Angora Mountain / Coyote Peaks
Ascents of Angora Mountain (Northwest Slope, class 2) and Coyote Peaks (West Ridge, class 2), with Robert Zeithammer, November 6-7, 2023.
Timeline:
November 6, 2023. We spent the night of November 5 at the Lloyd Meadows trailhead, sleeping in the back of Robert's spacious new car. The alarm went off at 5:00 because we expected a long day of hiking and the days are short this late in the season. We set out from trailhead at 6:13, hiking up to a broad saddle (Jerky Meadow), then down to Fish Creek and on to the Forest Service station at Grey Meadow. We chose this approach because I had read a recent trip report of the usual Deep Creek approach that mentioned downed trees and horrible bushwhacking; our slightly longer approach was free of these obstacles. At 8:30, we stopped at the FS cabin for a snack, and then went on along the trail, opting for the eastern branch of the trail to a fording of the Little Kern River. This was positively frigid, and quite painful for our feet. We continued on to Lion Meadows, after which the trail became faint. We followed it as best we could, eventually making our way toward the western slope of Angora Mountain. From there we gained its Northwest Ridge, and dropped our packs at a broad saddle before hiking over some talus to the summit. We were there at 15:34, and enjoyed the great views toward Mount Tyndall, Mount Williamson, Mount Whitney, Joe Devel Peak, Mount Irvine, Mount Mallory, Mount LeConte, Mount Corcoran, Mount Langley, Cirque Peak, Kern Peak, Olancha Peak, etc. The summit register dates back to the early 1970s and includes signatures by many Sierra luminaries. We went back to our packs (16:10) and chose slightly different routes for the descent - I stayed closer the crest of the ridge while Robert descended a bit lower toward the Lion Creek drainage. This caused us to get separated. At the broad saddle at the head of Lion Creek, I continued on toward some flat areas marked as campsites on the USGS map. But nightfall came and Robert was nowhere to be seen, so I hiked back up to the saddle. He had been waiting there for me, thinking I was behind. On we went, back down toward the head of Grasshopper Creek, where we found a suitable spot to camp, around 18:00. We made a nice fire, had dinner, and retired to the tent early to play cards. (An 11:46 hour day, 9:54 hours moving, 19.16 miles, 6,722 feet of elevation gain).
November 7, 2023. It snowed for part of the night and we woke up to a decent dusting, which made the surroundings look like a winter wonderland. We left camp at 7:06 to climb Coyote Peaks. This turned out to be farther than anticipated. We hiked through snow showers, up a broad drainage and then over some rolling hills, to the base of the West Ridge of Coyote Peaks. The class 2 rocks on that ridge proved treacherous as they were covered by an inch of fresh snow, but we managed, and found ourselves on the summit at 9:53. At that point the weather cleared a bit, and we were able to enjoy some views and some sun. This peak was the highlight of the trip, with great scenery enhanced by the recent snowfall. We took numerous photos, and came down a slightly different way, staying south of a bump west of the summit (easier). The return to camp was relatively fast, and we were back at the tent at 12:04. We had lunch, packed up our gear, and began our long return to the trailhead at 13:00. Robert had spotted a shortcut which consisted of heading straight down the Lion Creek drainage (with an occasional use trail and signs of human passage). This is a good option for the descent but perhaps less so for the ascent, as it is quite steep. We soon reached flatter terrain and walked through some sparse giant sequoias just north of Lion Meadow. At a fork in the trail just after Table Meadow we opted for the western option, thinking the crossing of the Little Kern River would prove shallower. This was not the case, but we managed to cross this last obstacle before sundown. We continued on to Grey Meadow (17:30), where we took a break, had a snack, and made coffee/tea. From then on, we hiked by headlamp, regaining Fish Creek, then Jerky Meadow, and after what seemed like an interminable hike, reached the trailhead at 20:15. We drove to Bakersfield where we stopped for fast food, and thence home in LA. (A 13:10 hour day, 11:31 hours moving, 22.41 miles, 5,591 feet of elevation gain).
Trip totals: 24:56 total hours, 21:25 moving hours, 41.47 miles, 12,313 feet of elevation gain.