TR: "big" slide, little slide, and northern yosemite (10/17-19, 2020)

[Wandering Daisy]

You probably missed Bath Mountain because you cannot see all of it until you get down to Big Meadow Creek. Yes, "Big Slide" has a "Big Meadow" and a "Big Meadow Creek" I went up Big Meadow Creek and camped at timber line since Big Meadow was very wet and had hordes of mosquitoes. Then I intersected the PCT and came up Matterhorn Canyon and back on Burro Pass. Lots of interesting loops to do from Twin Lakes.

And after looking at the HST map, the lake with ice is Rock Island Lake.

[dougieb]

I did almost this same trip on July 4, 2020 weekend before the fires took over. Difference was, we added an out and back to Doe/Talluhla Lake area, and on the way up slide canyon we left via Mule Pass instead of little slide canyon. Beautiful area. I don't think everyone would be comfortable with the off trail sections between Rock Island Lake and Slide Canyon (some members of the party I was leading were scared), but those that can make it will enjoy it. Beautiful area.

[TehipiteTom]

Great report and photos! I did almost exactly the same trip in 2010, though I took one more day to do it. Loved both Little and Big Slide Canyons, and Rock Island Lake has a really unique kind of beauty.

[SSSdave]

The below is what is at the hanging valley knee in the next side canyon to the crest to the east on the other side of the Incredible Hulk ridge with metamorphic geology of Victoria Peak in the distance. Difficult fall color bushwhack. That colorful mid October slope is visible from the Upper Twin Lakes Road pull-outs.

[frozenintime]

I did almost this same trip on July 4, 2020 weekend before the fires took over. Difference was, we added an out and back to Doe/Talluhla Lake area, and on the way up slide canyon we left via Mule Pass instead of little slide canyon. Beautiful area. I don't think everyone would be comfortable with the off trail sections between Rock Island Lake and Slide Canyon (some members of the party I was leading were scared), but those that can make it will enjoy it. Beautiful area.

that's interesting. i wonder if we took slightly different routes between slide and rock island? i am not a fan of exposure and the most difficulty i remember was that the slabs out of slide were unrelentingly steep on my calves, but not exposed or potentially dangerous. later we contoured north around the little bowl between crazy mule gulch and rock island, though there were perhaps more direct routes that would've involved steeper scrambling and such.

[dougieb]

I just checked your map and we went farther south before we cut from Rock Island down to Crazy Mule Gulch. Sounds like you may have found an easier way. It was fine for me but I took some folks who were new out there and they didn't quite know what they were getting into. Haha all's well that ends well!

[erutan]

I've done a number of trips in that area in summers past, all the north/south canyons in that area worth checking out IMO. Spiller is straightforward (and is great for the non-technical ascent of Matternhorn) and there's a couple easy ways into Thompson as well. I've never had significant snow in little slide, but I did it back in 13/14 iirc.

I went through the slide my first time - second time I stumbled across the use trail and it was an easier if less interesting time. I was eyeing that route from suicide ridge, good to know it's straightforward. I've come into "big slide" once up Piute Creek from Benson (bushwhacky and boulder hoppy) and twice doing a loop from Smedberg > Sister > Tallulah > Doe which is a really pleasant route.