This trip report is a result of Harlen nagging me, many times, to post more trip reports here. For example:
Harlen wrote:Hey Sam, You are holding out on us at HST
Yes, I am. I'm a day hiker, skier, peak bagger, and novice rock climber. None of those things are really big topics of discussion in the backpacking, fishing, photography world we inhabit here. If you want the play-by-play trip report, I wrote one on my site
here. Maybe think of this as some author's notes for the main report.
- Three pitches up, on the Chicken Head Highway.
Back in September of 2024, I climbed the Obelisk with my climbing partner Evan. We did it in a day, carried a rope. The day after I climbed this, I sorta assumed there wasn't much interest in this area for a backpacker. I posted a quick
conditions update and left it at that. Looking back I do think this zone is a little under rated. We came upon a party with at least 3 tents camped at Lower Geraldine Lake, so clearly it wasn't hideous country. The lakes on the north side of Spanish Mountain are glacial, and reasonably scenic as a stop along the way somewhere else, if not worthy of a destination in their own right.
- Middle Palisade left of Kings Canyon. Tehipite Dome looks much less impressive from this angle.
I still think backpacking is invented for people who live out of state. If you get on a plane, fly here, you wanna spend a larger amount of time. Backpacking ensures your lodging is reserved, you're carrying gear to handle any sort of weather so it doesn't matter that you planned it weeks in advance. But for those of us lucky enough to live close by, and we have a weekend not a week, the extra weight of the pack and the extra time picking up the permit aren't quite worth the upside. Weather is just handled by waiting a week.
- Three pitches up, on the chicken head highway.
This is definitely the most remote I felt during the year. I think backpacking remoteness is a positive, but for me, rock climbing, it adds to the stress of the experience. Mountains on the East side of the Sierra strangely feel less remote, when you can see the lights of Bishop or Lone Pine in the valley at night. In the Western Sierra, once in a while you can see Fresno, but usually as far as the eye can see is nothing but mountains and trees.
The Sierra is a bit like an all you can eat buffet for me. I go in with a huge appetite, leave thinking I've done too much in too little time. I always swear I'll moderate more next time, and then end up with a headlamp on.
