TR: Rafferty Ridge loop 9/23-24

[generalelectrix]

The title of this post would have been "Russell Pass loop 9/23-26" but we were turned back after one day by a combination of mediocre air quality and some disagreeable new footwear (turns out the Bushido II is not the right shoe for my hiking partner). The plan for this trip was to start with a Nelson Lake xcountry entry permit, hike to Elizabeth Lake, then ascend to the ridge just below Johnson Peak, and traverse all of Rafferty Ridge via Rafferty Peak, Peak 11357, and Peak 10787. Day 2 would finish out the ridge, drop to Babcock Lake, then hike the Merced Canyon bench trail to the Lyell Fork Merced, then ascend Hutchings Creek and camp somewhere. Day 3 cross Russell Pass, head N to the saddle SW of Amelia Earhart Peak, drop to Ireland Lake, and exit via the long ridge directly north of that.

Well, we didn't exactly get to do most of that, but the Rafferty Ridge traverse was spectacular and we had excellent visibility for that one day, and our bail-out route back along the foot of Rafferty Ridge and the long shoulder below Johnson Peak turned out to be surprisingly satisfying.

We headed out mid-day Wednesday, grabbed our permit at Big Oak Flat, and got in a nice satisfying two-hour scramble on the ridgelines above Olmstead Point at sunset. We found this particularly beautiful tree growing on bare slickrock below the prow of the high ridge just to the NW of Olmstead:

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We headed out to Lee Vining for some dinner and a night of quiet dispersed camping at Mono Lake (after the rude surprise of Tuolumne Meadows campground/backpacker camp closing for basically forever a few days earlier).

After a 6AM alarm and a surprisingly satisfying breakfast burrito at the Lee Vining gas station, we headed back up to Tuolumne and were hiking by 8. The two miles to Elizabeth Lake went by in a flash, and we left the Nelson Lake use trail and headed up the creek to the small lakes below Johnson Peak. Easy walking and nice views of the mountains North of TM.

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We continued up to the shoulder of Peak 11105, and dropped to the saddle above Reymann Lake via a veritable maze of krummholz Whitebark and 6-8 foot ledges.

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We crossed the saddle and directly ascended the N ridge to about 10800', contoured to the E ridge, and finished the rest of the boring talus grind to the boulder pile summit of Rafferty, made significantly less boring by the spectacular view to the east, and the equally spectacular view to the west from the peak.

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The S ridge of Rafferty is a fun thicket of tiny krummholz. From here we got our first good view of the ridgeline to the turreted summit of Peak 11357, with a surprise giant tooth of granite partway along the ridge.

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The final approach to 11357 is really cool, with a long slope leading all the way up and tapering down to a gap between two of the turrets. Epic views of Matthes Crest and the other central Cathedrals, and the freestanding turrets that make up the peak are very cool.

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Unfortunately, the next section of ridge looked rather class 4/5, with a tall headwall and relatively jagged spine. We had to make an unelegant bypass by dropping into a small basin on the W side of the saddle and ascending a crappy, loose, but not too steep chute. While contouring in this basin I still managed to end up too high on an exposed granite slope for no good reason, freaking out and hoping I didn't slip and slide.

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From Peak 10787, we dropped down to the small lake above Emeric Lake and camped for the night. This is our second time camping at this beautiful well-sheltered little lake and it was just as great the second time, with a perfect mirror reflection greeting us in the morning.

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Has anyone else noticed that Emeric Lake, particularly when seen from the ridge above it, is not only comically phallic but also has anatomically correct inflow and outflow?

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At this point my partner had two matching enormous blisters on each instep from the edge of the insoles of their shoes stabbing them in the bottom of each foot, and the smoke had moved back in, with the Merced River canyon looking particularly full of smoke. We decided to try to finish out the rest of the ridge and then probably bail. It didn't take us long to be turned back by a ~15' class 3 downclimb not far to the south. At this point we plotted a bail-out route that stayed high and cross-country. We dropped off the ridgeline above Lake 9637 to the creek that feeds Emeric Lake (this goes directly instead of having to wrap around on the high, sandy shoulder of Peak 10787 at roughly 10080'), working our way back along the foot of the ridge at treeline, passing the large meadows below Peak 11357, then climbing up to the saddle NW of the small peaks above Boothe Lake. We ascended to the little shoulder on the NE ridge of Rafferty Peak at ~10500', then dropped down to the meadow to the N.

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We finished out the ridge through a series of meadows due N along a long shoulder below Johnson Peak. These meadows formed a little wonderland of gently undulating narrow granite hallways and would be really spectacular in late spring.

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The north end of the ridge has some rugged and convoluted pink granite slot canyons and fins dropping into a terminal meadow bowl wrapped by a final finger of the ridgeline. A very fun puzzle to descend.

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From here we dropped off the ridge and picked up the Elizabeth Creek trail and blasted the one mile back to the car in no time. By now I was pretty tired, had a headache and accompanying mild nausea, and my nose had been lightly burning all day from the smoke, so I was very glad to change into some comfy clothes and generally convalesce while my partner generously drove us all the way home.

[sekihiker]

Fun to read report and beautiful photos. Thanks for posting.

[Harlen]

Though from your photos it looks like you guys were in very beautiful country, and that your route was really interesting, we're sorry to hear the reality of your various suffering. I think your photography is fantastic with those panoramas, and your anthropomorphizing hilarious!

Has anyone else noticed that Emeric Lake, particularly when seen from the ridge above it, is not only comically phallic but also has anatomically correct inflow and outflow?

I'll bet you have already thought this out, but I'll mention my preference for taking along camp shoes which can double as trail shoes. A bit of extra weight, but if a pair of ultralight running shoes, crocs, tevas, or even a good pair of flip-flops can save a trip, aren't they worth their weight?
[Before someone scoff at flip-flops, I'll mention that they are the preferred foot gear of Nepali and Hindustani porters, who often carry loads of their own weight!]. The other way is to just use boots or trail shoes that you know work well for you. There is nothing worse than walking or skiing long, agonizing miles with faulty foot gear.

[druid]

That's a great juniper photo, they're one of my favorite trees. We passed close by lake 9637 on our recent trip and thought it looked like a good camping location, so it's nice to have that confirmed. And for some reason it's always a real treat to come across hallways/ramps/slots like the ones you show in your photos. It can't just be the small amount of climbing saved, so perhaps it's related to the joy I would feel of discovering a "secret passageway" when I was a child.

I'll bet you have already thought this out, but I'll mention my preference for taking along camp shoes which can double as trail shoes. A bit of extra weight, but if a pair of ultralight running shoes, crocs, tevas, or even a good pair of flip-flops can save a trip.

+1. Having a pair of camp/water shoes I could walk in saved my butt once when one of my Asolo boot soles delaminated completely 20+ miles from the trailhead. But I'll admit I'm far from being an UL hiker. I guess the trade off is a little more suffering each trip as insurance against a lot more suffering if disaster strikes. A choice everyone has to make for themselves.