|
|
|
 |
Looking
down the chute. This shot looks down from
about halfway up the chute. It is mostly class 2
or easy class 3. About 100 feet below the top of
the chute, you will see an obvious crack on the right
side leading to the middle chute. |
|
 |
The
middle chute. Once you climb through the
crack, you get this view of the middle chute.
Right in front of you is our old friend the phallic
shaped rock. Traverse across to the chute, and
then climb up to another crack -- just below and to
the right of the phallic rock. |
|
 |
The
fabled chockstone.
When you climb through the next crack, you finally get
a view of the chockstone that guards the summit
ridge. A cave leads underneath the chockstone,
and then up to the summit. |
|
|
The
crux.
In order to get over to the base of the chockstone,
you've got this hairy traverse to negotiate. The
rock drops off sharply to the right, and a fall would
mean serious injury. Before I left on this trip,
I promised my wife that because I was traveling solo,
I wouldn't do anything too risky. I took a look
at the exposure and concluded that I should turn
back. [note: I came back to Whorl Mountain
two years later and found an
easier route around this traverse and over to the
chockstone]. |
|
|
View
from the top of the chute. So I didn't
make the summit, but I did nonetheless enjoy the
magnificent views. This shot looks southeast
towards Mt. Lyell (at center of photo). Mt.
Conness is on the left, and the summit of Banner Peak
is barely visible in the distance to the right of
Conness. |
|
|
The
"bench". Looking back
towards Horse Creek Pass, you can see the obvious
bench that leads to the peak. |
)
)
)
)
)
)
BACK
