High Sierra Topix

Marble Mountain is popular with cavers.

kpeter writes:

Ian, the route you speculate about is in fact the route taken by the PCT. It contours west around Marble Mountain to get up to the ridge and allows one to approach Sky High Lakes from above... The hike up to Marble Gap was one of the highlights of the trip, though, and I would recommend including it on any trip to this area.

Thanks Ken, I think we will make it up there one fine day. I have got the travel bug in me since beginning a van conversion project. Tonight I am pouring over photos and maps from even farther north-- into the North Cascades of Washington. Check out this amazing place:

https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/27 ... 6637_o.jpg Doesn't this look like our Ritter Range? I would sure love to get up there.

I have hiked in the North Cascades, Alpine Lakes Wilderness, and the Olympics--all in Washington State. All magnificent and in quite different ways. Everything is greener and more lush in Washington State. Some would say it is more classically picturesque than the Sierra. However, cross country travel is usually impossible, views are always obscured unless you get above tree line, and vertical ups and downs are more extreme than in most of the Sierra. Different places, different advantages and different disadvantages.

Harlen, the bushwhacking in the PNW is legendary. Fred Becky has tons of first ascents in the Washington Cascades (he wrote a climbing guidebook) as well as all over the west and Canada. He seemed to seek out mountains nobody else wanted to go to because of the horrible approaches. I met him twice - once in 1970 in the winter and he and a group of us did several aid routes in sub-freezing weather in Laramie at Veedavoo. Then I also met him at the Camp 4 dedication in Yosemite (at least 10 years ago). He was ahead of me on a climb up at Tuolumne- well into his 80's. I am not sure he is still alive. He is/was one of the original dirt-bag wandering climbers of the golden age of climbing.

When I climbed in the PNW, we would do a lot early season when snow covered the brush. In fact, that was often the only time you could easily get to a lot of climbs. Also great time to do the big volcanoes- Rainier, Baker, Adams, etc. You should think about doing some climbing when you go. Also would be a great place for late spring ski trip.