We set out over Mono Pass out of Rock Creek, bound for the NE Buttress of 3rd Recess Peak. Sickter. No fixed gear, no chalk, no footprints on ledges, no summit register. Like when 'they' found it, like it should be.
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 Pitch 2, high above 3rd Recess Lake. Credit: jedster |
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Day 3 proved to be the foot-pounding, flower-riddled crux. We walked about 20 miles with rock gear and comfy-tasty camping kit. Brutal. Down Mono Creek, on the JMT to Bear Creek, and up Bear Creek's East fork to below the North side of Seven Gables.
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 Splitterville. Horizontal. Credit: jedster |
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Day 4 we wandered as much as a plumb line can wander. I broke it down better here: http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic_id=650014&tn=20
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 Up where it was pleasant and sunny. Credit: jedster |
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Day 5, more wilderness walking. This time, cross-country over to Royce Lakes.
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 Bear Lakes, High Sierra. Boom. Credit: jedster |
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With 20-something pitches of traceless rock behind us, the crossing of Royce Col to camp near the neo-trendy North Buttress of Merriam seemed like entering civilization. I guess it's all relative. But one couldn't help but notice the scrubbed cracks, rock-walled bivy platforms, tick marks (!), and summit-register-fixed-rope bickering. In the end, Merriam's worth the attention it gets. And, in my reluctant and humble opinion, Lakey's fitness/scrubbing efforts in 06 have proven worthwhile. This thing's groomed like Sons of Yesterday.
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 Alex channeling her inner Harrington Credit: jedster |
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 We left the mountains, and a week of wild and stormy weather moved in. Credit: jedster |
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And, finally, if your attention span exceeds a minute or two (don't sweat it, mine doesn't), we cooked up a little video of our time out there. Enjoy!
[Click to View YouTube Video]
