[TR] Mt. Conness, West Ridge 7/4/2012, Yosemite NP

[SmilingWhiteKnuckles]

Trip: Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite NP - Mt. Conness, West Ridge

 

Date: 7/4/2012

 

Trip Report:

I snuck quietly out of our Tuolumne Meadows campground site at 3am as the family continued sleeping and drove up to Tioga Pass and then up towards Saddlebag Lake. Aptly, it was Independence Day.

 

Following Peter Croft's descriptions in his excellent "The Good, The Great, and The Awesome" guidebook, I hiked in under a full moon and then blue sky and sun sun sun and climbed the "left prong" of Mt. Conness' West Ridge.

 

The climb lived up to it's 3-star (the max) rating. Exposure was terrific as was the route. Seeing boy scouts on top was a cheering, and that they unfurled the colonel's flag on the summit was downright moving.

 

Longer report and photos here:

 

 

 

Gear Notes:

Tiger Tails, harness, a few pieces of pro. Clipped an existing anchor on one downclimbing move (off the 'diving board' formation just past the crux) but didn't use the pro otherwise. Approach shoes were perfect.

 

Approach Notes:

It ain't the Cascades.

Edited July 25, 2012 by SmilingWhiteKnuckles