.   We went to the Ruth Gorge on a small, humble expedition.  We were searching for adventure, fun and great climbing.  We came back with that, and more.  The Ruth gave us a new viewpoint.  One that included trust between friends, a look deep inside the void, and a joyous appreciation of this thing we call life on earth.

The Talkeetna Air Taxi bunkhouse.  Luckily we got a flight out the day we arrived and didn't have to spend the night there.

Psyched!  Jeff with the world's biggest shit-eating grin before takeoff.

Our basecamp at the Mountain House.  It's great to be back in the mountains!

The Mountain House.  A few parties came and went while we were there, but by and large, it was pretty deserted.

Day 2, a bluebird day in the Ruth.  Getting ready for an attempt on Mt. Dan Beard, right across the glacier from the Mountain House.

Low on the route on Mt. Dan Beard.  Swinging tools never felt so good. The ice wasn't great, but we made do with a solid piece at least every 60 meters! 

Jeff following the traverse over the Mt. Dan Beard col, with big air below.  This wasn't so bad, only very run-out.

The last bit before the col camp.  The scale of the place is truly amazing. 

Jeff in the Bibler at the "gravesite," a trench we dug out in deep snow that kept filling up with spindrift.  At least we were out of the direct wind.  It was cloudy and snowing off and on, not promising for a summit attempt the next day.

It snowed about 4 inches that night, the clouds and wind were increasing, and we decided to bail.  The decent was tricky, with steep, insecure terrain and crappy anchors.  At least we had each other.

Basecamp after the storm.  Anyone have a shovel?

Enjoying the time-honored tradition of hunkering down in the tent.  "The Pillars of the Earth" hit the spot with adventure, violence, and sex.

Getting ready to head up the glacier to Peak 11,300, our next objective.

The north face of Mt. Huntington.  When God invented mountains, this is what he had in mind.  A truly impressive sight.

The southwest ridge of Peak 11,300.  It doesn't look like much here, but is packed with over 4,500 vertical feet of awesome alpine climbing. 

Scoping out the ridge from camp at the base of 11,300.    

Low in the route, starting the first 5.8 rock step.  This part is usually mixed climbing, but we found clean, dry granite.

Higher up the route, Jeff leading another steep rock section.  The granite was beautifully blond and solid, making for rapid progress.  The weather was overcast, but holding.

The "Thin Man's Squeeze," a cool feature just before the first col.  Who the hell first found this thing, anyway?

We kept cruising up "mixed moderate terrain" into the mist.  This is a short 5.8 section below the Grey Rock.

2 PM, brewing up at the Grey Rock bivi site.  Since we were going well, we decided to gun for the top.

More mixed moderate terrain. Heading up toward the Second Col.

Heading out of the Second Col.  It was here our close call occurred.  As you can see, the weather is cloudy, but not too bad.  We're about 3,000' up the route, with several tricky spots and the steep summit snowfields to go.

The top.  2 AM, zero degees.  We were in the tent and brewing up within twenty minutes.  What a day.

Jeff, showing the effects of a hard day.

 

Doug, looking even worse.

The descent.  Iconic scenery and no piece of cake. It took 10 hours and all of our skill and attention to get down.

Herr Professor Doktor Jeffery McCarthy, safely down on the glacier.

Saddle up and move 'em out!  We mushed down the glacier back to the Mountain House for our pick-up.

How to put such a trip into words?  You really can't.  It can only be lived, with the only tangible residues being fragments of memories and a few pictures that don't do it justice.  I've done my best to share it; now it' your turn.