|
After a mellow
Saturday on Cathedral Peak, Sunday's agenda was a bit
more ambitious -- a dayhike of the classic NE Ridge of
Bear Creek Spire. While eating dinner at the
Tioga Gas Mart, I had a fine stroke of luck when my
Blackberry picked up an email from Eric O, Truckee
resident and local climbing and skiing maven. He
wanted to join Joe and I on our run up BCS.
Perfect. Plans were made to meet at Mosquito
Flat by first light. At the trailhead, I crawled
into the back of the trusty wagon and called it a day.
Joe and Eric were there
as planned in the morning, and after a few
pleasantries and nutella-slathered poptarts, we were
off for the long but flat hike to the base of Bear
Creek Spire.
|
|
|
|
 |
Heading out. Joe and Eric at first light.
Bear Creek Spire in the center of the photo, looking
quite a long ways away... |
|
 |
Long
Lake. We
stopped for awhile at Long Lake to just gaze and the
incredible reflection of the peaks on the glassy
surface. Quite simply the most amazing lake
reflection I've ever seen. |
|
 |
Got
Talus?
After picking out various ski lines on the surrounding
peaks, we finally hit Gem Lakes and then the endless
talus slopes above. We would be on talus for
about the next 8 hours. Oof! |
|
|
Dade
Lake. The
amazingly blue Dade Lake at the base of Bear Creek
Spire.
|
|
|
Eric O.
Thank god we had Eric with us. He kept us on
route and calmed me down when I thought we were going
to get cliffed out on at least ten separate ocassions
:-)
(photo: J.Stewart).
|
|
 |
Starting
up the NE Ridge.
Eric and Joe start up the ridge. Class 2
boulders soon yield to consistent class 3 scrambling,
which then leads to steep class 4, and even a little
big of class 5 (this route is a classic old Sierra
sandbag in my opinion).
|
|
 |
Il Duomo?
Right near the first tower, there are some really cool
rock features along the ridge. The straiations
in the rock reminded me of the Duomo in Sienna.
|
|
 |
Resting.
Eric O waits for the other two slowpokes. The
pointy summit of Mt. Dade in the background.
|
|
 |
Getting
harder. Joe
steps around a gendarme about halfway up the ridge.
The exposure here is getting more serious, but the
views are getting better too.
|
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
BACK
