Glass Mountain
Ascent of Glass Mountain (From Sawmill Meadow TH , class 1), with Anke Audenaert, Hanno Lustig, Andres Rodriguez, Lucrecia Santibañez, and Claire Wacziarg, December 23, 2023.
Timeline:
December 28, 2023: Our small group headed to Glass Mountain in two cars, with my 4Runner opening the way. Fearing that Highway 120 might be closed shortly before Benton, which Google Maps seemed to indicate, I opted to approach the peak by driving north on Highway 395, then east along Highway 120. There was some verglas on the grade north of Mammoth, but the drive was otherwise uneventful. We reached the turnoff toward Sawmill Meadow road around 9:00 and continued on for the 11 miles of dirt road driving to the trailhead. For the last couple of miles, the road was covered with a thin coat of snow, but it did not hinder our progress.
The six of us headed out on the use trail that goes up a steep gully at 9:47. We were on continuous snow pretty much to the summit of the peak, which Hanno reached first at 11:57, the rest of us following closely behind. We spent a good long time on the summit, enjoying the outstanding views of the eastern aspect of the Sierra Nevada and eating some snacks. One could see all the way from the Palisades to Northern Yosemite and the Sweetwater Mountains. It was a beautiful and clear day, so the views were very clear, and we took numerous photos. There was then a debate about the optimal way to return to the cars. One option was to retrace our steps. I proposed a slightly longer but less steep route along the Glass Mountain Ridge. The group decided in favor of the latter option, and off we went - initially down a steep slope covered with obsidian, then along the rolling hills that form the ridge. At some point, we spotted what looked like a moderate slope that would lead us to Sawmill Meadow campground. This we reached at 14:43, and the cars fifteen minutes later.
On the return drive, we decided to continue east and drive along Benton Crossing road to return to Mammoth. We had to make a quick detour to Benton to get some gas, but the return was otherwise uneventful - and offered magnificent views of the High Sierra, of the Sherwin Range, and of the sunset on Glass Mountain's western aspect. We were back in Mammoth in time for a nice dinner at the Mammoth Brewing Company. (A 5:13 hour day, 4:32 hours moving, 5.4 miles, 2,290 feet of elevation gain).