One of the highlights of this trip was crossing Crabtree Pass to drop into that canyon of immense cliffs. Till now, "dropping in" for my friend Eric has meant to point his surfboard down waves. Big waves are 20'+ and these cliffs are well over 1000.' Eric has never worn a backpack in his life, except once in his youth-- on a year-long epic surf trip: Hawaii- Fiji- Australia- Bali...
Eric was in for the new ride of his life!
Permit me a quick bio. of Eric, because the real highlight of this trip for me was watching a friend meet the Sierra. I know that Nancy, and Ed in particular, and most of the rest of us here have enjoyed both the pleasure, and the folly of sharing the Mountains with friends. The lows can be very low, and the "Highs" out of sight! I've known Eric since 2nd grade, and my first memory was of him uttering the old line "Hey, pick on someone your own size." ... thereby saving me from a probable ass-whupping as I was squared off against a bully. Eric is a couple years older, and was respected. So you see-- I've owed him this favor for a long time. Eric became a mad carpenter, a super-productive, can-do guy, famous for working endless days, and never taking enough time off. We have often worked together, and I have seen enough of him balancing on roof rafters to know that he would be okay with scary exposure. Though he never runs or works out, Eric at 65, pulls off one 14 hr workday after another, and then hits the surf. I had full confidence in his endurance. He is a surfer first, but is also what's known as a "waterman." That is: surfer, body-surfer, swimmer, spear fisherman, free-diver, scuba-diver, and even a pier and cliff diver- which is an odd practice we share, and again-- proof that he'd be cool with the climbing and the heights. We have also day-hiked in the Redwoods and deserts together, and I have noticed how incredibly stoked Eric gets out in nature-- he really appreciates seeing animals and beautiful scenery, so I have long wanted to drag him off the job, and into the Sierra. On this trip the "gold" panned out. We saw outrageous granite high country, caught Golden trout for our food, and saw enough animals and wild weather sunrises and sunsets, along with the full moon, to make this a memorable trip for us both.
Explosion of red! Pre-storm sunset in Crabtree Canyon.
Another highlight for me was to return to Wallace Creek to fish for big Goldens, and to revisit mind-blowing Wales Lake for the first time in 35 years.
This is Wales Lake, and Eric has still never stopped smiling.
I have only gazed longingly down the great Crabtree Canyon from the pass on this wintery trip there in 2017:
This is a quote from that earlier trip report: "This is the view west from C.Pass, down the amazingly cliffy valley of the Crabtree Lakes- some of those cliffs are 1400' high! ... It would be very easy, in any season, to descend down that great valley from C.Pass."
But I had never done it--so hiking through, and camping beneath those huge cliffs at the big lake made a dream of mine into reality. I was also really impressed by the many huge green meadows in Crabtree Canyon. One included a distant view of Mt Russell- highlighting its classic climb-- the "Fishhook Arete."
Nor had I ever stared down this crazy canyon below:
Above "Noway! Chute" just north of Cleaver Col. This was the other piece of new ground I got to cover, after finding the right crossing point.
Okay then, enough of a pre-amble through our trip. Here's how it went:
Due to the recent flooding from the Hillary storm, you may need to detour up Lubken Road to reach the Whitney Portal road. We drove through newly green Alabama Hills on this road, and dropped one truck at Whitney Portal-- and then drove up Horseshoe Meadow Road to begin our trip at the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead. Our route took us out of the Foxtail Pine forest, over New Army Pass (all clear), and into Miter Basin. On our third day, we crossed Crabtree Pass with ease, though we were told that people were turning back from it due to steep snow. The pass itself was the easy part, there were, in fact, troublesome steep snowfields on either side of the pass. In both cases the problem was to cross the snowfields without entering the lakes below. Even the aquaman and woman named gunderson say they will not swim with their backpacks on, and even dislike swimming in their boots. We crossed these snowfields carefully, without any metal points, and only lightweight footgear. We ate golden fish for dinner on many of our nights, as we moved in one long day from upper Crabtree Lake to the lakes of Wallace Creek. We were utterly amazed by the scenery around Wales Lake. Especially the outlet, with its zig-zagging stream and artfully dropped glacial erratics. It is the great granite cliffs though, which really make it so awe-inspiring. The shadows cast by these cliffs were fantastic, along with the thick, snowy margins entering the lake. Higher up in the basin is the famous Tulainyo Lake, at 12,802' it is said to be the highest big lake in the Sierra. It was also super full, and included many ice-bergs, and great sheets of ice floating under the north facing mountain sides. Here are some images from that first part of the trip:
Cottonwood Lakes.
Foxtail Pine forest and New Army Pass (arrow on pass).
Eric's first ever Marmot.
We passed Soldier Lake on the way to Miter Basin.
TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
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Last edited by Harlen on Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:12 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Eric took this pano. of Miter Basin, Corcoran Towers, and Mt Langley. (Click image to expand.)
We camped in the meadow below Miter Basin.
Cirrus cloud Sundogs.
High wind and stormy weather greeted us on day 3.
Icy lake 12,129, just south of Crabtree Pass.
There are challenging snow slopes on each side of the lake, to the west of the pass. We went to the right.
We set up camp and fished just before the storm broke, and caught our dinner.
10-11" very golden trout.
Rain and wind hammered us all night long.
We camped in the meadow below Miter Basin.
Cirrus cloud Sundogs.
High wind and stormy weather greeted us on day 3.
Icy lake 12,129, just south of Crabtree Pass.
There are challenging snow slopes on each side of the lake, to the west of the pass. We went to the right.
We set up camp and fished just before the storm broke, and caught our dinner.
10-11" very golden trout.
Rain and wind hammered us all night long.
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Last edited by Harlen on Sat Sep 09, 2023 5:35 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Before the storm broke, we got a brilliant sunset.
Tarp tents are best in fair weather, and on snow. I woke up in puddles, and had to carve channels all around.
Wallace Creek is a nice valley to follow. We saw a big, antlered Buck closeup, and then running, and a second set of Doe and fauns. We saw at least 10 Deer on this trip.
Fish dinner again. *Big hands make fish look small.
The weather temporarily took a turn for the better, and then the wild wind returned.
Tarp tents are best in fair weather, and on snow. I woke up in puddles, and had to carve channels all around.
Wallace Creek is a nice valley to follow. We saw a big, antlered Buck closeup, and then running, and a second set of Doe and fauns. We saw at least 10 Deer on this trip.
Fish dinner again. *Big hands make fish look small.
The weather temporarily took a turn for the better, and then the wild wind returned.
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Last edited by Harlen on Fri Sep 08, 2023 11:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Morning sun on Kaweah Peak Ridge.
We made our way up to Wales Lake for the day.
Wales Lakes is an amazing place. That's Mt. Hale in the shadows, and the northern wall of Mt. Whitney in the background.
Trout for dinner and breakfast.
Why are some "Goldens" less golden?
We made our way up to Wales Lake for the day.
Wales Lakes is an amazing place. That's Mt. Hale in the shadows, and the northern wall of Mt. Whitney in the background.
Trout for dinner and breakfast.
Why are some "Goldens" less golden?
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Eric is raring to go.
We said goodbye to our mascot.
We crossed the soft ridge for another look at Wales Lake. (Another of Eric's panos, cl. to enlarge)
The GWD in view from Centennial Peak to Thunder Mountain, and maybe South Guard farthest right?
Tulainyo Lake at 12,802.'
Mt Russell with Russell Pass in the saddle. This was our intended pass, and maybe we should have stuck to it.
Our trip finished with the proverbial last sting of the Scorpion's tail. I decided that I would love to add a new piece of Sierra ground, so never having crossed Cleaver Col, I thought we'd try that. I let Eric top out first, anticipating his rave review of the Owens Valley below, and the sight of desert ranges as far as the eye can see. Instead he said something like: "Ian, this can't be it. It's a f_ _ _ ing cliff, and now we're gonna die." He said this calmly, and perhaps he felt it would be a good day to die, after such high times.
If I had read all the beta (which I dislike doing), I might have known that the true Cleaver Col is not at the lowest point of the ridge, but 100' above and to the south. I tried to sidle around the rocky spur, and got into hard climbing, I retreated, and Eric waited while I tried the ridge south of the peaklet, and there it was- cairns marking the col and the route down. That route down is also not obvious. You go more or less straight down, and then move left toward an unlikely looking rocky gully-- see the last photo below. It involves places where you really don't want to slip, or have the loose rocks you are balancing on slide down with you on them. There were a couple places where we chose to descend the steep but solid bedrock.
I had noted it down as supposedly Class 2, but call it Class 3, with both exposure and route-finding challenges, at least for the top 150 feet. We made it, and with our excitement and "Thrill of Victory" feeling, we carried on all the way to the truck- thrashing through what's left of Lonepine Creek's washed out streambed-- sometimes clambering over broken masses of Water Birch and Willow. The Ebersbacher Ledges were pretty straight forward, though once we missed a turn, and I followed the narrowing ledge till I ran into a rope belay station leading down a body-width vertical crack--Nope. In the end we made it down without undue pain and suffering. We were able to cross and re-cross the creek, and almost made it to the burger joint in time for a meal, but not quite. We slept again in the magical stone garden that is the Alabama Hills, and then drove our separate ways in the morning. I reckon Eric will remember this trip happily for as long as he lives.
We found the low point of the ridge, and a very nice view, but as seen in the next photo, this was decidedly not the col!
We said goodbye to our mascot.
We crossed the soft ridge for another look at Wales Lake. (Another of Eric's panos, cl. to enlarge)
The GWD in view from Centennial Peak to Thunder Mountain, and maybe South Guard farthest right?
Tulainyo Lake at 12,802.'
Mt Russell with Russell Pass in the saddle. This was our intended pass, and maybe we should have stuck to it.
Our trip finished with the proverbial last sting of the Scorpion's tail. I decided that I would love to add a new piece of Sierra ground, so never having crossed Cleaver Col, I thought we'd try that. I let Eric top out first, anticipating his rave review of the Owens Valley below, and the sight of desert ranges as far as the eye can see. Instead he said something like: "Ian, this can't be it. It's a f_ _ _ ing cliff, and now we're gonna die." He said this calmly, and perhaps he felt it would be a good day to die, after such high times.
If I had read all the beta (which I dislike doing), I might have known that the true Cleaver Col is not at the lowest point of the ridge, but 100' above and to the south. I tried to sidle around the rocky spur, and got into hard climbing, I retreated, and Eric waited while I tried the ridge south of the peaklet, and there it was- cairns marking the col and the route down. That route down is also not obvious. You go more or less straight down, and then move left toward an unlikely looking rocky gully-- see the last photo below. It involves places where you really don't want to slip, or have the loose rocks you are balancing on slide down with you on them. There were a couple places where we chose to descend the steep but solid bedrock.
I had noted it down as supposedly Class 2, but call it Class 3, with both exposure and route-finding challenges, at least for the top 150 feet. We made it, and with our excitement and "Thrill of Victory" feeling, we carried on all the way to the truck- thrashing through what's left of Lonepine Creek's washed out streambed-- sometimes clambering over broken masses of Water Birch and Willow. The Ebersbacher Ledges were pretty straight forward, though once we missed a turn, and I followed the narrowing ledge till I ran into a rope belay station leading down a body-width vertical crack--Nope. In the end we made it down without undue pain and suffering. We were able to cross and re-cross the creek, and almost made it to the burger joint in time for a meal, but not quite. We slept again in the magical stone garden that is the Alabama Hills, and then drove our separate ways in the morning. I reckon Eric will remember this trip happily for as long as he lives.
We found the low point of the ridge, and a very nice view, but as seen in the next photo, this was decidedly not the col!
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Last edited by Harlen on Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:23 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Harlen
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TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
"Noway Chute"-- about 30 reasonable feet down, and then a vertical plummet!
This was it! This is at the top of the correct Cleaver Col. A decent enough route to Lonepine Creek far below, and on to Whitney Portal-- 4,635 feet below us!
This is my best attempt to depict the route. Red and Purple are the fatal chutes; blue is correct at the top, and then I am uncertain how exactly we entered the chute. Once we were in there, it was surprisingly solid.
As always-- Good Luck out there!
This was it! This is at the top of the correct Cleaver Col. A decent enough route to Lonepine Creek far below, and on to Whitney Portal-- 4,635 feet below us!
This is my best attempt to depict the route. Red and Purple are the fatal chutes; blue is correct at the top, and then I am uncertain how exactly we entered the chute. Once we were in there, it was surprisingly solid.
As always-- Good Luck out there!
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Last edited by Harlen on Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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windknot
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Re: TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Awesome report and route! Thanks for taking us along for the ride. Glad you got into some nice golden trout fishing, and those are some great shots of the stormy weather lighting, too.
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michaelzim
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Re: TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
Sheeeesh...another untame, exciting, report. If you don't go for all out wild weather you make up for it in cliffs and vertical terrain! That last stretch down looks waaaay beyond my pay grade...and anyone handicapped by a mere broken leg bone not too far back. Looks like you are in full "I'll be back" mode Ian. 
This is certainly an area I have bookmarked to visit especially after seeing those tantalizing mega "cliffs" and beautiful pics.
Question - what about the mozzies down there in the south??? No mention in your report, yet others are telling of Armageddon levels 4 and 5 further north?! (No need for an immediate reply as I'm sure more questions will come up - but this zone could be a Plan B destination for me next week).
Best ~ Michaelzim
This is certainly an area I have bookmarked to visit especially after seeing those tantalizing mega "cliffs" and beautiful pics.
Question - what about the mozzies down there in the south??? No mention in your report, yet others are telling of Armageddon levels 4 and 5 further north?! (No need for an immediate reply as I'm sure more questions will come up - but this zone could be a Plan B destination for me next week).
Best ~ Michaelzim
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Harlen
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Re: TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
windknot writes:
I don't now how to catch the impressive big ones.... I may have to pay for a subscription to Photo Shop to present believable big fish.
Very kind of you to condescend, calling my catch of little fish: "some nice golden trout fishing." I see through you too.
Ah, go ahead and say it Matt-- they were piddling fish compared to yours. My old arm stretched out, "I've got large hands" ploy didn't fool anybody.Glad you got into some nice golden trout fishing,...
I don't now how to catch the impressive big ones.... I may have to pay for a subscription to Photo Shop to present believable big fish.
Very kind of you to condescend, calling my catch of little fish: "some nice golden trout fishing." I see through you too.
Last edited by Harlen on Sat Sep 16, 2023 10:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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c9h13no3
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Re: TR: A Wild, First Ever in Sequoia-N.A.P. to Cleaver Col, 8/29- 9/4/23
The pic of the frosty waterfall makes me think winter follows you around.
Nice report, as usual.
Nice report, as usual.
"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen
Also, I have a blog no one reads. Please do not click here.
Also, I have a blog no one reads. Please do not click here.
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