TR: Cardinal via Taboose Pass, Olancha & Owens via PCT 4/11/
Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 1:49 am
After the storms last week, I hiked Owens Peak from Walker Pass via the PCT, Olancha Peak via Olancha Pass and the PCT, and then Cardinal Mountain (up the west/county line ridge & down the south chute) via Taboose Pass.
Olancha and Owens will be snow free until fall unless you go out right after any further spring storms. I was thankful to go on the heels of a storm for scenery purposes and because snow was the only water source besides an ugly trickle in Gomez Meadow (between Monache Meadow & Olancha Peak). Cardinal Mountain and Taboose Pass can probably be climbed mostly snow free if persistent about avoiding it, but there is patchy to continuous consolidated snowpack on horizontal, shaded, and north facing aspects above 10,000 feet. 3-24 inches (generally about a foot) of powdery snow made things interesting for me from the second creek crossing by the big waterfall upward, but the fresh snow has been melting very fast.
I enjoyed the flowers blooming down low on these hikes. They were most plentiful on the Owens Peak hike, but very nice along lower Taboose Creek.
Information on these hikes is not hard to come by so I'm leaving this brief. Let me know if there is anything specific you'd like me to post an image of from Taboose Pass area south of Big Pine to Walker Pass area. I may be able to help. George Creek and Williamson were certainly calling to me. Below are some of the highlights from Cardinal Mountain-Taboose Pass:
Please do check weather forecasts and research conditions. I spent some time giving a ride to an inadequately prepared backpacker who found me at Walker Pass campground before the second (bigger) storm rolled in. It turned out he graduated a year before my wife from the same high school named after a famous mountain. Anyway, he thought it was nice enough out to show up out of shape and backpack from Walker Pass to Lone Pine in early April. He wisely turned back after after a few days due to the first storm and spraining his ankle among other factors. He missed the nice trail angels who drove through and spoke to my wife and I ten minutes before he appeared from his somewhat questionable shelter (or maybe the restroom) and found me. He was out of water and cold. He didn't realize the campground and area is lacking water. Additionally, he mentioned being out of shape and developing blisters. To top things off, he was reluctant to hitchike from the adjacent highway. Anyway, he seemed to be doing well besides a limp and fatigue. I was glad he aborted his trip and learned from the experience.
Olancha and Owens will be snow free until fall unless you go out right after any further spring storms. I was thankful to go on the heels of a storm for scenery purposes and because snow was the only water source besides an ugly trickle in Gomez Meadow (between Monache Meadow & Olancha Peak). Cardinal Mountain and Taboose Pass can probably be climbed mostly snow free if persistent about avoiding it, but there is patchy to continuous consolidated snowpack on horizontal, shaded, and north facing aspects above 10,000 feet. 3-24 inches (generally about a foot) of powdery snow made things interesting for me from the second creek crossing by the big waterfall upward, but the fresh snow has been melting very fast.
I enjoyed the flowers blooming down low on these hikes. They were most plentiful on the Owens Peak hike, but very nice along lower Taboose Creek.
Information on these hikes is not hard to come by so I'm leaving this brief. Let me know if there is anything specific you'd like me to post an image of from Taboose Pass area south of Big Pine to Walker Pass area. I may be able to help. George Creek and Williamson were certainly calling to me. Below are some of the highlights from Cardinal Mountain-Taboose Pass:
Please do check weather forecasts and research conditions. I spent some time giving a ride to an inadequately prepared backpacker who found me at Walker Pass campground before the second (bigger) storm rolled in. It turned out he graduated a year before my wife from the same high school named after a famous mountain. Anyway, he thought it was nice enough out to show up out of shape and backpack from Walker Pass to Lone Pine in early April. He wisely turned back after after a few days due to the first storm and spraining his ankle among other factors. He missed the nice trail angels who drove through and spoke to my wife and I ten minutes before he appeared from his somewhat questionable shelter (or maybe the restroom) and found me. He was out of water and cold. He didn't realize the campground and area is lacking water. Additionally, he mentioned being out of shape and developing blisters. To top things off, he was reluctant to hitchike from the adjacent highway. Anyway, he seemed to be doing well besides a limp and fatigue. I was glad he aborted his trip and learned from the experience.