Leavitt Peak
Ascent of Leavitt Peak (East Slope from the PCT, class 1),
November 16, 2018.
Timeline:
November 16, 2018. I left the small parking area at Sonora Pass at 8:58 and made good progress across three prominent saddles toward Leavitt Peak. I met two contractors from the nearby USMC Mountain Training Center who were also climbing the peak, and I hiked with them for a while. I took off at a faster clip along the PCT, reaching a point east of the summit of Leavitt Peak, where a use trail branches out. The good use trail continues to the top along the broad slope and ridge on the eastern aspect of the mountain. I was on the summit at 11:17 and took lots of pictures. I searched in vain for a summit register. The other two hikers arrived about 10 minutes after me and we all had lunch on top, chatting about mountains. I left the summit at 11:49, trying to see if I could manage Stanislaus Peak before nightfall. The return was fast and I was back at the car at 13:39, but the shadows were already lengthening and I put off Stanislaus for another day. (A 4:41 hour day, 2,400 feet of elevation gain, 11.2 miles).