Mount Tinemaha
Ascent of Mount Tinemaha (South Slope, class 2), with Julien Delmas, August 1-2, 2023.
Timeline:
August 1, 2023, 2023. Approach to Red Lake. This was to be my brother-in-law's first mountain climbing trip, so I wanted to choose an objective that was both doable and challenging enough. Secor advertised the South Slope of Mount Tinemaha as class 1. Slowness and conditions had caused René and I to skip Mount Tinemaha a month earlier, so I chose this objective. I expected the crux to be the drive to the trailhead, but I was holding out hope that the road would have improved, because a month earlier René and I had seen McMurry Meadows road freshly regraded, with the grading equipment still near the road. Indeed, the road to Red Lake trailhead was much better than I expected: the vegetation on the side had been trimmed back, the ruts and holes in the road had been fixed, and with good clearance, even a vehicle without 4-wheel drive can now easily make it to the end of the road. It took less than an hour to reach the trailhead from Big Pine. We set out on the trail at 11:22. The weather was overcast, which gave us perfect conditions for the first couple of miles of hiking through desert scrub. We were slow but steady on the trail, taking a break every hour, and soon found ourselves in more alpine terrain. We reached Red Lake shortly before 16:00, and enjoyed the fantastic views of the Eastern aspect of Split Mountain. It was a comfortable evening in a nice campsite overlooking Red Lake. (A 4:35 hour day, 3:54 hours moving, 3.5 miles, 3,843 feet of elevation gain).
August 2, 2023. Ascent of Mount Tinemaha and return to the trailhead. I wanted an early start because we had to climb the peak, return to the trailhead, and somehow make it back to Mammoth in time for dinner. The alarm rang at 5:00, and we left camp at 6:07. The South Slope of Mount Tinemaha is low-angled, and still held big snowfields. At this early hour they were frozen solid, so we were glad to have brought crampons. The route is initially class 1 but steepens before reaching the ridge connecting Split and Tinemaha. From there to the summit is a class 2 hike. I reached the summit at 8:13, with Julien following about 20 minutes later. We spent a good amount of time enjoying the views north toward Birch Mountain and Ed Lane Peak, west toward Split Mountain, and southwest toward Cardinal Mountain, Mount Goodale, and Striped Mountain. Lone Pine Peak, Mount Williamson and Junction Peak were visible in the distance to the south. When time came to leave the summit, I inquired about Julien's desire to follow the ridge toward Split Mountain, but he declined. I deemed it safe to let him return to camp alone, as the route was very straightforward with no route finding issues. So off I went toward the next peak East of us. This was a fun class 2 traverse, with some easy but exposed class 3 when reaching the unnamed summit. Once there, I briefly toyed with the idea of heading toward Split Mountain, but it seemed a long way away, and it would set us back. So I headed down a steep, loose scree and talus chute dropping straight to Red Lake. I was back in camp at 11:35, about a half hour after Julien who was resting in the tent. We had lunch, packed up camp, and headed back down on the trail at 13:08. The return was quick, and we reach the car at 16:00. After a quick foot bath in the nearby spring, we drove back uneventfully and reached Mammoth shortly after 18:00 – comfortably in time for dinner. (A 9:53 hour day, 7:11 hours moving, 6.85 miles, 2,373 feet of elevation gain).
Trip totals: 14:28 total hours, 11:05 moving hours, 10.35 miles, 6,216 feet of elevation gain.