Jump to content

[TR] Mount Darwin & Mendel - North Face 7/7/2007


off_the_hook

Recommended Posts

Trip: Mount Darwin & Mendel - North Face

 

Date: 7/7/2007

 

Trip Report:

On Saturday we climbed the North Face of Mount Darwin and the East Face of Mount Mendel in the Evolution region of Kings Canyon National Park. We departed the North Lake parking lot at 4:25 am and returned at 4:55 pm for a 12.5 hour roundtrip. We reached Lamarck col at 6:40 am and were treated to a great view.

 

765534005_907c540d05_b.jpg

Mount Darwin (left) and Mount Mendel (right).

 

darwin0001.JPG

The route goes straight up the snow slope, narrowing to a small couloir near the summit plateau.

 

darwin0002.JPG

Looking up the North Face of Mount Darwin.

 

darwin0004.JPG

 

darwin0003.JPG

Ascending the North Face of Mount Darwin on perfect Neve.

 

darwin0006.JPG

Final icy couloir up to the summit plateau.

 

darwin0008.JPG

Mount Darwin summit plateau and pinnacle. We reached the summit at 9:30 and enjoyed the beautiful views and fun pinnacle for 45 minutes.

 

darwin0009.JPG

Fiske, Warlow, Huxley in Evolution Basin.

 

darwin0011.JPG

Evolution Basin and Mount Goddard.

 

765534181_f546e727e5_b.jpg

 

darwin0010.JPG

 

darwin0013.JPG

Exposed traverse around to the scramble up the Darwin summit pinnacle.

 

765533913_8fa89c5bc6_b.jpg

Looking down to Darwin Canyon.

 

darwin0012.JPG

Summit pinnacle of Mount Darwin. We could see the billowing smoke from the fires near independence from the summit of Darwin.

 

darwin0031.JPG

 

darwin0014.JPG

 

darwin0015.JPG

Summit pinnacle of Mount Darwin.

 

765534229_57c596072f_b.jpg

 

We descended the northwest ridge of Mount Darwin to the Darwin Glacier. After a break, I set out for Mount Mendel, reaching the summit at 12:30 pm. The route up Mendel was not very interesting, but the mountain afforded nice views of Darwin and the Evolution valley.

 

darwin0016.JPG

Evolution Valley from Mount Mendel.

 

darwin0032.JPG

Mount Darwin from the summit of Mount Mendel. The Darwin Glacier is melting out fast.

 

After some photos on the summit of Mendel, I descended back to the glacier and then we set off for the climb back up to Lamarck col.

 

darwin0017.JPG

Darwin Canyon.

 

The North Face of Darwin is an excellent route up an impressive peak. With great weather and conditions, we had a blast!

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Axe/crampons.

 

Approach Notes:

In good shape.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 6
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

OTH,

 

You're on the grand tour, man. As a kid, I used to walk by all these peaks on family backpacking trips and dream about climbing them someday. My summer trips since have never ventured far outside Tuolumne, though. Your reports are motivating me to change that! Cheers

 

:tup::brew:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks.

 

Alpaholic, I don't have pictures of the couloirs since I wasn't on the north side of the mountain. I could have taken photos looking down the couloirs from the summit plateau, but I wasn't thinking about it - sorry. They looked icy though. The descent down the east face is pretty straightforward - except taking a ledge to skiers left near the bottom to another gully is the easiest way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, the descent starts on a ledge system to your left as you drop down to the south off the summit. It picks up before the ridge gets narrow and wild looking. There are cairns--I am pretty sure one marks the entrance, and for a while as you get started it is almost a climbers trail. Then there are a few raps, one of which was pretty hinkey slung block where you can't really see much of the slings jammed back behind it--at the end of a narrow gravelly ledge..

 

Once down, I have always stayed right once I passed the first set of small lakes, because it looks like--and i have been warned--that you get cliffed out if you hug the base of Mendel’s east face, even though maps make it look OK. Maybe someone else has been that way.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




×
×
  • Create New...