The Hermit / Mount McGee / Mount Huxley / Mount Lamarck
Ascents of The Hermit (from Evolution Lake, class 3 with a 5.6 summit block), Mount McGee (South Chute, class 3), Mount Huxley (West Shoulder, class 3) and Mount Lamarck (Southeast Ridge, class 2), with Ronald Kleber, June 24-29, 2024.
Ronald and I were hoping that the third time would be the charm when it came to our long-planned trip to climb some peaks in the Evolution Basin. In 2022, our trip was cut short when Ronald fell and was injured on an ascent of Mount Mendel. In 2023, we attempted the approach over Lamarck Col on skis, because of the extreme snowfall that the Sierra experienced that winter, but we didn't even come close to the col due to a combination of factors. 2024 would prove much more successful. Ronald joined me in Mammoth on Sunday June 23 as I was recovering from an intense trip with René in the Cloud Canyon area. I was only going to get one rest day and was worried I would be too worn out for the hard peaks we had planned to climb. So Ronald kindly agreed to a late start on our permit entry date, June 24.
Timeline:
June 24, 2024: Approach Part 1, from North Lake to below Lamarck Col. We drove to North Lake in the late morning in Ronald's car, left the parking lot at 12:34 and had lunch at the campground before setting out on the Lamarck Lakes trail. It was a much easier hike than the year prior, as our packs were much lighter without the ski gear. But the weather was taking a bad turn. As soon as we had topped the steep switchbacks above Upper Lamarck Lake, and turned the corner into the basin below Lamarck Col, it felt like rain was imminent. We soon reached a wide clearing with flat campsites and good access to water, where I had once before stopped to wait out the rain. We stopped and set up the tent. This was just in time, because it started to pour just as we had finished setting things up. The rain didn't let up for the rest of the afternoon. So in the end I did get a fortuitous second day of rest, which would help a lot with my ability to keep up with Ronald for the rest of the trip. We played cards in the tent and, when the rain finally stopped that evening, went to get water and cooked dinner. (A 3:00 hour day, 2:56 hours moving, 3.38 miles, 2,300 feet of elevation gain).
June 25, 2024: Approach Part 2, over Lamarck Col to Evolution Lake. With a short first day, the balance of the approach - over Lamarck Col and into the Evolution Basin - would also prove quite mellow. We left camp at 7:47 and were at Lamarck Col at 9:50. From there it was mostly down to Evolution Lake, which we reached at 12:45. We found a wonderful campsite on a sort of peninsula on the northwestern shore of the lake. The tent was a bit close to water given National Park rules, but it was an established site and so we thought it would be fine. It certainly was a spectacular location, and we greatly enjoyed the direct view of The Hermit that it afforded. We had an easy afternoon and went for a walk to the eastern shore of the lake in the evening. We went to bed early in anticipation of our first peak the next day. (A 6:24 hour day, 5:57 hours moving, 6.15 miles, 1,665 feet of elevation gain).
June 26, 2024: Ascent of The Hermit. We left camp at 7:05, crossed the outlet of Evolution Lake (shoes off), and headed down steep slopes toward a hanging valley due east of the summit of The Hermit. From there we hiked toward an obvious diagonal ramp that we climbed to a notch (easy / loose 3rd class). Things got harder from there, because there was a steep and loose gully on the other side of the notch, still with some snow in it. The snow was steep and still hard in the early hours of the day, so I did not want to cross this main gully without snow gear. On the other hand, we had rock gear, so we roped up and headed up steep class 4 rock above the top of the diagonal chute. This turned out to be a mistake, but easily corrected with two rappels that allowed us to safely cross the snow patch in the loose gully. From there we regained some ledges below the summit of The Hermit, and we reached the summit area at 11:50. The summit block of The Hermit is notorious for being one of the hardest on the SPS list. It is conventionally rated at 5.6. There are two options, a 5.6 lieback crack on the east side of the block, and a short 5.8 face move on the south side. The summit register was located at the base of the latter, which is reached by going up some easy 4th class rock. To create a good belay, we threw the rope over the summit, toward the south side of the block. I went first, surmounting the 4th class portion, and then getting to a sort of platform where the summit register was located. I sent the summit register box down to the sandy area below so that we could consult it later. We fiddled a bit with the rope to make sure it ran safely over the summit block and would not slide to one side in the event of a fall. The move involved thin feet and sharp, grainy, small handholds up a vertical face. I managed it in approach shoes, but was thankful to have a toprope. It is a one move wonder, and I was quickly on the summit of The Hermit. Ronald took some great summit shots, and then lowered me back to the platform. I downclimbed the 4th class, still on toprope, and then rejoined Ronald at the sandy area. We sat down, perused the summit register and added our entries. Then it was Ronald's turn to head up the summit block. He took the register box with him to put it back where we had found it, and made it comfortably up the 4th class section. He was, however, stumped by the steep face move above, in large part because of the injured skin on both his hands and fingers - so he ended up letting go of climbing the summit block. We left the summit area around 13:40 and came down the steep ledges on the eastern aspect of the peak, toward the loose main gully. We reached a spot in view of the top of the diagonal gully that would take us off the peak, but there was still the snowfield to contend with. We roped up again to descend a steep 4th class chimney that led us to the foot of the snow. On the other side of the main gully, I was able to find a 3rd class path between the rock and the snow, and was soon at the notch atop the diagonal gully. From there it was an easy hike back down to the hanging valley (15:00) and up the other side of that drainage to the granite domes above Evolution Lake. We hiked up these domes for a while to enjoy the great view of the lake below and of The Hermit, and then headed back to camp (16:43). In the afternoon I went for a refreshing dip in the lake, and we spent a comfortable evening in camp. (A 9:38 hour day, 9:03 hours moving, 4.36 miles, 2,773 feet of elevation gain).
June 27, 2024: Ascent of Mount McGee. This day would involve over 15 miles of hiking - the objective was Mount McGee, a remote and seldom-climbed peak that promised great views, but also a long day. We left camp at 7:14 and hiked along the JMT to Wanda Lake. There, we hiked over Davis Pass and then along the north shore of Davis Lake. This brought us to the base of the southern aspect of Mount McGee (12:14). We headed for the left-side (westernmost) chute on that face, which sill had a few snow patches in place. We climbed class 2-3 rock that we found more solid and more enjoyable than most accounts we had read: it was actually a rather nice route. At one point Ronald opted to hike up some steep snow, while I found a way up some class 3 rock on the left side of the chute. Soon we were at the top of the gully, from which it is a short scramble right (east) to reach the summit of Mount McGee (13:55). The views in all directions were outstanding, though slightly clouded by smoke from a wildfire. The register dates back to 1997, but contained photocopies of the old register, with entries going back to 1939. As the hour was late, we left after about 15 minutes and headed down the way we had come. At a loose place in the gully, as I was hiking below Ronald, a large rock came loose and I just barely avoided it, scraping myself in various places in the effort (I think the rock hit my right leg below the knee, but most of my scrapes occurred as I slammed myself against the side of the gully to avoid the rock). This was a bit harrowing, but no serious harm was done. It was about 16:00 when we were back on easier terrain, and retraced our steps around Davis Lake. We tried to head to the southern shore of the lake at the peninsula that bisects it, but the way was blocked by flowing water. So we just retraced our steps back to Wanda Lake, over mixed terrain of talus, slabs and meadows. From there we had many miles to go to rejoin our camp, which was reached at 20:21 in beautiful evening light. (A 13:07 hour day, 11:50 hours moving, 15.38 miles, 3,161 feet of elevation gain).
June 28, 2024: Ascent of Mount Huxley and start of the return. We expected an easier day as the approach to Mount Huxley, from camp at Evolution Lake, was relatively short. We left camp at 9:03 and followed the JMT toward the outlet of Wanda Lake. It was necessary to cross this outlet to gain the West Shoulder of Mount Huxley, and we had scoped out a possible crossing the day before on our return from Mount McGee (this crossing was just north of Lake 11,293). We left our poles and camp shoes on the east side of the crossing and headed up easy cross-country terrain, up a broad shoulder, toward a chute at the base of the western aspect of Mount Huxley. We were led to believe that the chute would be class 2, with some class 3 before reaching the summit ridge. But we never encountered any real class 3 climbing, and were soon on the knife-edged summit ridge. This was the highlight of the day, as the ridge is a lot of fun - we took care to stay on the very crest. After a short while we reached the summit (12:51), signed the register, and enjoyed the great views. We then retraced our steps, reaching camp at 16:11. There was still quite a bit of day left. I took a dip in the lake, and we we packed up camp to get a head start on the return. We left Evolution Lake at 17:43, hiked across Darwin Bench, and found a nice campsite at the westernmost lake in Darwin Canyon. (A 8:50 hour day, 7:39 hours moving, 11:31 miles, 3,504 feet of elevation gain)
June 29, 2024: Darwin Canyon to North Lake Trailhead, with an ascent of Mount Lamarck. We left camp at 7:54 and made our way up Darwin Canyon toward Lamarck Col. We reached the col at 10:37, dropped our packs there and took a good break. Ronald wanted to climb Mount Lamarck. I had already climbed it almost 10 years prior, with René, but was happy to go back. We reached the summit at 11:45, staying close to the ridge that connects Mount Lamarck to Lamarck Col. We spent a bit of time enjoying the views from the summit, and took a slightly different way back, reaching our packs at 12:43. From the col, we saw a deer crossing a steep snowfield on the Eastern flank of Mount Lamarck - an unusual sight (we would see the deer again up close just below Lamarck Col). The descent back to North Lake felt interminable to me after ten days of almost continuous peakbagging. We reached the car at 15:50, and were greeted by swarms of mosquitos. We did not linger, and drove to Lake Sabrina where the mosquitos were not so bad, to change into more comfortable shoes and clothes. Ronald then treated me to some great barbecue in Bishop before driving us back to Mammoth, for some well-deserved rest. (A 7:58 hour day, 6:55 hours moving, 8.33 miles, 2,002 feet of elevation gain).
Trip totals: 48:57 hours elapsed, 44:20 hours moving, 48.91 miles, 15,405 feet of elevation gain.