Center Basin, University Peak
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 3:25 pm
Desperate after being shut out by the weather the first 2 weekends of October, I was determined to get one last trip in. I decided to go over Kearsarge Pass and then head up to Center Basin. It was beautiful from the start, with snow left over from the past weeks, on the northern slopes.
The weather forecast looked good, so naturally it started snowing on me before I even got to Gilbert Lake. Although it was a Saturday, there was a mass exodus of people coming down the trail. When I reached Kearsarge Pass, I could see why, since the wind made for near blizzard conditions. But the snow wasn't sticking, so I figured that even if I was desperate, I wasn't crazy to continue. Once the snow stopped, it was quite beautiful, with intriguing views through the clouds and mist.
It was actually sunny for my lunch at Bullfrog Lake:
I was able to make it to Center Basin with only a few flurries. The weather turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since it suppressed the smoke (has there ever been a summer in the Sierra so full of smoke?), and it also resulted in my seeing not a soul for 2-1/2 days, which is absolutely remarkable for the Kearsarge area. Center Basin is really lovely -- I can't believe I've never visited it before, on my many treks up to Forester Pass. Center Peak is particularly nice:
The next morning, I set off to climb University Peak (here's a view from the basin, at sunset):
Secor describes the "easy Class 1 south slope," which I am still searching for.
Oh, maybe he meant this?
Still, it wasn't bad (class 2, with some class 3 given my inevitable ability to find the hardest route possible, as well as my climbing two false summits along the way), just strenuous. It was remarkably clear, leading to great views from the peak.
The 3rd and last day, I hiked mainly cross-country out of Vidette meadow. This is slightly insane given how steep the slope is, but I was rewarded with a sight of two young bucks, with pretty nice racks (one was camera shy):
Before heading back over Kearsarge Pass, I took a detour to go up Mt. Gould. It was much hazier today. Here's University Peak, from halfway up (University is so much more impressive from the north):
Gould has at least 3 possible summits, and I couldn't find a register on any of them. Still, it led to some fun class 3 climbing (almost the entire climb is easy Class 1 -- maybe Secor thought this was University Peak) There was a nice view of Gardiner, Cotter and Clarence King:
And a nice zoom of Tyndall:
It was a superb way to end the summer.
[Oops, forgot to post the link to the rest of the pictures! http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568221960kYgdqU]
The weather forecast looked good, so naturally it started snowing on me before I even got to Gilbert Lake. Although it was a Saturday, there was a mass exodus of people coming down the trail. When I reached Kearsarge Pass, I could see why, since the wind made for near blizzard conditions. But the snow wasn't sticking, so I figured that even if I was desperate, I wasn't crazy to continue. Once the snow stopped, it was quite beautiful, with intriguing views through the clouds and mist.
It was actually sunny for my lunch at Bullfrog Lake:
I was able to make it to Center Basin with only a few flurries. The weather turned out to be a blessing in disguise, since it suppressed the smoke (has there ever been a summer in the Sierra so full of smoke?), and it also resulted in my seeing not a soul for 2-1/2 days, which is absolutely remarkable for the Kearsarge area. Center Basin is really lovely -- I can't believe I've never visited it before, on my many treks up to Forester Pass. Center Peak is particularly nice:
The next morning, I set off to climb University Peak (here's a view from the basin, at sunset):
Secor describes the "easy Class 1 south slope," which I am still searching for.
Oh, maybe he meant this?
Still, it wasn't bad (class 2, with some class 3 given my inevitable ability to find the hardest route possible, as well as my climbing two false summits along the way), just strenuous. It was remarkably clear, leading to great views from the peak.
The 3rd and last day, I hiked mainly cross-country out of Vidette meadow. This is slightly insane given how steep the slope is, but I was rewarded with a sight of two young bucks, with pretty nice racks (one was camera shy):
Before heading back over Kearsarge Pass, I took a detour to go up Mt. Gould. It was much hazier today. Here's University Peak, from halfway up (University is so much more impressive from the north):
Gould has at least 3 possible summits, and I couldn't find a register on any of them. Still, it led to some fun class 3 climbing (almost the entire climb is easy Class 1 -- maybe Secor thought this was University Peak) There was a nice view of Gardiner, Cotter and Clarence King:
And a nice zoom of Tyndall:
It was a superb way to end the summer.
[Oops, forgot to post the link to the rest of the pictures! http://good-times.webshots.com/album/568221960kYgdqU]
