University Peak
Ascent of University Peak (North Face, class 3), with Mike Callen, October 30, 2017.
Timeline:
October 30, 2017. Having spent a comfortable night at the Onion Valley campground, we left our campsite at 6:33 and started up the Kearsarge Pass trail. We took the side trail to Matlock Lake and from there went on to Bench Lake on a good use trail. The trail gave way to scree as we approached Lake 11,414 (which was reached at 9:00). We then started up the North Face over scree and talus. Toward the top of the face the angle steepens. We made our way to the Northeast Ridge and skirted it on its northern side over class 2-3 rock to reach the summit of University Peak at 12:05. We took lots of pictures, signed the register, and had lunch. We departed the summit at 12:39, intent on descending the Southeast Ridge toward University Pass and then down the Robinson Lake drainage. Paying careful attention not to descend the false pass, we made our way toward the correct pass (staying high on the ridge is helpful here). We reached University Pass at 13:55. Unfortunately, the chute was entirely filled with the remnants of the record-breaking winter of 2017: a layer of ice and compacted snow spanned the entire width of the chute. Not being able to see what lay ahead, and lacking ice axes and crampons, we began to make alternate plans.
One option was to head back up to the summit and descend the North Face. Another was to descend toward Center Basin and rejoin the JMT to contour the Kearsarge Pinnacles, over Kearsarge Pass, and down to Onion Valley. While the first option was much shorter, we worried about the time it would take to climb back up to the summit of University Peak and then back down the North Face. The second option seemed safer if we were to be caught by nightfall – we would at least be off the mountain. So at 14:00 we started down the steep scree slopes toward Center Basin. After a quick break at one of the lakes we followed the Center Basin trail to the John Muir Trail and down to Vidette Meadow, reaching the junction with the Bubbs Creek trail at 16:43. We were at Bullfrog Lake at 17:28 and continued up the Kearsarge Lakes drainage toward Kearsarge Pass. Shortly before reaching the pass we put on our headlamps. We reached the top of the pass at 19:00 and hiked down at a steady pace to reach Onion Valley at 21:00 (A 14:27 hour day, 6,660 feet of gain, 18 miles).