High Sierra Topix

Thanks everyone. Not planning to do the entire route posted, just doing an out and back from Crabtree Pass to Whitney then spending several more days to walk around the Whitney group and climb Bernard, Tyndal and Williamson and exiting Shepard Pass.

jack, Getting from Crabtree Pass to Discovery Pinnacle usually involves dropping down to the lake, then ascending to the bench west of the lake, then doing a switchback up to DP. The late Kent Ashcraft made the traverse from CP directly to DP, and posted a trip report. You can see the description here: Miter Basin, Discovery Pinnacle to Mt Whitney

Also, that track you posted in the beginning of the thread shows a 4th Class climb from below upper Soldier Lk. I made the mistake of trying that route without checking any reports. When you drop down from the lake, looking at that climb, it looks cliffy and impassable. But several people have done it, and if I were to try it again, I'd climb north to northwest until I nearly reached the 11,400' contour. THEN traverse around the nose of the Major General. Losing ANY elevation below the lake would be a mistake. I ended up dropping to the lower lake, and following a use track northwest to the saddle, before heading north-northeast.

There are many ways up that hill. I took one of what appeared to be several obvious horizontal slashes through the steepest part. Nothing very difficult, but it looks impressive.

As for the upper Soldier Lake portion, I instead took a trail down Rock Creek and then the trail across to Army. There is a nice verdant clearing to walk through at the bottom of Rock Creek.

Steve_C wrote:Also, that track you posted in the beginning of the thread shows a 4th Class climb from below upper Soldier Lk. I made the mistake of trying that route without checking any reports. When you drop down from the lake, looking at that climb, it looks cliffy and impassable. But several people have done it, and if I were to try it again, I'd climb north to northwest until I nearly reached the 11,400' contour. THEN traverse around the nose of the Major General. Losing ANY elevation below the lake would be a mistake.

I haven't actually walked between upper Soldier Lake and the ridge marked "Soldier Lakes portal", but I have been on the ridge a handful of times. I agree that probably the best way between the two is to contour at about 11,320'.

I wanted to mention that there is a use trail that drops down from Soldier Lakes portal to lower Soldier Lake that is very near (slightly west of) the stream & the blue route line shown on the map. That use trail is steep, but class 1. (Note, I am not saying that there isn't some class 4 between upper Soldier Lake and the lower Soldier Lake inlet stream.)