TR NE Chute Mt Langley 7/4-6 2003

[Wandering Daisy]

Trip Report: Mt Langley and Corcoran
July 4-5, 2003

Day1. 7/04/03: Tuttle Creek TH to Basecamp

The day before, Dave and I drove to the east side and walked up to Stone House to camp. RJ Secor and Brian Smith met us at 8:30AM next day. Checking gear we realized the rope was left at the car. RJ and Brian started up to basecamp while Dave and I went back to the car and returned to the Stone House by 9:30. RJ and Brian took the “low trail” and Dave and I took the “high trail”. You get your misery either way- at some point you have to climb up miserable loose sand. We caught up to Brian and RJ snoozing on a rock at Boulder Camp.

We continued up the hard-to-find use trail and were not pleased with the campsites below the Tuttle Obelisk, so continued up what is referred to as “Dome Camp” at about 11,000 feet. We arrived about 4:30. Since it was Fourth of July, I added to the excitement by blowing up my propane canister stove. Upon lighting, the whole thing caught on fire and soon “KABOOM”. Later we found shrapnel about 50 feet away and never did find the stove parts. For future safety, if your stove catches on fire, run and hide! We got hit with sand grains but thankfully no sharp shrapnel. After dark we watched small puffs of red and yellow fireworks in Lone Pine.

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Day2. 7/05/03: Corcoran –Tuttle Pass Traverse

Saturday we headed out to do the traverse from Corcoran to Tuttle Pass at about 6AM. We angled up slabs forever and then hopped rocks and snow until we were below the north notch. The north notch is a miserably loose steep chute. RJ wedged a huge rock over his foot and thankfully was able to safely extract it without damage. We finally found the key chimney to the route, and headed to the top on 3rd class scrambling, arriving at 11AM. After lunch on top we were not successful in finding any route around Corcoran to Sharks Tooth without significant elevation loss. Prudence dictated and we headed back. While snacking below the north notch chute, a HUGE rock fall let loose in the adjacent chute – exactly where we walked earlier!! Out on the moraine, we were well protected, but I still jumped behind a rock, while everyone laughed at me. Dave, Brian and I continued on down and arrived at camp at 5PM. RJ climbed Pt 3925 to obtain photographs of the south face of Lone Pine for his guidebook. RJ liked the miserable scree so much that he climbed it twice since he left his ice axe on top.

While RJ was retrieving his ice axe, three mountain sheep bounced down the rock and snow very close to camp without seeing us. This was a real treat. RJ got to see tracks in the snow when he arrived at 7:30PM. Unfortunately seeing tracks was not quite the same as seeing the sheep; we sent him photographs later. So far we were having an eventful trip; explosions, rock fall, and mountain sheep! What next?

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[Wandering Daisy]

Day3. 7/06/03: Climb Mt. Langley Northeast Chute and walk out

Sunday Brian, Dave and I headed out at 6AM to climb Langley and RJ headed out. We chose the NE Chute, a route with a very vague description that RJ needed more data for his guidebook update. Getting to the chute was fine as long as we could find snow. As we went higher, the chute got steeper and snow became scarcer.

While snacking, a rock the size of a beach ball came ricocheting down the chute. We ran to the edge. A bit shaken, we continued upward, hugging the walls of the chute, that went on forever, steeper, looser, and more miserable every minute. Finally we hit the large blocky east-ridge and got about half an hour of nice third class scrambling. After crossing an amazingly sun-cupped snowfield, we hit the summit plateau and arrived on top by 12:30. From the register, we saw that we had just missed another party who came up the regular route from the south side. We lunched, relaxed, and took photos in perfect weather. Dave’s comment was that this was the most miserable route he had ever done for one 5th class boulder move. We all agreed that this route should not be done without the chute fully covered with snow.

We chose a different route to descend. Heading down the north ridge to Tuttle Pass looked like the obvious way down on the map. We walked along the gently sloping summit plateau staying next to the north face. Then we hit a steeper section that channeled us into a steep gully. Down we went and cliffed out. At the lip of the cliff we found a short, but exposed and tricky climb up the right hand rib that lead to the top of another chute. Again we descended the steep chute and cliffed out. Things looked bad. The chute ended in two cliffs, impossible to the right and not much better to the left. I climbed down the left wall. a tricky 4th class route but with big handholds. Dave and Brian chose the short difficult chimney after cleaning off all the loose rock. We came very close to having to walk back up and go down the miserable NE Chute. Luckily, we now could contour directly to Tuttle Pass, which actually was not too bad; just scree-skiing and an easy walk back to camp, arriving at 2:30PM.

Rather than put up with the mosquitoes we made soup, packed up and headed out at 4PM. We were doing great until we missed the use trail on the lower part. Tired and dusty we reached the Stone House. Having just climbed a 14,000-foot peak and descended 7,000 feet, my toes had every right in the world to complain. We reached the cars at about 7:30 and Brian drove home and Dave and I crashed in a motel in Lone Pine.

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Detailed Route Description, NE Chute Mt Langley

From camp, we worked our way up the slabs and grassy ledges to the southwest side of the alluvial fan radiating from the northeast gully (class 2). We then climbed up the edge of the fan staying close to the east facing cliffs and entered the chute on easy low angle snow. The chute gradually becomes steeper. When on snow, it was mainly steep scree and loose boulders. It was miserable and endless; worse than the north chute to Corcoran. It really is a chute with steep rock walls on either side. As the sun warms the cute, large boulders came crashing down. For safety we mainly climbed next to the rock walls, first on the northwest (right) wall. About half way up a buttress splits the chute; we went left (southeast) and stayed close to the left wall. We climbed until we were on the East Ridge (cairn here). Then we scrambled on the south side of the ridge over blocks (easy Class 3) until we encountered a sun-cupped snow field that we crossed to gain the summit plateau.

What appeared on the topo map as an easy descent to Tuttle Pass turned out to be quite complex. We followed the summit plateau adjacent to the north face in an arc west then northwest down gentle sloping sand to about 4,060 meters, where it abruptly steepened. At 4,000 meters we entered a very steep chute and descended (about 500 feet) until it ended in a impassable cliff. On the right hand side directly at the drop-off we had to climb a very blocky exposed 10 feet of 4th class rock onto the right hand rib to enter the adjacent chute. It took another 20 feet traverse and descent a chimney (Class 4) to drop into this chute. (If ascending this route, you probably would want to rope up). We then descended this chute (about 300 feet) until the main chute ended in a 50-foot sheer cliff. To the left was a small chimney that accessed the gully to the left (the original gully that we could not get down higher up). I down climbed the face adjacent to the chimney, and Dave and Brian down-climbed the chimney (about 3 difficult moves). The climbing was difficult 4th class, but thankfully not terribly exposed. We then descended angling right around the buttress that separated the main chute from our little chimney, and traversed on blocks, essentially staying level until we hit Tuttle Pass exactly at its top. From the base of the pass it was easy going over snow and sand. The route is well cairned.

[SweetSierra]

Thanks for posting a trip report (with such good photos) on an adventurous climb. I love the photos of the bighorn sheep.

[Gogd]

Wow that was quite the trip. Never a dull moment (if you don't include the endless scree and sand slogs). Glad you use your stove outside of your tent. Let this stove incident serve to warn folks that even campers with decades of experience are not immune from stove mishaps; therefore operating a stove inside a tent or vestibule should be avoided at all costs.

Your TR makes me glad the two times we approached Langley from Tuttle Creek were done in January and April as ski mountaineering routes. Our biggest hassle was finding a way through the low elevation scrub, since a blanket of snow obscured the trail. Both of our trips made the final approach by traversing from somewhat below Dome camp, southward up the ridgeline defining the east side of the NE Chute, then over the East Buttress of Langley into the couloir below Dias Pass, then up to the Sierra Crest from there. I don't know if that route works in the summer, but it appeared both safer and easier under the conditions we experienced, than the conditions along the NE Chute and Tuttle Pass. Spring conditions mandated we start out for the summit run early on the April trip, before the snow and ice warmed, turning the bowls and couloirs into shooting galleries of rock fall and wet snow avalanches. As it was we got to the top too late, and missed the time window for a safe descent, so we overnighted on the south slope of Langley. It warmed early the next day, forcing us to take the long, safer way home, via Cottonwood Pass, and thumb rides back to our truck on Tuttle Creek.

What you refer to as the Stone House I knew as the Tuttle Creek Ashram. The structure has an eccentric backstory, alluded to by inscriptions and other evidence left by the folks who built the structure. I don't recall the Tuttle Obelisk or Dome Camp having any name associated to these locations, back when we conducted our trips in the early 1980s.

Ed

[Harlen]

Wandering Daisy wrote:

When on snow, it was mainly steep scree and loose boulders. It was miserable and endless; worse than the north chute to Corcoran. It really is a chute with steep rock walls on either side. As the sun warms the cute, large boulders came crashing down. For safety we mainly climbed next to the rock walls, first on the northwest (right) wall. About half way up a buttress splits the chute...

At 4,000 meters we entered a very steep chute and descended (about 500 feet) until it ended in a impassable cliff. On the right hand side directly at the drop-off we had to climb a very blocky exposed 10 feet of 4th class rock onto the right hand rib to enter the adjacent chute. It took another 20 feet traverse and descent a chimney (Class 4) to drop into this chute. (If ascending this route, you probably would want to rope up). We then descended this chute (about 300 feet) until the main chute ended in a 50-foot sheer cliff. To the left was a small chimney that accessed the gully to the left (the original gully that we could not get down higher up). I down climbed the face adjacent to the chimney, and Dave and Brian down-climbed the chimney (about 3 difficult moves). The climbing was difficult 4th class, but thankfully not terribly exposed.

Thank you very much for the detailed description... of a route to scare the crap out of us!
The better you describe the intricacies-- read RISKS! of your route, the less it appeals to my cautious nature. Are you recommending this heinous-sounding route, or warning us away from it? I think I want to read Dave's account of the day, before trying it.
I'm glad you all survived. Ian.

p.s. Love the photo of the Towers.

[Jimr]

What you refer to as the Stone House I knew as the Tuttle Creek Ashram. The structure has an eccentric backstory, alluded to by inscriptions and other evidence left by the folks who built the structure.
Ed

Dr. Franklin Wolff. He and his followers practiced Advaita Vedanta, as far as can tell. I was reading a bit about him a couple of years ago.

[Wandering Daisy]

The trip was RJ's CMC lead trip with the purpose of climbing Mt Corcoran. He was in the process of gathering information and getting photos for the third? edition. He had very little details on the NE Chute but had to leave early. He gave us the route description and we agreed to do it. He did not twist our arms; we thought it would be interesting. We sent him our trip experience. I do not know what he did with it since I never bought the updated guide. I really had not considered that in July, rocks frozen in place up top would so quickly melt and come loose. When you look up the chute you cannot see any snow on top. But when we got there, we knew that was where the rocks came from. It may be an OK route after snow has melted, but it was pretty much miserable, regardless of safety issues. There is a lot of crappy rock on Langley.

[JosiahSpurr]

You wrote:

"We were doing great until we missed the use trail on the lower part."

I've struggled through that lower part more than once. It's so cluttered with wetland bushes and downed trees that a use trail is useless- it disappears over time. I'd like to work with folks to find a way back down to the bridge that crosses the trail to the Stone House over Tuttle Creek. Either something that's obvious to see, or a "trail" description. I have an office in Lone Pine for free lodging. Ty.

[Gogd]

You wrote:

"We were doing great until we missed the use trail on the lower part."

I've struggled through that lower part more than once. It's so cluttered with wetland bushes and downed trees that a use trail is useless- it disappears over time. I'd like to work with folks to find a way back down to the bridge that crosses the trail to the Stone House over Tuttle Creek. Either something that's obvious to see, or a "trail" description. I have an office in Lone Pine for free lodging. Ty.

The same goes for riparian zones blocking the Owens Valley approaches to Lone Pine Peak, Owen's Point, among dozens of others. The Sierra guards her jewels.

Well it goes without saying this route is no mere nature walk! A trail description would be nice, but there is no enduring trail to document. The terrain is too unstable for such route to be sustainable.

Much as those with the skill and determination to take on this route agree that it can confound the intrepid, I think most also have no desire to add any improvements to mark the route. In fact a large part of what makes the Tuttle Creek Route appealing is the challenge to efficiently navigate this minimally impacted ravine. You can't get lost on Tuttle Creek, but you can waste the whole day getting no where if you can't read the terrain. Furthermore the "ideal" course is not fixed, every season - and after every big storm - the route gets altered. The last thing we need is another route to the top of Langley marked by flocks of ducks and clans of ghostlike, giant cairns pointing the way.

Ed