High Sierra Topix

TITLE: Grinnell Col

GENERAL OVERVIEW: Connects Grinnell Lake and Upper Hopkins Lakes

CLASS/DIFFICULTY: Class 3

LOCATION: Sierra National Forest - HST Map

ELEVATION: 12,600 ft.

USGS TOPO MAP (7.5'): Mono Divide High Country

ROUTE DESCRIPTION It's not nearly as difficult/steep as it looks. In fact, I'd go so far as to call it a pleasant climb with excellent views. There's never any significant exposure, but there are a few spots where you need to use your hands. For the most part, the rock is very solid and stable. The worst part about the climb is reaching the Col from the Grinnell Lake side, but my friend improvised a rather brilliant/gonzo solution. More on that later.

We did a loop over McGee Pass to Shout of Relief Pass to Bighorn Pass and down to Grinnell Lake. Our initial plan had been to take Pace Col over to Grinnell Lake, but we changed our minds once we reached Red & White Lake. Navigating around the lake looked miserable and there was a lot of snow, so we backtracked a bit, found a great campsite, and proceeded to Grinnell Lake the next day.

Grinnell Col looked intimidating from our campsite on the west shore of Grinnell Lake, but we were committed. Navigating Grinnell Lake's lengthy shoreline looked miserable. While not technically difficult, it would be a long, slow journey over seemingly endless talus. Then my friend had his brilliant/crazy idea. I laughed when I first heard it, but he was convinced it would work. Hiking around the lake to the base of the Col would take forever. If only we could swim across the very narrow section between the two lakes, we'd save ourselves hours of slogging around the shoreline...

So this is what we did. We inflated our air mattresses, wrapped them around our packs, and tied them tightly. We then used our rain flies like a dumpling wrapper, tied on top making sure no water could get in. We then floated our packs as we swam across the lake. It took only a few minutes to cross the lake, nothing got wet, and we saved ourselves hours of hiking. This also put us very close to the bottom of the Col, which no longer seemed nearly as steep or intimidating. The climb was pleasant class 2 on very stable rock. There were a few spots where hands were required, but no exposure. I backpack in Vibram Five Finger shoes and had no problem climbing it.

The north side of the Col, down to Hopkins Lake, is steep at the top with lots of large talus to navigate. There are some cliffs to be avoided by descending in a northerly direction before turning more eastward towards Hopkins Lake.

PHOTOS

Grinnell Lake with Red & White Mountain and Pace Col. This is where we floated our backpacks across the lake. Grinnell Col is visible on the far right side of the photograph. Traversing under the cliffs to the base of the Col. Much nicer than navigating the endless talus shoreline! Approaching the Col. It's already looking much less steep and challenging than it did from the other side of the lake. Halfway up. Stunning views. This photo really puts into perspective how much time we saved and misery we avoided by floating our packs across the lake. Navigating Grinnell's shoreline does NOT look fun! Hands required in a few spots. Top of Grinnell Col. Big blocky talus on the north side. Slow and steady to Upper Hopkins Lake. The top of the Col is the obvious saddle. Heading straight down from the top of the Col will land you at a cliff band. Descend in a northward direction, staying to the (looker's) right until you see a way through. A more direct descent would be the obvious chute to the (looker's) left of the Col, but a bit of down-climbing would be required. Our route up the Col.

I wanted to add a revised photo to help identify the Col. If you look down Red & White Mountain's southeast ridge line, you will see two prominent horns with a saddle between them. They appear even more dramatic and horn-like from the opposite side when viewed from Big McGee Lake. These horns are above the upper Grinnell Lake and one might mistake the steep talus slope heading straight down to the lake for Grinnell Col. This is not Grinnell Col.

Grinnell Col is further southeast down the ridge, above the lower lake, and is not visible from the upper lake. The route between the horns connects Big McGee Lake to Grinnell Lake. It is much steeper, but apparently a viable route as well (I have not done it, yet). Grinnell Col connects Grinnell Lake with the Upper Hopkins Lake basin. Some route descriptions mis-identify the Col as the route between the horns.

Grinnell Col is above the lower lake, not between the horns. Red & White Mountain panoramic from Hopkins Pass. The route between the horns looks steep! If you're coming from Big McGee Lake, Grinnell Col is not visible until you reach the top of Hopkins Pass. The horns are visually stunning and the route between them looks burly! Thankfully Grinnell Col is a much better route to Grinnell Lake.