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nutjob
climber
Berkeley, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 18, 2009 - 02:05am PT
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I would never have given the drive a chance, because mostly I'm a Highway 120 guy. I found a silver lining in the smokey clouds of the Yosemite fires.
I got inspired when I caught glimpses of this around bends in the road:
I pulled out at the first good spot to check it out, and what do I find right next to the parking spaces?
I immediately started lay-backing that thing in my flip-flops, got about 15 feet up and chickened out with sweaty feet. Down- climbed but vowed to return. Here's the spot:
Closer to the actual pass lies a wonderland of rock that looks like the lord put J-Tree, Tuolumne Meadows, and Dakota Badlands in a blender:
And the sunset was exquisite:
And I saw a bad moon rising. It was a full moon, obscured by a drift of clouds:
Pay attention to the road in them parts:
And then near Mono Lake, I decided to take advantage of the full moon light and take some longer exposures. This one I lightened up a bit, but no other retouching:
And this one absolutely no retouching:
As I neared the turn-off to crawl up Yosemite's backside, I couldn't resist the urge to visit the Mono Lake tufas by moonlight. My first experience in Joshua Tree ages ago was by full moon, and I went nuts scampering across the crazy landscape that looked like a college black-light party. This time I was looking for a more mellow contemplative communion with nature.
But I was also feeling playful, so experimented with flashlight painting:
It made me more tired than I wanted to be for the 3:30am start on Conness the next morning, and it made the drive back the following night almost unbearable. But I'm glad for the memories, for opening my horizons, and feeling like I'm getting my money's worth out of this spin around the planet.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 18, 2009 - 02:08am PT
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The Donell vista crags are just the gateway drugs...
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mucci
Trad climber
The pitch of Bagalaar above you
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Sep 18, 2009 - 02:16am PT
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Clandestine was the first word that came to mind!
Cool Pix
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
Idaho, also. Sorta, kinda mostly, Yeah.
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Sep 18, 2009 - 08:04am PT
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Oh, you'll return. Oh, yes.
Right on.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 18, 2009 - 11:13am PT
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Was that a sasquatch or an elephant in that headlight shot. It's hard to tell. Both are fairly common.
Also- any of you Sonora pass climbers need a partner on a Sunday, drop me a line. I'd love to check some of these things out.
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Tamara Robbins
climber
not a climber, just related...
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Sep 18, 2009 - 12:23pm PT
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Love the photos! That is one of my all time favorite drives. Try Ebbets Pass also - it's a gem. As for Donnells, that's where Dad (Royal) takes friends (and boyscouts) who are learning the "ropes"! Very familiar with it. Thanks for the post!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 22, 2009 - 10:32pm PT
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nothing but loose volcanic choss...
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splitclimber
climber
Sonoma County
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Sep 22, 2009 - 10:35pm PT
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OMG - he posted a pic of it. The Sonora beast is going to get you.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 22, 2009 - 10:44pm PT
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I don't buy that sh#t, but if you do, then the beast has to be one of those objective hazards much like avalanches and rock fall.
wear a helmut and climb in teams of two or more. don't camp alone.
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davidji
Social climber
CA
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Sep 22, 2009 - 10:47pm PT
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the sonora beast? Looked a lil like an elephant.
What is the crag in the "Closer to the actual pass" photo? Munge, that's the one I had tried to ask you about in email. Been tempted to just go to it and climb. If I can handle that approach...
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 22, 2009 - 11:05pm PT
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disregard, I see it now...
That's First Buttress
mucho wido on that
The big chockstone chimney looks to be the most amazing line on it. Dale Kaiser route from the 70s as mrtropy relates it.
as for the other wideness, not much reported, but there are some old bolts here and there. total adventure climbing.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 22, 2009 - 11:30pm PT
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Munge- I was hoping you'd show up to meet Batrock the other weekend. Put some faces to the years of names.
That is the best shot of the monster I have seen.
In the immortal words of Mitch Hedberg "I think bigfoot is blurry, and that scares me more. Somewhere out there is a large out of focus creature"
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 22, 2009 - 11:37pm PT
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werd, if I wasn't hacking up a lung between typing blatant lies and defamatory remarks, I'd offer up a tour. I'm waiting to see how this sickness pans out to see if I'll make it up there.
To be honest, I'm sure there will be some heads up on the Pass this weekend fooling around on stuff if you come up. Since it'll be toasty I'm betting early starts with beer by noon, bouldering in the cave by 2, and brewing coffee by 5pm for a rally in the evening.
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Sep 22, 2009 - 11:51pm PT
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I got sick for all of august, a total bummer and I still feel weird really.
Do folks camp at Chipmunk Flat?
My parents live near Fales hot springs on the Eastside, so I'm up around the pass a lot.
edit- saying things like bouldering in the cave by too sounds very tempting.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:05am PT
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gawd, I hope noone makes me go there anymore.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:13am PT
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Tom, I'll be damned, yeah, easy peasy to head up the hill if passing thru.
jaybro, sorry, you're committed for the rest of the season.
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Sep 23, 2009 - 12:55am PT
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Dude I climbed that thing with the obvious corner on the South side of the Highway 26 years ago.10a maybe most pitches are .7 or .8 up to the corner( some a little RO), but hey you're in the mountains, enjoy. There is some great potential around there.
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rhyang
climber
SJC
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:04am PT
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Nice pics !
I remember driving up over Sonora pass in the summer of '98 .. years before I started climbing, about nine months after I moved to CA. I stopped at that Donnell vista place and gazed out .. it was fantastic.
The preceding winter had been an El Nino, as you recall. Lots of snow still around at the higher elevations.
I spent time backpacking in the Emigrant and Carson-Iceberg Wilderness for some years, and snowshoe'd around Pinecrest in the winter. I only just started visiting the climbing spots on 108 about a year ago (Herring Creek Dome).
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:05am PT
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mark, 'hwy 26' huh? I musta missed sumthin
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Sep 23, 2009 - 01:14am PT
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Highway 26 is 2.6 decades ago, there is alot to "ferret" out around there but Those Ca climbers consider so much of what they see, "Munge" they don't even Check it out.
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