High Sierra Topix

2 hours and 45 minutes from the Trailhead - pretty amazing, but true.

They day hiked Black Kaweah the next day.

wingding wrote:2 hours and 45 minutes from the Trailhead - pretty amazing, but true. They day hiked Black Kaweah the next day.

That's a pretty fast pace but not incomprehensible. I wouldn't do it unless someone offered me some very serious incentive--a keg of Sequoia's Rye IPA perhaps. With a good bribe I may still have that level of speed in me (barely).

I suspect, however, they were using it as a "warmup" for their Black Kaweah commando raid the next day, so they probably weren't going all out. No amount of Rye IPA would ever tempt me try that; I p-- in my pants at the mere mention of Black Kaweah. To do a technically difficult and dangerous peak at the end of that much hiking isn't anything I'd touch. Those folks are indeed pretty hardcore.

On the other hand, speed climbing is a rather time honored tradition in mountaineering (even if I'm not into it personally). I recall F. Spencer Chapman, a famous pre WWII British climber, first got himself recognized by his peers by winning this contest in Wales where I recall you had a certain fixed time (12hrs?, it's been awhile since I read his book) to climb as many peaks as you could. Now these are lower peaks (top out at 3500') but they are rugged and steep. I recall he ended up doing way over 10000 feet of gain (might have been more like 15000), and covering some otherworldly distance. And this would have probably been in the 20's or something like that so you know he had some pretty clunky equipment, but the fact they even had this contest way back then illustrates how long the tradition of speed climbing has been with us.

I do admire those fast hikers, but I've come to realize that I'll never be real fast like them. We all have our own way of enjoying the wilderness - I'm very happy just to plod off to my chosen destination, which is usually a peak to enjoy the view, and back to where I started in one piece. The views from up high in the Sierra are just so beautiful to me.

About the only "speed" ascent I have ever done was Lassen..parking lot to summit in just under 50 minutes. Not fast, I know, but pretty good for a slug like me.

I remember that Walter Starr, author of Starr's guide to the John Muir trail is reputed to have hiked 143 miles in 4.5 days. Now that is pure sustained speed in the High Sierras....

Hey Wingding!

Just climbed Sawtooth myself (Oct 2). 2" of snow at lower Monarch Lake and a tad more on the summit. The view was great with the fresh snow.
We took a different route, basically straight up from lower monarch lake.

2.45 from the trailhead? Phew!, they must have RAN to the Pass or Lower Monarch.

Congrats on Sawtooth Mr. Skibum! It must have been beautiful out there with the snow.

I'd like to try to get back up to Sequoia to do Mount Silliman (I still haven't done that one) before December. We did Alta Peak a few years ago at Thanksgiving as the view was just so beautiful with all the peaks capped with snow. Maybe I'll be able to do it over Veteran's Day Weekend.