Trip Report
Illilouette Drainage: rising from the ashes
Friday April 10, 2015 4:47pm
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Low angle, low worries: pitching it out above Illilouette Creek
Low angle, low worries: pitching it out above Illilouette Creek
Credit: pswitz
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Our childhood Yosemite missions always stuck to the same basic format: Start in the high country, spend a few days winding down in elevation, zip up the Half Dome cables before finishing at Happy Isles for tasty treats, then cruise the valley farting around on boulders and day hikes. Repeat the following year.

Returning to the old stomping grounds, we find that times have changed. Happy Isles has been erased, and the traditional pilgrimages from Tuolumne to the Valley are chock full of humans in the summer. The permits for most backcountry trailheads have booked for weeks, but there is an exception- Mono Meadow is wide open. Dusting off the topo, we investigate the Illilouette drainage and find domes, ridges, and steep terrain, with the formidable Mt. Starr King lording over it all. The die is cast.

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Scouting the Starr King approach, Dome Baez in the background. Note th...
Scouting the Starr King approach, Dome Baez in the background. Note the technical footwear
Credit: pswitz
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The plan is simple: Hump 5 days of stuff down to the creek, then set up shop and explore. The base of Starr King is only a few miles from the road, maybe we'll fire it the first day for style points.

20 minutes from the car and I'm already suffering from the load. On a gentle downhill. I foolishly decided that heading into the unknown with anything less than a "kitchen sink" kit of gear would be unsafe. So now with every switchback we curse the massive packs and thump our way through an old burn zone, the splendid views of Half Dome easing the pain.

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base camp-groveling in the ashes
base camp-groveling in the ashes
Credit: pswitz
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Starr King has many defenses to thwart the impure heart, the first of these we encountered was a lack of good campsites with water anywhere near the approach. The creek is far, far below the flanks of the dome, so we snuggled up to a mostly-dry stream bed that had a few trickles collecting in pools deep enough to dip a bucket, and set up shop. At this point the sun was well into the western sky, so we abandoned hopes of summiting the first day and did a recon mission of the approach instead.

Holy Crap! There is no easy way to get up to the base of Starr King. A fortress of burn zone guards the granite- the best way through dense spiky brush is by walking on top of a network of downed trees. The largest logs rise above the level of the brush so you can make it across relatively unscathed as long as your balance holds true... The nightmare scenario is pitching off a log eight feet down into the thorns- the squirrels would finish you off long before your partner could even find your corpse.

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Walking the plank above certain thorny doom...
Walking the plank above certain thorny doom...
Credit: pswitz
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The recon paid off in that the approach the next morning took us half the time to get to the base of the regular SE face route. Turns out we didn't wake up early enough, as we got stuck behind a Euro party of four, and a rowdy group from some gym in west L.A....

Just kidding, we were the only ones within miles and the silence up there is spooky. The route itself is clean rock that feels exposed despite it being low angle because you're so high above the surrounding terrain:

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The regular route.
The regular route.
Credit: pswitz
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You can space out for hours on the summit, slowly turning in circles getting hit with memories from all sides...

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The summit register is interesting enough to hold your attention despi...
The summit register is interesting enough to hold your attention despite the scenery
Credit: pswitz
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From the top of the peak you can scan the parade of golden domes lining the drainage and choose your next objective. We originally planned to put up a new 5.12 on each of the ten or so formations within a day's hike, but after 2 nights of camping in the dust and ashes we scrapped that plan and headed to the creek instead.

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Wonderland of slab and swimming holes
Wonderland of slab and swimming holes
Credit: pswitz
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The topo looked to be holding a delightful little section of rock a short distance from the trail. My oh my our instincts were true and we soon beheld a fantasy river gorge that offered a string-of-pearls chain of swimming holes bounded by moderately angled slab a few hundred feet tall. Of the many possible routes up the wall we chose this one based on its proximity to the biggest, deepest pool...

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Up the arching flake, belay.  Trend left up to a pod, belay.  Top out,...
Up the arching flake, belay. Trend left up to a pod, belay. Top out, down-lead another fun section, swim. Repeat as necessary
Credit: pswitz
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Belay #2.  Not as good as Grack, but no lines either
Belay #2. Not as good as Grack, but no lines either
Credit: pswitz
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After down-leading a different route back to the creek, we turned our attention to pool-jumping logistics. The biggest and bestest pool was protected by steep rock, but a 3rd class ramp led up to a tree less than a rope-length above the water. A hand line and arm rappel allowed access to the "exit" point-

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Pure fun, despite the lack of women or beer
Pure fun, despite the lack of women or beer
Credit: pswitz
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Spirits refreshed, the next day we navigated the brush maze again to do some top-roping on Dome Baez. (Who the hell lugs a ton of gear into the backcountry to toprope a dome with 5.11 multi-pitch routes on it? I do.)

Rather than climb back up to the car at Mono Meadow, we descended to the valley to backpackers camp, sampled some moderate routes then hitched back to the car to continue the trip in Tuolumne/ Mono Lake. From that point on we were on popular stuff you've seen a zillion times so just a photo recap...

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Still air and still mind- young lakes at sunset
Still air and still mind- young lakes at sunset
Credit: pswitz
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August is spring in high country
August is spring in high country
Credit: pswitz
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Conness, moody in the clouds
Conness, moody in the clouds
Credit: pswitz
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Alpine porn campsite during the golden hour
Alpine porn campsite during the golden hour
Credit: pswitz
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A welcoming ridge line across the way from Conness
A welcoming ridge line across the way from Conness
Credit: pswitz
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What delightful treat is tucked within this trailside lump of predator...
What delightful treat is tucked within this trailside lump of predator poo?
Credit: pswitz
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Vertebrae!  (squirrel-sized)
Vertebrae! (squirrel-sized)
Credit: pswitz
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A mellow cruise up Dozier Dome
A mellow cruise up Dozier Dome
Credit: pswitz
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Nut belays for days... perfect snug funnels right where you want them
Nut belays for days... perfect snug funnels right where you want them
Credit: pswitz
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Beneath Black Point looking south- Panum and other craters in the dist...
Beneath Black Point looking south- Panum and other craters in the distance
Credit: pswitz
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When reptiles attack!   .......   they cling calmly and tag along for ...
When reptiles attack! ....... they cling calmly and tag along for the ride
Credit: pswitz
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Apparently way back when, the National Guard tried to blow up a land b...
Apparently way back when, the National Guard tried to blow up a land bridge connecting the mainland to the gull nesting grounds on the islands in the lake so the coyotes wouldn't eat the birds. You can guess how that turned out.
Credit: pswitz
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Looking back at the crest of the High Sierra
Looking back at the crest of the High Sierra
Credit: pswitz
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If you haven't been to Mono lake, go.  It's a special place which embo...
If you haven't been to Mono lake, go. It's a special place which embodies so much of the human experience: Natural abundance, soured by greed, redeemed through the triumph of dedicated community against all odds, now creeping along a tightrope of politic
Credit: pswitz
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  Trip Report Views: 2,534
pswitz
About the Author
pswitz is a climber from honolulu.

Comments
limpingcrab

Gym climber
Minkler, CA
  Apr 10, 2015 - 05:04pm PT
Now. That. Looked. Fun!

donini

Trad climber
Ouray, Colorado
  Apr 10, 2015 - 05:22pm PT
Nice! Thanks for posting.
Flip Flop

climber
Earth Planet, Universe
  Apr 11, 2015 - 07:38am PT
Good times.
micronut

Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
  Apr 11, 2015 - 10:10pm PT
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost




I'm not sure why but this kind of wandering adventure made me think of Robert Frost. What a fantastic walkabout. Thanks for sharing. Great photos but was your lens covered in Chap-stik or something? They all looked a bit fuzzy. Maybe smudged with sweat and a bit of Mountain House Chili-mac residue? Happens to the best of us. Might wanna check that out.
Risk

Mountain climber
Marooned, 855 miles from Tuolumne Meadows
  Apr 11, 2015 - 11:02pm PT
Looks perfect. Thanks!
hamersorethumb

Trad climber
Menlo Park, CA
  Aug 8, 2016 - 10:34am PT
great post, thanks
le_bruce

climber
Oakland, CA
  Aug 8, 2016 - 10:42am PT
pswitz, this was rad. Thank you. Shooting you a PM with a question.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Aug 8, 2016 - 10:42am PT
Excellent. Your trip reports are a real treat.

John
10b4me

Social climber
Lida Junction
  Aug 8, 2016 - 11:11am PT
TFPU.
fyi, the water level is very low in Mono Lake, and the concern is there will be a land bridge soon.
Inner City

Trad climber
Portland, OR
  Aug 8, 2016 - 11:49am PT
Loved the report! Have done a number of trips in that area. Starr King is awesome. Once schlepped a light kit to summit and slept up there..that was a fun night. There is one nice campsite east of the creek and below the trail junctions..marked by largish boulder...across the creek from streamside group trail-worker camp and up onto the flat.
Ed H

Trad climber
Santa Rosa, CA
  Aug 8, 2016 - 12:27pm PT
We planned to put up a new 5.12...but headed to the creek instead
NutAgain!

Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
  Aug 8, 2016 - 01:15pm PT
Cool spots- especially like the series of pools. All kinds of good stuff to be found away from the road.
Mungeclimber

Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
  Aug 8, 2016 - 02:52pm PT
still need to get in there. nice!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Aug 12, 2016 - 03:38am PT
Adventure fun!
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