Twin Peaks
Ascent of Twin Peaks (South Ridge from Twin Peaks Pass, class 3), July 22, 2017.
Timeline:
July 21, 2017. On this trip, I tagged along with my old friend Philippe and his son Gabriel, for the first two days of their ten day adventure in Northern Yosemite. We departed the Twin Lakes marina at 10:36. Due to the size of Philippe and Gabriel's pack, and the occasional steep snow that slowed us down, our progress toward Horse Creek Pass was slow. We reached the pass at 18:48, and spent some time looking for a good campsite, finally settling on a great spot just below the west side of the pass at 19:30. After setting up our tents a short distance from each other, we spent the evening cooking dinner. (An 8:54 hour day).
July 22, 2017. I had set my alarm for 6:00 and got up shortly thereafter. Philippe and Gabriel awoke from the noise I made cooking breakfast. After a nice chat with Philippe I set out to climb Twin Peaks at 7:15, predicting I would come back around noon. I made my way at a good pace toward Twin Peaks Pass, reaching it at 8:33. I then contoured the pass toward the East over easy talus and scree. This took me to a talus spur reaching up toward the crest of the South Ridge. Due to heavy snow coverage on the east facing side of the South Ridge, it was necessary to climb all the way to the crest of the ridge to avoid steep snow. This I did, and then negotiated the many gendarmes on the ridge (some class 3). At one point, it was necessary to pass in a narrow corridor between the snow and the rock, to gain a knife-edge section of the ridge. From there, an easy class 2-3 scramble let up to a higher point on the ridge, demarcating the beginning of a series of false summits – mere bumps on the upper ridge. I encountered the summit register on the penultimate bump, which I reached at 9:55, but I think the last bump is actually the high point (I tagged both). I took only a short break on the summit, leaving at 10:15. Not knowing the conditions in the gully "between the twin peaks", I decided to retrace my steps down the South ridge. I was back at Twin Peaks Pass at 11:18, and back in camp at 12:20. I had a nice lunch with Philippe and packed up camp, leaving at 13:43. I went fast and without a break, helped by the perfect snow conditions for glissading and boot skiing. I was back at the car at 16:30 and back home in Mammoth at 17:45. (A 9:15 hour day).