High Sierra Topix

Cori
Just got the word about your climbing accident. It's always horrible to hear about our mountain friends getting busted-up in the wild, but it was good to hear that SAR and Mammoth ER were there for you. And after you and Scott have returned to Santa Barbara, your SB trail friends are ready to help in any way…please let us know…maybe your raccoon buds will come visit you too!
Don

Thanks again! Barry and Don, glad to see you here. Surgery to fix clavicle (plate and pins) is scheduled for Wednesday (8/14), then Scott will drive me home Sunday. We'll leave his jeep here in Mammoth, and take the FJ home since the jeep is lifted. I can't drive since the shifting arm (clavicle) and clutch leg are both injured. I'm still in a sling, and walking (uncomfortable and slow) without the crutch. Typing with 1 finger since I can't lift my R arm.

The boulder was at the mouth of a chute. The other 2 women were climbing a CL3 wall, and one said she couldn't see if it went. I checked the little chute, put my hand on the boulder blocking the chute to look around and saw that it went up a ways. I took my hand off the boulder, walked around it and looked back to wait for the others. I saw something move on my right side, and saw the boulder tipping towards me and tried to get out of the way, but it was too late. I put my arm up and it got my R elbow, rolled over my pack and flipped me over and landed on my L butt cheek. It could have been a lot worse.

That is certainly a scary story. It's good to hear that you are the mend. I was curious about the peak. I somehow get the impression that this is not the Virginia Peak in northern Yosemite (btw Spiller and Return Creeks and SE of Matterhorn), but that is the only Virginia Peak I know of. One of the routes on that peak features a loose chute with a class 3 section at its top (this is snow filled early season and very prominent from the south). Is this the same Virginia Peak you were hurt on, or was it a different Virginia Peak?

This was Virginia Pk in Northern Yosemite. We started at Green Creek. It was that loose chute.

Snow Nymph wrote:This was Virginia Pk in Northern Yosemite. We started at Green Creek. It was that loose chute.

Wow. That brings the story even closer to home and makes my hair stand on end a bit more. I went up that chute back in 2001 (was camped at Return Lake). I recall that near the bottom of the class 3 section, the chute/chimney bifurcates. It was long enough ago that I don't remember whether I took the right or left one (seem to recall it was the right one), but I do recall there was some sort of obstruction in the bottom of the one I wanted to take, so I climbed a short distance up the other one, then did a delicate move across the spur between to switch chutes. I remember that move well because it was a bit uncomfortable owing to the looseness of the metamorphic rock. Best wishes for your surgery on Wednesday and quick recovery from your injuries.

We camped at the tarns north of Return Lk. Kinda between Virginia Pk and Twin Pks.

PHOTOS:
http://snownymph.smugmug.com/Sierra-Nev ... &k=kHhHS5k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wishing you good luck, positive vibrations, peace and love and puppy dogs :-)

After your recovery you should plan a trip to visit that boulder!

Snow Nymph wrote:We camped at the tarns north of Return Lk. Kinda between Virginia Pk and Twin Pks.

PHOTOS:
http://snownymph.smugmug.com/Sierra-Nev ... &k=kHhHS5k" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nice photos. That is a really nice area, including the nifty hike up from Green Creek to Virginia Pass. It looks like the chute with the rampaging boulder is north of the one I ascended in 2001. The nasty boulder chute appears to be one that cuts the cliff band below the lake that is N of Virginia Pk. This is fairly near the descent route I took in 2001. After climbing what amounts to the SSE couloir that heads just W of summit (all class 2 except for class 3 upper 50-100 feet of chute; we actually traversed into the chute from the SW about midway up to avoid some scree), my brother and I descended the NNW ridge to the saddle btw Virginia and Twin Pks, then down to the beautiful lake N of Virginia Pk, then found some breaks in the cliff band below that lake--the topography is quite a bit more intricate than it looks on the map. There were a lot of blind drop offs that required detours, but we weaved our way through with an almost entirely class 2 descent then did a low angle sidehill back to Return Lake. In any case your photos and story had me going back through my 2001 photos and looking at my maps. I hope you'll be recovered and out there soon.

Wow. We just posted a trip report on this area, including Return Lake and Viriginia Peak. If you want to see a lot of photos to help illustrate the thread, go here:

https://picasaweb.google.com/balzaccom/ ... iniaCanyon#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Heres to a quick recovery!