High Sierra Topix

On Saturday June 15th, I climbed Mount Morgan South (13,748'). It was a successful trip, with virtually perfect weather. I posted some photos, which reveal snowmelt conditions on peaks ranging from the Palisades in the south, to Mount Lyell in the north.

I followed the popular route from Lake Francis to join Morgan's NW ridge. Much has already been said about this peak and this route, so I'll just briefly say. . . I found the climb to be strenuous, but surprisingly gentle with class 2 routes revealing themselves all the way. My data showed 11 miles round trip, with 4,500' gain.

I left my car at Rock Creek Lake at 830am. I made quick work, along good trail, in the cool morning air to reach Francis lake one hour later. I could feel that I was not fully acclimated, having come from the Bay Area yesterday. The trail to Francis Lake is in great shape with a good grade, and yet. . . my heart was pounding. I sat beside the lake, hydrated, and felt my pulse relax. I then followed the creek upstream, at times bushwhacking past overgrowth along the lake shore. The walk upstream was a pleasant landscape through green meadows cut with cascading water. I especially enjoyed the multicolor geology---practically psychedelic---on the unnamed ridge to the east. I followed a use-trail through the meadows, and at other times I ascended convenient low-angle snow fields. At one point I could hear the creek roar under the snow beneath me, so I stayed to the right where I knew solid ground was below.

I followed treeline to a minor ridge, and followed that to a bigger ridge, at a sort of pass. The walking was a mix of scree, sandy flats, and mild tallus. With some forethought, I could see a line that bypassed much of the worst tallus.

As I huffed and puffed up the final 600', I encountered another hiker descending. He suggested I skirt southeast around a dominant snowfield, and approach the summit directly from the north. I followed his advice. The snowfield looked annoying, and I'm glad I avoided it. I walked up Morgan's north face, a scree hill, to summit at 330pm. I was surprised how long I spent hiking---I had been expecting to summit by 1pm---but I had noticed myself taking lots of breaks to catch my breath and regulate my pulse.

I lounged on the summit of 45 minutes. It was practically perfect summit conditions -- blue sky, light breeze, and warm air. The views were as good as I could have asked for. Because Morgan is set apart from the Sierra Crest, the panoramic vista is a peak-spotters delight.

I descended following the same route. Along the way, I was surprised by the thought, "did I really climb all of this?!

At Francis Lake, I sat on the shore and dumped sand and pebbles from my shoes. No back on trail, I cruised downhill and reached my car at 645pm. The parking lot had mostly cleared out. It was a peaceful spot for me to land after the long day. The soundscape was soothing. . . lake lapping shore, laughter from nearby campground, and bird song from finches and kinglets. I felt wiped out, so I crawled into the back of my Subaru with the seats folded down. I lounged in a pile of sleeping bags and foam pads. . . I drifted to sleep with the car roof open and stars overhead.

Man, sweet summit photos. Wish I was there!

Yes the standard route up Mt Morgan (south) is mellow, but the rewards as you show from the summit photos are huge. Because it is so high and set off east of the crest, the views from the summit are among the best in the entire Sierra. I'm glad you had clear weather so that you were able to get those terrific views. I haven't been up there in a long time---I think it was 1982 or 1983 (climbed directly from Hidden Lake or therabouts in Little Lakes Valley--moderately steep class 2 to reach NW ridge)--but that summit view is truly special and I remember it well.

What are the lakes in the Mt Dade closeup photo? Treasure Lakes? Gem Lakes?

@WanderingDaisy -- I believe it's Chickenfoot Lake bottom center, Long Lake bottom right. Gem Lakes and Treasure Lakes, directly below Dade.

Nice! The meadows around Francis are really lovely and the views up high are so excellent! I think my favorite aspect of my own Morgan experience, however, was taking a break up on the western ridge and looking across to watch an fairly large herd of Sierra bighorn dance their way down the ridge across the way! Most I've ever seen in one place!

["I left my car at Rock Creek Lake at 830am. I made quick work, along good trail, in the cool morning air to reach Francis lake one hour later. I could feel that I was not fully acclimated, having come from the Bay Area yesterday."]

Thanks for the TR on a route I have wondered about for some years now. Valuable info.

NOTE: I talked to a veteran mountaineer a few years ago about "acclimatization", which I had long assumed could be achieved in just a few days, perhaps. Turns out, she said, all you can do in 3 days at elevation is adjust your "water balance", which I'd never heard of before. Otherwise, "acclimatization" as I think we all have thought of it, takes about 5 WEEKS at the desired elevation range. This means cellular changes in the blood (increased red blood cells).

jrad wrote: ↑Thu Jun 20, 2024 7:27 am NOTE: I talked to a veteran mountaineer a few years ago about "acclimatization", which I had long assumed could be achieved in just a few days, perhaps. Turns out, she said, all you can do in 3 days at elevation is adjust your "water balance", which I'd never heard of before. Otherwise, "acclimatization" as I think we all have thought of it, takes about 5 WEEKS at the desired elevation range. This means cellular changes in the blood (increased red blood cells).

Not to derail this thread, but this is incorrect. You start breathing deeper pretty quickly, within 18 hours. Sure, if you want to maximize your performance at altitude, it'll probably take a couple weeks. But the more gradual you can make the adjustment to altitude, the better off you'll be.

I've vomited twice due to altitude sickness, and both times were driving to high trailheads (Saddlebag, Mosquito Flat) from sea level and then immediately jumping out of the car and going hiking (climbing a mountain).

True, it takes 5 weeks to FULLY acclimatize. For short trips like we do (living at sea level) the best we can do is stay hydrated, eat easily digestible food and go very slow, never getting out of breath. Once you dive into anaerobic metabolism from labored breathing it is hard to recover. I aways debate between a camping a short distance from the TH the day I drive, or camp at a moderate elevation on the way to the trailhead. My favorites are dispersed camping on Monitor Pass or a nice little site just off the Virginia Lake road before dropping into Lee Vining. I have done both. If I sleep too high the first night to "acclimate", often all I get is a sleepless night. I am very lucky in that I have always done well at high altitudes. But I had good training in a mountaineering club when I learned to climb.

Haha hows it going man! I was the guy you ran into near the top.