Discovery Pinnacle / Mount Hitchcock / Mount Corcoran
Ascents of Discovery Pinnacle (South Slope from Crabtree Creek, class 2), Mount Hitchcock (From Discovery Pass, class 2) and Mount Corcoran (North Notch from the West, class 3), with Simon Wacziarg, June 10-13, 2025
Timeline:
June 10, 2025. Approach from Horseshoe Meadow to Miter Basin. The previous evening, after dinner, we drove down from Mammoth to Horseshoe Meadow campground. We set up a one-person tent in the campground for Simon and slept in the back of my car. We needed an early start on the approach day, because it would consist of almost 15 miles of hiking. We left the trailhead at 7:39, and hiked up the forest and lake basin that leads to New Army Pass. At a tarn below the pass, some hikers informed us that a "glacier" was blocking the way across the pass - this had forced them to turn back. We continued on and found about 20 feet of well-consolidated snow (the "glacier") at the top of the switchbacks, with some good steps carved in, not requiring crampons (though we did take out our ice axes). We were atop the pass at 12:12, and continued on down the Rock Creek drainage. We stopped for a long lunch break at a location where I had camped with René some years before, pitched the tent, and took a short nap. We then crossed Rock Creek to reach the junction with the trail from Cottonwood Pass. There, we met a party of two in conversation with the Rock Creek ranger about the feasibility of going over New Army Pass rather than Cottonwood Pass, to return to Horseshoe Meadow. One person seemed eager, and the other reluctant, and the ranger seemed tired of their incessant questioning. We added our beta on conditions, the ranger checked our permit, and we continued on toward Soldier Lake, reaching it at 15:22. This area was infested with mosquitoes, so we hurried up the slope at the northwestern end of the lake to drop into Miter Basin. We reached Sky Blue Lake at 17:08, and found a nice campsite near a tarn on the eastern shore of the lake. We had a nice evening in camp taking in the incredible views that surround this area, chasing away inquiring marmots, and preparing for the big day that would follow. (9:36 hours elapsed, 7:06 hours moving, 14.54 miles, 3,421 feet of elevation gain)
June 11, 2025. Ascents of Discovery Pinnacle and Mount Hitchcock. We left camp at 7:50 and hiked along the eastern shore of Sky Blue Lake along a use trail and then following cairns that snake around the northern end of Miter Basin toward Crabtree Pass. There was quite a bit of snow in this area, but the angle was low so we did not need crampons. We reached the pass at 9:48 and saw a wildlife monitoring camera there (I had seen a similar one some years prior at Knapsack Pass). We wondered if we were also part of the wildlife being monitored. From the pass we faced some route choices, either staying level and skirting the basin north of the pass toward Discovery Pinnacle, or dropping down toward the upper Crabtree Lake and reascending the slope on the other side. We ended up choosing a middle way between these two options. Once on the slopes above, I angled too far right toward Whitney Pass. From there we tried to correct my mistake by climbing the ridge that separates Whitney Pass from Discovery Pass, but this soon turned into class 4 terrain. So back down the slope we went, crossing a steep snowfield (crampons on) to regain the south slope of Discovery Pinnacle. From there it was quick work to the summit (13:25), but my mistake cost us an hour. We found no register on Discovery Pinnacle, but enjoyed magnificent views in all directions. We then continued toward Mount Hitchcock, down the crest of the long ridge that separates it from Discovery Pinnacle. At the very end, one drops down into a notch and has to reascend about 400 feet to the summit of Mount Hitchcock. This was reached at 15:58. The length of the ridge and the time it will take most parties to climb it should not be underestimated (it took us two hours). Indeed, I started to worry about how late it was getting, so we did not linger too long on the summit. After tagging the overhanging highpoint and signing the register, we hurried down the sandy slopes southeast of Mount Hitchcock to rejoin the upper Crabtree Lake, and from there Crabtree Pass. It was painful to have to ascend another 500 feet to the pass this late on a long day. It was a bit before 19:00 when we reached the pass. We hurried down the snowy basin south of there to try to get to camp before nightfall. This we failed to do, as the route is a bit convoluted. We took out the headlamps just as we reached the northern shore of Sky Blue Lake. We were in camp at 21:09, cooked dinner and went to bed after an exhausting day. (12:48 hours elapsed, 11:38 hours moving, 9.43 miles, 3,861 feet of elevation gain)
June 12, 2025. Ascent of Mount Corcoran. I suspected that the weight of the previous day would slow us down on our third day. We decided to hike toward Iridescent Lake and assess our motivation and fitness to climb Mount Corcoran, our planned objective for this day. We took our time in camp that morning, setting out at 8:40. One foot in front of the other, and we soon reached magnificent Iridescent Lake, then the benches and tarns north of it, and finally the base of the chute on the West Face of Mount Corcoran (10:39). There was no conscious choice to proceed, but Simon seemed willing, and I was eager to climb Mount Corcoran. Now that we had made it this far, there seemed to be no reason to turn back. So up the chute we went, avoiding some snow at its base by climbing some class 3 rock on the left side. Secor mentions right-side branches in the chute, that one has to take as one ascends, but we found no obvious ones and just went up the main chute. Soon, after passing below a chockstone at the head of the chute, we found ourselves at North Notch somehow, and from there the terrain is a bit convoluted to the summit. I remember a right-leaning traverse, a class 3-4 downclimb of a steep chute, then a ledge traverse to a class 2 chute that led to the summit (most descriptions of this portion of the climb are hard to follow and not very helpful, for instance I don't recall ever moving to the eastern side of North Notch contrary to what Secor recommends). We were atop Mount Corcoran at 12:55. We stayed on the summit for twenty minutes, then retraced our steps down the upper chute, across the west side of North Notch, below the chockstone, down some snow, scree and steep blocks, and finally back at the base of the chute (15:05). I had to stop to lie down on a grassy bench near the tarns in this area, due to a sudden nosebleed. When that stopped we continued on our way along the west shore of Iridescent Lake, and then back to camp at 16:36. We took it easy in camp that evening, playing cards and enjoying our last evening in Miter Basin. (7:51 hours elapsed, 7:02 hours moving, 4.11 miles, 2,673 feet of elevation gain)
June 13, 2025. Return from Miter Basin to Horseshoe Meadow. We left camp at 8:09 and made our way down the Miter Basin, taking the time to enjoy the remarkable scenery in this location. There were fields of Bog Laurel (Kalmia Microphylla), beautiful streams, granite slabs and boulders - in other words typical 11,000 feet Sierra scenery. We were at Soldier Lake at 9:25, continued on up the Rock Creek drainage, then up to New Army Pass (11:11), down the 20-foot snowbank, and from there down the trail past the lakes that dot the area southeast of New Army Pass. We stopped for lunch in the shade of a tree, at Cottonwood Lake #1, and then hiked at a good clip back to the trailhead (14:47). We went to the Alabama Hills Café for lunch and from there back to LA. I would have two full days of rest before my next trip, to the Cirque Crest and Monarch Divide. (6:38 hours elapsed, 5:54 hours moving, 14.43 miles, 1,979 feet of elevation gain)
Trip Totals: 36:52 hours elapsed, 31:40 hours moving, 42.51 miles, 11,934 feet of elevation gain.