Finger Peak / Mount Reinstein
Ascents of Finger Peak (Northwest Ridge, class 3) and Mount Reinstein (South Slope, class 2), June 11-12, 2024.
Timeline:
Those were four solitary days in a remote part of the Sierra Nevada, one that I had not before visited. On June 9, I left LA at 14:00 and drove to Prather, where I picked up my wilderness permit from the after-hours drop box. After a dinner of fajitas at Velasco's (a Google recommendation which did not disappoint), I drove the remaining distance to Courtright Reservoir, parking at the Maxson trailhead around 20:40. It was a comfortable night in the back of my 4Runner.
June 10, 2024: I woke up early, had breakfast, and set out on the Blackcap Basin Trail at 6:50 at a steady 3 mph pace. This I could only sustain for a few miles, as trail conditions progressively worsened. The main issue was snowmelt turning the trail into a stream, and requiring some detours to the sides to avoid wet feet. I took occasional breaks, one longer lunch break along the trail, and the miles went by slowly. Multiple stream log crossings, bug infested hikes through wet bogs, and three major shoes-off river crossings, brought me to the southern side of the North Fork of the Kings River and the uphill portion of the hike. About 4 miles later, I reached Portal Lake but was on the wrong side of the outlet stream, and had to hike down a few hundred feet to find a log crossing to the correct side. Twelve hours had elapsed before I was able to set up camp at Portal Lake around 18:50. (A 12:01 hour day, 10:27 hours moving, 21.35 miles, 4,071 feet of elevation gain).
June 11, 2024: My plan for this day was to climb Finger Peak by its Northwest Ridge, and I also had a vague notion of heading to Tunemah Peak on the same day. This would make for about a 14-mile cross-country day, not an easy task. Indeed, it did not prove possible, due to the amount of snow on the ground, to my state of fatigue, or to my general inadequacies. At any rate, I left camp at 6:43, contoured Portal Lake's north shore and on to steep snow toward Midway Lake. Halfway up the slope, I put on my microspikes, and broke a rubber strap. This I thought might mean the end of the trip. But I carried on, and at a stop on the shores of Midway Lake I was able to fix the item with some tent guy line. This held up for the remainder of the trip. On I went toward Cathedral Lake and up moderately-angled snow to the prominent notch directly south of the lake (8:45). At the notch, I climbed some steep 3rd class rock to the broad Northwest Ridge of Finger Peak. Several bumps on the ridge went at class 2, until the final portion which became steeper. The 3rd class climbing in this final portion, including the final steep staircase to the tiny summit block, was very enjoyable - in fact I would rate this as an excellent climb, something I had not been led to expect from the descriptions I had read beforehand. I was on the summit at 10:37 and greatly enjoyed the views of Blue Canyon and of the Mount Goddard area, lingering there for a while. Looking across toward Tunemah Peak, I found the amount of terrain I would have to traverse to reach that peak daunting. I decided instead to descent Finger Peak's class 2 Southeast Slope, head to Mantle Pass, through Crown Basin, and back to camp at Portal Lake - for a complete traverse of Finger Peak. This was a very enjoyable hike. But the vagaries of the terrain, the plentiful snow coverage, and the frequent photo breaks delayed my return, and I was back in camp only at 16:34. I enjoyed the four additional hours of daylight with some rest in camp. (A 9:49 hour day, 8:32 hours moving, 7.50 miles, 3,080 feet of elevation gain).
June 12, 2024: I expected this day to be quite a bit easier. The plan called for an ascent of the South Slope of Mount Reinstein, some three miles north of camp. The excursion would take me through much of Blackcap Basin, which I was looking forward to. I left camp at 6:32 and hiked up to Pearl Lake, still mostly frozen. I then angled east toward Regiment Lake and then north from there toward the broad South Slope of Mount Reinstein. One option in the center went up some snow. Left of me was a talus field, and right was some sand and scree. I chose the snow at first, taking me about a quarter of the way up the slope. I then opted for a mix of talus and sand, which was not too bad (a bit steeper and it would have been hell). Once again I had expected worse, and was pleasantly surprised with a solid class 2 staircase at the top, leading to the summit (10:21). The views from there were nothing short of breathtaking - of the SW aspect of Mount Goddard, of the Ionian Basin, of Martha Lake, of Goddard Canyon and of the Goddard Creek drainage. Far in the distance one could see Mount Humphreys, Thunderbolt Peak and North Palisade - among a myriad other high peaks of the Sierra. While putting a peak this far remote from any trailhead on the Sierra Peaks List had seemed like a cruel joke, now I understood. The Sierra Peaks Section lists Mount Reinstein as the remotest peak on the SPS list, but it truly belongs there. I left the summit at 10:57, retraced my way down the slope, but angled west toward Ambition Lake to take a slightly different way back to camp. It was pretty continuous snow along Ambition Lake and Bighorn Lake, till I rejoined Division Lake, Pearl Lake, and finally camp at 14:12.Â
There was still a lot of day left, so I decided to get a head start on the return. I took a nap in the shade of a pine tree, had lunch, packed up camp, and set out at 16:02. I made my way about four miles to a spot just before the crossing of the North Fork of the Kings River, through mosquito infested bogs, a mix of snow and mud, till reaching a much drier spot with an inviting fire ring and a flat spot for the tent, begging me to stop (18:03). I was happy to oblige. I made a fire, which dissipated the few bugs that lingered around, had dinner, and went to bed at sundown. It was a relatively comfortable night at only 9,200 feet. (A 9:39 hour day, 8:27 hours moving, 10.71 miles, 2,218 feet of elevation gain).
June 13, 2024: There were about 17 miles left, and it turned into a sort of death march as I tried to reach the trailhead early enough to return home the same day. I left camp at 6:39, forded the Kings River, stopped at the Meadow Brook Cabin for a snack, forded Fleming Creek, then Post Corral Creek, stopped for a nice lunch near a stream, and reached the car at 15:00. Mine was still the only car in the entire trailhead parking lot. I had not seen another human being in over 90 hours. I drove to the shores of Courtright Reservoir, which was teeming with campers, and took a bath in its waters. Feeling refreshed, I started the long drive home, stopping briefly at the McKinley Grove of Giant Sequoias for a short walk through the big trees, and on to Prather for dinner, reaching home in LA at 22:00. (An 8:21 hour day, 7:20 hours moving, 16.94 miles, 1,431 feet of elevation gain).
Trip totals: 39:50 hours elapsed, 34:46 hours moving, 56.5 miles, 10,800 feet of elevation gain.