Piute Pass

Hiked: 8/24/2024
Distance: 11.2 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 11416' (Piute Pass)
Elevation Gain: 2355'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.9
Round trip time: 6 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 92 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free at North Lake trailhead
Difficulty: Moderate

Our second day in the Mammoth area was also the second day of the freak August storm. When we stepped outside our cabin at Convict Lake, we were greeted with snow and howling winds. We decided to drive south to see if we could get away from the worst of it. We went about 15 miles south, but were still getting snow. We continued all the way to Bishop, then drove up to the North Lake trailhead. With zero prep, we considered this an exploration. Two major trails leave the North Lake campground. One heads to the Lamarck Lakes, and the other to Piute Pass. We chose the Piute Pass trail that also had many lakes along the way. The parking lot was packed and we had to park in the overflow lot. The Piute Pass trail started gently, climbing up a canyon toward red spires and eventually Mount Emerson. It was a beautiful area. As is my nature, I studied every jutting granite crest looking for the best ascent routes. Of course, I had zero knowledge of the area and didn't want to drag Leisa into an unnecessary disaster.

Mount Emerson
We continued climbing the trail as it became steeper with chunky steps. We finally reached the first major lake: Loch Leven. A blast of wind hit us and I thought we were going to get pummeled going forward. However, the terrain protected us and we continued past several more small lakes before reaching Piute Lake. Mount Emerson was sheer and jagged on the right, while Mount Thoreau dominated the left side the canyon. The scenery only improved. We met several backpackers on their way out who mentioned the harsh conditions over the last 24 hours. Soon, we topped out at Piute Pass and looked into the amazing basin below. Mount Humphreys rose ominously in the north, and large mountains loomed to the south that were complete unknowns. On the other side of the pass, we were no longer protected from the wind and it squashed any lingering ideas I had about trying to claim a summit. We dropped below the pass back into safety and took our time on the way down. When we got back, I looked into routes to Thoreau and discovered a long battle had been waged over the name. The Sierra Club had named it Mt. George Davis, but a group of mountaineers worked to name it Thoreau to match neighboring Emerson (and other reasons). They went so far as a write a book arguing their case called "Naming Mt. Thoreau". Most of the sites and maps I visited have named it Thoreau, so their campaign was evidently successful, though the USGS remains silent on the issue. Fascinating stuff.

Loch Leven

Piute Lake

Mount Thoreau on the other side

Looking west from Piute Pass

Mount Humphries to the north

Gaylor Peak

Hiked: 8/23/2024
Distance: 5.2 miles round trip on trail and use trail
Summit Elevation: 11028'
Elevation Gain: 1744'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 3 hours 35 minutes
Recommended water: 48 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 National Parks Fee
Difficulty: Easy

Leisa and I were spending a few days in a cabin at the Convict Lake Resort. We had plans to hike a 12er or 13er, but a freak storm descended on us, bringing high winds and dropping the wind chill 50F in less than 48 hours. So, we set our sights on something less ambitious: Gaylor Peak. Gaylor is just over 11000' and just inside the Yosemite Tioga Pass entrance. We drove to the parking lot and got going. The trail gained 500' quickly before we cleared the trees and saw Gaylor ahead. The wind was steady at 25-30mph with gusts to 45mph. We were well bundled except for our faces, which took the brunt of the wind. There was a decent use trail weaving up into the talus. Fortunately, there were a few stands of pines that offered shelter at several points along the way. The wind grew more fierce as we got closer to the top and it took some effort to stay balanced on some of the rocks. We reached the top, finding no register and no marks, and spent only enough time for photos. The views were nice in all directions, with lakes on all sides of the mountain. We descended the same way, then continued down the trail to Middle Gaylor Lake, then to Upper Gaylor Lake. The northern aspect of Gaylor Peak looked more impressive. The trail climbed up a small hill and ended at cabin ruins and an open mine shaft (Gaylor mine). We turned around there and hiked back against the wind.

First sight of Gaylor

Summit

Looking at the north side of Gaylor from cabin ruins

Wide open mine shaft

Mt. Dana and Mt. Gibbs on the descent

Divide Peak, Landells East, and Landells Peak

Hiked: 8/12/2024
Distance: 5 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 9068' (Divide), 9356' (Landells)
Elevation Gain: 1700'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.3
Round trip time: 4 hours 45 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: $35 aerial tramway and $15 parking
Difficulty: Moderate (scramble, route finding)

Sean Green and I set out for Divide Peak and Landells Peak near San Jacinto. We took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to Mountain Station, got our permits from the ranger station, and headed down the Willow Springs trail. At one mile, there was a junction with the High Peak trail and the Hidden Divide Natural Preserve area starts just after that. We got glimpses of Divide Peak on the way, but trees blocked any view of the peak from the junction. We left the trail and started uphill through deadfall and knee high brush, quickly reaching the granite base of Divide Peak. After a couple of class 3 sections, we sat on top of Divide Peak looking down on Hidden Lake. I found an old ink pen below the summit, but no register. We could also see Landells not far away and numerous pinnacles of granite in between.

Divide Peak from the trail

Hidden Lake below

Two on Divide
We descended the same way and started a sidehill traverse west toward Landells. We reached a saddle between the peaks and started climbing an airy class 3 wall. The wall had chunky, solid holds. It could have been a climbing gym wall. When we reached the top, we realized that Landells was at the west end of the pinnacles. We climbed an unnamed summit, about 50' lower than Landells but higher than the intervening pillars. I dubbed it Landells East. While I was disappointed, it was the best and most sustained scrambling of the day. Worth a visit. We down climbed Landells East and continued our westward traverse.

Traversing toward Landells Peak

Chunky holds to Landells East

Two on Landells East
Before we reached Landells, Sean started feeling some intense leg pain. He didn't want to injure himself so he headed down to High Trail and said he would meet me at the trail junction. I continued toward Landells and reached the class 2 summit block only a few minutes later. I found a register in a container wedged between two rocks. It went back a few years, but did not have many entries. The cover said Luella Todd Peak. Inside were a couple of entries calling it Landells Peak. I returned to High Trail and met Sean at the junction. We decided to walk the quarter mile to Hidden Lake since it was new to both of us. Hidden Lake was a high altitude lake fed by snow melt with a granite basin holding the water. The lake itself was off limits, but we walked to the end of the trail with a nice overlook to Palm Springs. An interesting area and ecosystem. On the way back, we met Ranger James, and we had a long discussion about Luella Todd vs. Landells. He said Luella Todd was a Sierra Club membrr they named the peak after. The state dedicated the peak to Don Landell, owner of the helicopter aviation company that helped build the tramway. The official San Jacinto wilderness maps provided have it labeled Landells Peak. So, some dispute about the name persists, but I decided to stick with Landells. I have no dog in the fight. The official California topo maps I checked don't assign any name to the peak other than 9356'. As an aside, Ranger James said Landells and Divide Peaks both fall within the Hidden Divide Natural Preserve and carry hefty fines if you are caught off trail. We were not fined. The boundaries of the preserve are not shown on any map, so hiker beware. This was a really fun excursion and I credit Eric Newcomb for his original report that planted this trip in my head. I'd been wanting to climb these peaks for years.

Landells summit block

San Jacinto and satellites

Looking back at Landells East

Toro, Rabbit, and Martinez in the distance

Other Reports:
Landells, Divide Peak and more via Cactus to Clouds (Eric Newcomb)

Palisade Glacier

Hiked: 8/4/2024 to 8/5/2024
Distance: 17 miles round trip on trail and cross country
Summit Elevation: 12362'
Elevation Gain: 5136'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 4.5
Round trip time: 10 hours 15 minutes
Recommended water: 200 oz.
Parking/Fees: $16 backpacking permit (Inyo National Forest)
Difficulty: Strenuous

Leisa planned a backpacking trip to the Big Pine Creek area with a permit for the third lake. I had only seen this area through haze from the summit of Cloudripper. There were nine or more lakes in this basin fed from dozens of Eastern Sierra mountains. Backpacking is not my favorite way to visit the mountains. I prefer to go fast and light, even if I start and return in the dark, then sleep in a comfortable bed. However, it was a chance spend more time with her in the wilderness. We packed up and got to the Big Pine overnight trailhead around 3:00 PM. The hike in to the third lake was about 5.8 miles and about 3000' gain and our camp site was just over 10000'. It was hot as we hiked the north fork of Big Pine, but cooled off as we reached the third lake. All the trails were well signed. The first three lakes were classic, glacier fed beauties. From the second lake, we had a front row view of Temple Crag. After we got set up, we only had about an hour of daylight left, which we spent appreciating the area.

Temple Crag from 2nd lake

The next morning, we took our day packs and continued up to Sam Mack Meadow. This was an idyllic green garden spot in a granite bowl. Sheets of snow clung tenaciously in shaded crags. There was a wide crossing of Big Pine Creek North Fork and we got our feet wet, but we didn't need to wade. On the other side, the trail climbed aggressively. Even though we had slept at elevation, we both felt breathy and took plenty of breaks. Mount Robinson dominated the landscape until we reached about 11500'. Then, we were treated to views of famous eastern giants: Mount Sill, Mount Gayley, North Palisade, Thunderbolt, Winchell, and Agassiz. I had aspirations of attempting Sill this year, but could not find an available partner and was unwilling to try it solo. One other hiker passed us on the way to the glacier and we met up with him again at the top. A half mile before the glacier, the official trail ended. To continue, we faced a quarter mile sidehill scramble on loose, sandy boulders. Dozens of cairns dotted the boulder field to guide us through. This was the hardest part of the hike and Leisa almost tapped. We dropped our poles in the boulder field because they were detrimental and she persevered. The last quarter mile was over slabs, also heavily marked with cairns, but much easier terrain. We stopped at a high point on the lip of the glacier bowl at 12362'. The glacier didn't quite fill the bowl. Sheets of ice and semi-truck sized chunks of ice floated in the lake. Ice and snow shelves were stacked in the U-notch below North Palisade. It was primordial. We were only 0.6 miles from Mount Sill but still almost 1800' below it. I was humbled in the presence of these mountains, so close and so inaccessible. After hanging out for a while, we returned to camp, packed up, and hiked out. It was a memorable experience. I'd like to see some of these mountains up close again.

Looking back at Sky Haven

Crossing the creek at Sam Mack Meadow

Lakes three, two, and one

Starting through the boulder field

Slab work

Palidsade Glacier and Mt. Sill (left)

Mt. Gayley and Mt. Sill

Descending toward Sam Mack Meadow