TR: Four SPS Peaks near Miter Basin – July 26, 2023

[Flamingo]

Hi All,
I backpacked over Cottonwood Pass and enjoyed 6 days of wilderness camping and peak-bagging around Rock Creek, Guyot Creek, and Miter Basin. I climbed four SPS peaks: Mount Guyot, Mount Chamberlin, Mount Pickering, and Mount Langley. I returned via New Army Pass.

Special Equipment: I carried an ice axe and 10-point crampons because my plans included climbing peaks that still held snowfields according to satellite images. Hilariously, I used my ice tools exactly once on this entire trip, and probably could have gone without them. Doh!

July 26 – Drive to Cottonwood Pass Trailhead
I drove from Oakland to Cottonwood Pass Trailhead. I took Highway 120, and enjoyed an extended hours-long break in Tuolumne Meadows, which is a lush heaven right now. The seasonal damage to Tioga Road is striking to see, especially near Olmstead Point.

July 27 – Cottonwood Pass to Rock Creek
I hiked from Cottonwood Pass trailhead to the PCT junction with Rock Creek. I carried my ice axe, crampons, 6 days of food, and a bear canister -– my normally ultralight backpack was much heavier than usual! I lumbered along the trail and somehow reached Cottonwood Pass at 12:30. I talked with a happy group of 5 people embarking on the JMT from this far southern point.

I continued on the PCT northbound and reached Rock Creek at 5:30pm. Along the way, I encountered several parties: two groups headed to Whitney, a couple PCT thru-hikers, a several section hikers. By the time I reached Rock Creek, I was feeling very tired, so I decided to camp here. I soaked in the frigid creek and immediately felt much better. Throughout the evening, I saw another half dozen groups hike through on the PCT, about one party every 45 minutes. A big group setup six tents across the creek, and they enjoyed a roaring campfire into the evening.

July 28 – Mount Guyot
I forded Rock Creek first thing in the morning. It came to my mid-thigh (I’m 5’11”). It was manageable for me, but it could have been problematic for others. I continued northbound on the PCT, ascended the steep switchbacks, and took a mid-morning break where the PCT crosses Guyot Creek. There’s a nice campsite here with space for two tents, on the north side of Guyot Creek approximately 30 meters east of the trail. I stashed my gear here and headed for Guyot Peak. Carrying only a small daypack, I practically flew uphill. At the pass, I left the trail and followed Guyot Peak’s northeastern ridge. I found several use trails along the way; this route is basically class 1 with easy navigation. I encountered a couple snow drifts along the way, although they were easily avoided. One hour later, I reached the summit ridge and traversed it approximately 50’ below on the north side. I was unable to find any SPS register on the true summit, nor any of the lesser nearby summits. *shrug?* The views were incredible in all directions, especially overlooking the Kern River canyon. I took a long nap on the summit, and probably stayed up there there for two hours.

In the afternoon, I retraced my route, and recovered my gear at Guyot Creek. I then left the trail and followed the creek upstream to its headwaters below Mount Chamberlain and the Crabtree Crags. Here I setup my second camp on a sandy bench above the headwater meadow. Guyot Creek was flowing strong this year, and the entire basin was lush and boggy. My camp was at treeline with big vistas all around. The alpenglow put on a show illuminating Chamberlain and the crags, and then later the star-gazing was excellent.

July 29 – Mount Chamberlain
I day-hiked Mount Chamberlain. From my basecamp at Guyot Creek headwaters, I headed northeast towards the base of Chamberlain’s western ridge. Along the way, I paused at the Guyot Creek tarn, which is fantastically photogenic and a worthy destination on its own. The entire route is class 1-2, and can be described in three sections. First, I gained the ridge by hiking through a steep foxtail pine forest, sometimes scrambling over easy boulders. Second, I slogged up sandy terraces to reach the false summit. Finally, I walked along the relatively flat ridge to reach the true summit. From basecamp to summit took 2.5 hours.

The Chamberlain SPS register dates to 9/22/04, and was placed by Larry Tidball and his group. You can read about their trip here [link].

After lounging on the summit for an hour, I returned to basecamp along Guyot Creek. I collected all my gear and descended along the PCT and returned to Rock Creek. I then hiked east along the Rock Creek trail to reach the upstream meadows at 10,400’. Here I found an excellent cowboy camp, in the woods overlooking a meadow. The creek flowed in a big circular arc nearby, and the vibe was reminiscent of places like McClure Meadow in Evolution Valley. I took advantage of the camp luxuries, such as the log seats and a giant stump that worked as a coffee table. I felt civilised to eat dinner not sitting on the ground!

July 30 – Relax Day
My goal was to enjoy a low-mileage rest day. I slept-in until 9am (shocking for me), and then lazed around camp until noon. I slowly made coffee and watched deer graze in the meadow. At some point, the Rock Creek ranger hiked past, and we enjoyed 30 minutes talking about routes, conditions, and favourite places in the mountains. She seemed like a very cool ranger! Eventually, I packed my gear and hiked another 1.5 miles up the trail.

I setup my fourth camp near the meadows below Erin Lake at 10,800’, on a durable sandy bench above the creek. The scene here was sublime. The granite towers of Mount Corcoran and Mount LeConte reflected in the lazy creek, and deer quietly grazed in the flooded meadows. It seemed like water and wildflowers were everywhere. Best of all, a light breeze kept mosquitos away. I napped in the shade for most of the afternoon. Later, I enjoyed a slow dinner and listened to podcasts while alpenglow illuminated everything pink.

July 31 – Mount Pickering
I day-hiked Mount Pickering. I left my basecamp at 9am, and reached the waterfall below Erin Lake 30 minutes later. Although I had been planning to scramble up the rock slabs on the north side of the falls, I was surprised to find an established use trail switchbacking steeply up the scree pile south of the waterfall. Using this route, I soon reached Erin Lake’s outflow, where I filled my water bottles and considered my next route options. I chose a counter-clockwise line circling up the sandy terraces on the eastern end of Pickering’s ridge. Near the top, I passed through the headwall weakness with a few class 2+ scrambling moves that were no big deal.

I strolled along Pickering’s plateau for nearly a mile, through a superbloom of Pacific Hulsea. The sun felt extra strong up here, so I took a 15-minute break behind a shady boulder. I then scrambled the final 500’ to reach the summit at 1pm. The SPS register dates to August 6, 2007 and was placed by Matthew Rangle.

I descended the way I came, and returned to my gear at 3pm. I submerged my entire body into the cold creek, sunbathed in the meadow, and then cooked a ramen meal. In the cool evening, I packed my gear and hiked for an hour to position myself better for climbing Mount Langley tomorrow. I returned to the New Army Pass Trail, and followed it uphill towards the pass. I camped in a sandy cirque at 11,300’ where the creek was still flowing strong.

As dusk arrived, a coyote ferociously barked in the boulders above my camp. It was a bit unnerving, but the cries eventually stopped. For the next hour, I was on the lookout for a coyote to emerge from the boulders and checkout my camp.

Late that night, around 2am, I awoke to the slow percussion of rain drops striking my tent. I practically jumped outside my sleeping bag, and raced around my tent to tighten guylines and seal the flaps. Back inside, safe and dry, I drifted to sleep with the soothing sound of rain bouncing all around.

August 1 – Mount Langley
I climbed Mount Langley and then returned to my car via New Army Pass.

When I emerged from my tent in the morning, dark storm clouds were building on the Sierra crest, and it seemed like rain could arrive soon. Despite the clouds, I decided to go for Langley anyway. I stashed my gear at Old Army Pass, and then cruised to Langley’s summit with only a day pack. I was feeling strong after several days of living at altitude, and I was proud of myself for how quickly I moved uphill. Rather than circling west on the established trail, I chose a shorter line through Langley's headwall and scrambled up boulders, which was fun and brief.

I reached Langley’s summit at 11:30 in solitude. A dark cloud pressed down on the the summit, so I felt urgency to quickly descend. Despite the weather, the views were excellent in all directions. My favourite vista was towards Sky Blue Lake, ringed by granite peaks with endless mountain ranges rising beyond.

By the way, the Mount Langley summit register is a mess. Both ammo boxes are filled with scrap paper, shredded books, and garbage. I didn’t bother to sign it.

Several days prior, the Rock Creek ranger mentioned to me concerns about the snow cornice on New Army Pass. I had been sort of worried about it. As I descended from Langley, I chatted with two guys that gave me great information: the official trail is blocked by an impossible cornice, but there exists a class 3 alternate route that starts approximately 150 meters east of the official pass. Following their tips, I easily found the alternate route. Overall it was straightforward class 2-3. The crux was navigating a steep snowfield (maybe 50-degree angle?) for approximately 30 vertical feet. I probably could have found another route down-climbing boulders, but instead I used this opportunity to – finally – use my ice axe and crampons.
I made a short video about it (LINK).

With all the peaks and passes behind me, I enjoyed a leisurely hike on trail back to Cottonwood Pass.

PHOTOS:
I've posted all my photos here on Flickr, and will post a few good ones in the comments below.

[Flamingo]

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[Flamingo]

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[Flamingo]

One last photo, thanks for reading my TR

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[michaelzim]

Cool trip and impressed with your multi peaks approach too!
Did I miss all the print about mosquitoes??? I looked for a report in "Conditions" in case I missed one but found nothing there - so did you plain not get bothered much by them even with all that water around?
Thanks for the TR.
M.

[c9h13no3]

I enjoyed the trip report to a part of the Sierra I rarely visit :-)

Your socks are ridiculous.

[Flamingo]

@michaelzim -- mosquitos did not feature prominently on this trip, but I imagine swarm levels are increasing as I write this.

I noticed a few mosquitos at the PCT crossing with Rock Creek, but for the most part of this trip I happily sat outside to cook dinner, take hike breaks, etc., without feeling bothered by bugs. At night, I slept inside my tarp tent (with bug net), because there were occasional mosquitos at night.

[levi]

Thanks for posting this Flamingo. Been eyeing a trip like yours for a while and should plan and execute it sometime.

The window for mosquitos is a curious thing, and I'm hoping an upcoming trip below 8000' might be just past that window. But I'll prepare for the worst

[kpeter]

Exciting! Though I am not a peak bagger, I enjoyed hiking some of those trails a few years ago. Rock Creek I thought was lovely, and the Guyot area has those rare foxtail pines! New Army Pass with the cornice certainly looks more challenging that I could manage, but I liked seeing your video and the careful way you figured it out. I second the socks! Thanks for bringing back some pleasant memories

[LMBSGV]

I’m also a non-peak bagger who really enjoys your reports. You always come up with interesting routes so it’s always fun to follow along. The Flickr photos tell a much more extensive and fascinating story with some amazing views. Since I don’t own or know how to use an ice axe, I’m glad I cancelled my permit for New Army Pass on August 1 and went elsewhere. Thanks for sharing your adventure.