Round Top / Mokelumne Peak / Highland Peak
Ascents of Round Top (West Ridge, class 3), Mokelumne Peak (West Slope from Tanglefoot TH, class 2), and Highland Peak (Southwest Ridge, class 2), June 25-27, 2022.
Timeline:
June 25, 2022. Finding myself without a partner but with a few days left before leaving for France, I decided to climb some Tahoe-area peaks as day hikes. This would be a three days, two nights trip, with nights spent comfortably in the back of my 4Runner. I left Mammoth around 8:30. My first objective was Round Top, one of the peaks that is the closest to the trailhead among SPS peaks. It took over two hours to reach Carson Pass, along highway 88. I drove a short distance beyond the pass and parked at the Woods Lake parking area, which was very crowded (I could barely find a spot). I was off at 11:05. It is a quick jaunt to the summit of Round Top along a good trail and (past Round Top Lake) a good use trail. The only difficulty is a bit of easy class 3 scrambling just below the summit. On the way I met a nice Tahoe skier who had gotten some turns on The Sisters. Later I saw the turns, there must have been at most 5 or 6 of them – a lot to carry for not much skiing…
I reached the summit of Round Top at 12:45, meeting a party of Russians. At least that is what I inferred because when I asked them where they were from, they said Sacramento. Which is not really what I had asked. I guess they would have answered my question if they'd been from Ukraine. Anyway they were nice enough and very proud to have reached the summit of Round Top, one of their first mountain climbs ever. One of them asked me for gear advice, and then beta for the descent. I showed them my ascent route and they looked disgusted, opting instead for an easier-looking way a short distance away. This had a metallic pole with a rope dangling from it for aid (my route was a class 3 staircase on the east side of the summit area). Anyway, I had the summit to myself after they left. I signed the register, took more photos, and soon headed down because menacing clouds were gathering, and I could see heavy rain to the north. I passed the Russians on the descent and regained the use trail. A party was still coming up, which I judged to be dangerous given the worsening weather and the exposed nature of the ridge they were headed for. It started raining a little bit after I passed Round Top Lake, so I wore my raingear over my daypack and continued down the lovely valley leading back to the car. The rain stopped as I reached the Woods Lake campground. I was back at the car at 14:33, finding an empty parking lot. I guess people don't like rain. I then drove to the Bear River Reservoir and then along a convoluted route to the Tanglefoot trailhead (thankfully I had loaded up good waypoints on my GPS watch). There was a truck parked at the trailhead, which surprised me (the next day, I would meet its owners). I spent a quiet evening in camp watching some Netflix shows I had downloaded. (A 3:28 hour day, 3:01 hours moving, 6.40 miles, 2,153 feet of elevation gain).
June 26, 2022. This was going to be the hardest day mileage-wise: Mokelumne Peak is far from the road, and while there is a shorter approach from the north, it involves driving on an ATV road, and I wasn't up for that. I left the parking area at 7:25. The trail stays level for a while, passing an unnamed lake, and then descends into Tanglefoot Canyon. It then heads up to Moraine Lake. There, I saw that people had set up three tents. I presumed they were the party of the white truck I had seen at the trailhead. Above Moraine Lake, the trail is obstructed by numerous downed trees, which made for difficult travel (the crux of the day). Soon, I left the trail and headed for the West Slope of Mokelumne Peak. At the base of the steeper section, I met the party camped at Moraine Lake. They were descending. I briefly talked with one of them before continuing on my way. I attained the summit of Mokelumne Peak at 11:15, finding a plastic box with no register. I left a page from the route descriptions I usually carry. A swarm of bees was circling on the summit, so I did not linger long, opting instead to eat lunch near a rock shelter just below the summit rocks. The return was uneventful. I came down a slightly different way (fewer downed trees, but a bit more brush). I caught up with the other party just as I reached Moraine Lake, but they did not notice me. I continued on my way, descending down switchbacks to Tanglefoot Canyon (beautiful wildflowers) and then back up the other side of the canyon toward the trailhead.
I was back at the car at 15:05, finding two more cars parked there. I drove to Bear River Reservoir, where I stopped to take some pictures, and on to Markleeville, where I got some supplies at the country store. Then on to Ebbetts Pass, where I would spend my second night. I was having dinner comfortably on my camp chair when a hiker emerged from the trailhead area and headed for the car parked next to mine. It turned out to be long-time SPS list pursuer Keith Christensen. Keith had just returned from a climb of Highland Peak, his 224th SPS peak and my objective for the following day. We had a nice conversation, exchanging peakbagging stories. I was glad to have such pleasant company. We each settled in our respective vehicles for the night. (A 7:38 hour day, 7:06 hours moving, 16.00 miles, 3,846 feet of elevation gain).
June 27, 2022. Highland Peak was on the menu for my last day. I had heard good reports of this peak from my friend Ronald, and indeed it turned out to be a great (albeit slow) day in the mountains. After breakfast with Keith, who soon headed home to Long Beach, I set out on the PCT southbound at 8:38. The trail goes through upper Noble Canyon which, in these early summer days, was covered with wildflowers and radiant with greenery. I passed dozens of PCT hikers on the way, this being the period when many of them reach the Northern Sierra. I was quick getting to Noble Lake (10:12) and left the trail to skirt a set of cliffs just east of the Lake. I made my way up steep sandy terrain to a sort of saddle that marks the beginning of the Southwest Ridge. I stopped for a snack there, at 11:38. This is where things slowed down quite a bit. The ridge rises at a good angle, with much sand and scree, making for tedious progress. Then the terrain becomes more craggy, and one must choose from various options. The best advice is to stay on the crest of the ridge as much as possible, but invariably one is led to stray a bit (usually on the right/east side). A depressing descent toward a small tarn occurs just before the final climb to the top. I reached the summit of Highland Peak at 13:13, finding great views and an almost-new register (the older one, from 1982, is still there too). I stayed on top for a while, and then retraced my steps. I was back at the saddle at 14:57, and continued on to Noble Lake. There I realized I had forgotten to eat my lunch, so I stopped near a nice campsite close to the water. I was soon joined by a party of Belgian PCTers. After gulping down my sandwich, I set out on the roughly four miles of trail hiking that I had left. Noble Canyon was even prettier in the afternoon light; I was back at the trailhead at 17:29. From there it was an almost 3-hour drive back to Mammoth, through gorgeous scenery. (An 8:53 hour day, 7:44 hours moving, 12.00 miles, 3,664 feet of elevation gain).
Trip totals: 20:00 total hours, 17:53 moving hours, 34.39 miles, 9,663 feet of elevation gain.