[TR] Conness/North Peak - Glacier/NW Ridge - 6/17

[off_the_hook]

Trip: Mount Conness/North Peak - Conness Glacier/NW Ridge

 

Date: 6/18/2007

 

Trip Report:

At 5:25 am Sunday morning I set out from Saddlebag Lake to the Northwest Ridge of North Peak. I caught early morning light at the basin below North Peak and stopped many times for reflection photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Northwest Ridge of North Peak was a sweet route with nice exposure and views down to Upper MaCabe Lake. It was short though, and I was atop the summit of North Peak at 7:55 am.

 

 

 

View of the Northwest Ridge of North Peak and Sawtooth Ridge in the distance.

 

 

After resting on the summit, I headed down toward the Conness Glacier. I wasted some time figuring out a route through steep slabs (hoping I could avoid elevation loss) when should have just went around.

 

 

Once on the Conness Glacier, I cruised up to the couloirs that went to the East Ridge. I chose the middle couloir sneaking around a bergshrund around the far right side (photo below). The couloir had hard snow so I ascended carefully with my trail runner/crampon set-up.

 

 

 

Once atop the coulior it was a short walk to the summit of Conness, arriving at 10 am. On top of Conness, I enjoyed the views with a climber who had done the NW Ridge of North Peak earlier in the morning and soloed the North ridge of Conness while I did the Conness glacier.

 

View of Lyell Canyon.

 

View from Conness to Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne

 

View to Half Dome and Cloudsrest.

 

I left the summit and headed down the East Ridge and then into the Alpine lake/Carnegie Institute valley. The basin was gorgeous, but the mosquitoes kept me moving. The walk back up to Saddlebag was a bit of a slog and I arrived at the trailhead at 12:10, 6 hours and 45 minutes after starting.

 

 

Gear Notes:

Ice axe and crampons used and needed on Conness Glacier route, especially in couloir.

 

Approach Notes:

Trail in good shape.

[Weekend_Climberz]

Damn, nice photos. :tup:

 

Where's all the rain and clouds though

[dbconlin]

I spent an entire summer backpacking through that part of the park, mostly off-trail and cross-country, for a job. Unfortunately, I did not carry a camera.

 

Thanks for bringing back those memories.

[skitchmo]

Thanks for posting those pics, I miss that country terribly. Brings back memories of terrifying lightning, a fun jaunt up North Peak Couloir, a relaxing fat splief and an unexpected navy helicopter popping over the ridge...

[rhyang]

Nice work The north ridge of Conness is a great solo, though I personally wimped out and rapped the 5.6 downclimb Didja get any shots of the right couloir on North Peak ?