Lake Reflection

[DoyleWDonehoo]

Have I got that right? The east face looks pretty severe in this shot: http://www.doylewdonehoo.com/sphinx/sphinx52.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That is the south face in the picture: the east face faces East Lake (there is a ridge that goes up from East Lake but it is no picnic). In this shot the east face is pretty sheer. The south face is the best approach, as seen in the picture. Go up right of center near the ridge-line, then do what I should have done: as you get near the top and get to the exposed move, traverse over to the sorta gully and go up near the area of snow seen in the upper-mid picture. I think that is the easiest way, but there is no really easy way: it is a heap of rocks. You have to use your hands and there are risks, so it is not Class 2, no mater what Secor or Roper (or others) say. They also say the NW slopes are 'easy'.

[maverick]

I did the east ridge route from East Lake going up Ouzel Creek with a woman
and her 11 year old daughter.
She was a big time mountain climber who I met while waiting out a thunderstorm
at East Lake.
We headed up the next morning, it was a slow, and tedious climb, with a lots of
loose rock, and some exposure, especially if you do not move towards the south near
the top.
The views from the top are outstanding, and I wish I still had those photo's taken from
up the summit.

[obxcola]

Yes I gather that there's class 2 and then there's the other class 2 which doesn't exactly mean "look ma, no hands!" More like the gymnasts version

I really appreciate you fellows taking the time with these questions. I've done and continue to do as much research as possible from way out here on the sandbar in the Atlantic and look forward to reading more of the reports on Doyle's website.

Best I can figure about the notch and the transition from east ridge to south face is you can't see the notch until you're right in the opening. I've seen photos from what must have been less than 200 feet from "the notch" and another right at the east side opening of the notch..... Oh well you take situations like that one safe step at a time and remember like Doyle noted about the summit rock; It's usually harder to go back and down than up; so be comfortable with the back route before you go forward. Good campaign tactics anytime.

I've got a pretty specific "big picture" route for this trip which I'll post later with requests for ideas and info that I'm carefully planning for September but this one transition over the Kings/Kern and or Great Western.....which I'm prepared to revise, alter or abandon depending on how things go, how I feel, how it looks.......from the upper Kern back to Roaring River is one I keep poking at.trying to get the combinations, possibilities etc as understood as possible. There's no guaranteed easy way to make either divide/transition ( short of Colby to the south and Forrester to the east) but there do seem to be reasonable possibilities and lots of opportunity for a great experience. I'd like to do some off-trail and a peak if I feel at the time I've got "the chops", and the transition will come near the end of an 8 day loop with plenty of time to get a feel, get acclimated and with a VERY light pack.