Cartago Creek formations - routes there?

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Messages 1 - 33 of total 33 in this topic

Mike

climber

Orange County CA

Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 30, 2003 - 02:39pm PT

Looking from 395 @ Cartago, there's an obvious row of Needles-esque towers, and a big slab behind those. Access looks like a hike of several miles due to DWP installations, and possibly a real bitch near their bases, but I can't believe they haven't been investigated if not climbed on.

Thanks for any info.

climber

climber

Dec 1, 2003 - 01:35am PT

Check out this link. Is it referring to the rock you have in mind? http://www.geocities.com/kararkarar/cartago1.html

Mike

climber

Orange County CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 1, 2003 - 09:31am PT

That looks like it. Thanks climber.

Mike

DEE

Trad climber

Orange County

Dec 1, 2003 - 12:54pm PT

I believe that Greg Vernon and Scott....(?("the credit card lover")) told me that they had climbed up there. Sure looks good from 395.I'm sure Greg would be forthcoming with info.

Mike

climber

Orange County CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 1, 2003 - 01:43pm PT

Thanks DE. Any info is appreciated.

Mike

Demented

climber

Dec 1, 2003 - 08:38pm PT

DE- would Scott("the credit card lover") be perhaps Scott Loomis? Didn't those two used to make quite a notorious pair? (Would the credit card in question be Greg’s?) Care to elaborate on the origins of Scott’s nickname?. If ya do, I could add a Loomis story or two…………….

And yea- who hasn’t eyeballed the Cartago Crags like 50 times or 500 times. Literally every time I’ve driven up and down 395. The steep faces and ridges behind it also look spectacular . Heinous approach, I am sure.. .

Russ Walling

Social climber

Bishop, Ca.

Dec 2, 2003 - 01:16pm PT

What the hell is a "CREDIT CARD LOVER"????
(hehehehe)

Russ Walling

Social climber

Bishop, Ca.

Dec 2, 2003 - 01:22pm PT

here are some old posts about the crags:

Many times while driving to the Sierras I see these huge rock walls just
a few miles north of Olancha California. They are located about a mile
off of the west side of the 395. Does anyone know if there are any
routes there?

Thanks,
Ed Huckle
Message 2 in threadFrom: Bob Harrington
Subject: Re: Rock walls near Olancha California?
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.climbing
Date: 1999/04/26

In article ,
Ed Huckle wrote:
>Many times while driving to the Sierras I see these huge rock walls just
>a few miles north of Olancha California. They are located about a mile
>off of the west side of the 395. Does anyone know if there are any
>routes there?

I think Fred Beckey climbed up there.

Bob
Message 3 in threadFrom: Craig Adkins
Subject: Re: Rock walls near Olancha California?
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.climbing
Date: 1999/04/26

Get yourself a copy of EXPLORING THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
;EAST SIDE BY JENKINS and read the Olancha Peak by
NE ridge trip writeup. As for routes, find your own and
have at it.

http://members.tripod.com/~karar/index-9.html

Message 4 in threadFrom: Russ Walling
Subject: Re: Rock walls near Olancha California?
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.climbing
Date: 1999/04/26

These are the Crystal Geyser Crags, named after the nondescript blue metal
building that houses their bottling operation. The middle of the 4 "towers"
has the longest routes. There is a 9 pitch 5.7 with a very exposed crux
section comprised of crimping large feldspar knobs about 2 feet above a
bolt. Very serious lead. The guy who runs the shipping dock is known for
hiking up there on his lunch hour and solo-drilling new lines. Some of
these will be 10-34 pitches long (depending on rope length) and quite
exciting. The crags have an access lean put on them by Crystal Geyser Corp
so that only employees of Crystal Geyser can climb up there, unless you
have the necessary "poop-free" permit....only available by inspection at
the plant. Seems some roughneck redtag jumpers from Bakersfield were
bagging all the good lines and taking huge dumps in the rivulet that leads
directly to the bottling facility. Very unpleasant. Maybe this situation
will change in the future, but for now just suck it up, clean your pipes and
go on in for the inspection. Nurse Ralph is very gentle.
hope this helps,
Russ

http://www.fishproducts.com

Message 5 in threadFrom: oconnorj
Subject: Re: Rock walls near Olancha California?
View this article onlyNewsgroups: rec.climbing
Date: 1999/04/28

In 1994, two friends and I did a 5-pitch 5.10 trad route on the 'tower' on the
right.

The north-facing walls behind the trees have the best rock quality, and
the potential for many sport routes.

In 1991, I climbed an old 5.7 2-pitch route in the entrance of the northern
(Cartago Creek) canyon, and improved the ancient rap station. If access isn't
an issue, the Cartago Creek canyon offers a multitude of single pitch crack
climbs (not visible from Hwy 395), and a much easier approach than the obvious
granite towers to the south.

John O'Connor

Mike

climber

Orange County CA

Topic Author's Reply - Dec 2, 2003 - 02:53pm PT

Thanks a ton for the rich post, Russ.

Mike

DEE

Trad climber

Orange County

Dec 2, 2003 - 03:43pm PT

Yes, Scott Loomis, however he deserves his own thread as the SL stories are numerous and colorful. If you contact one of those fellows I would advise it be Greg as his veracity is unquestioned.

Climbnrok

Trad climber

Mar 22, 2015 - 07:31pm PT

Bump...

Drove past these again today. Finally looked it up.

::EDIT::
Add picture. Not mine...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/53783027@N00/4659640867

Batrock

Trad climber

Burbank

Mar 22, 2015 - 07:50pm PT

Had a friend spend some time up there in the late 80's, came back saying it was loose and gritty. Maybe he was just trying to scare folks off?

limpingcrab

Trad climber

the middle of CA

Mar 22, 2015 - 10:10pm PT

Looked at those last week and would bet my left leg that Greg Vernon has been all over them. Sooo much rock there. Looks good from a distance at least?

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

extraordinaire

Mar 22, 2015 - 10:49pm PT

Shades of Potrero Chico with all that vegetation on route.

krahmes

Social climber

Stumptown

Mar 23, 2015 - 10:47am PT

We always called that thing the Fin when I lived in Olancha in the late 80s and early 90s. If I recall right the geocities report said they went up the big crack in the center of the photo above and said it was 5.4. I hiked up to that base of that same crack back in the day and it is loose, coarse and gritty. I remember being pissed at myself that I didn't go for it. I bailed and got to the top maybe by the next drainage over I don't remember.
When I was back in Coso in 2010 I had every attention of getting back up Cartago Creek, but I couldn't find the access that drops you to the start of the NE ridge of Olancha and access to Cartago Creek. But I didn't spend much time looking for it but getting across the aqueduct and being North of Olancha Creek is the key. I think I'd try coming from the north of Cartago Creek.
I will say that I don't think that face has much to offer in terms of stellar climbing given the weathering of the rock. The reason I wanted to get back into the area was what might be up Cartago Creek which I only have this one crappy old photograph from the top of Fin. So with all apologies this is the photograph:
Here's a couple of more old time photographs one showing the rock of Cartago Creek:
And finally as a hoot Cartago and Southern Owens Lake in 1990 before the reclamation efforts:

guyman

Social climber

Moorpark, CA.

Mar 23, 2015 - 01:06pm PT

Cross aqueduct a bit to the north of town...

then drive to the mouth of the two canyons.... hike in and look around, grab the stone... I can describe it in one word:

Disappointing.

ß Î Ø T Ç H

Boulder climber

ne'er–do–well

Feb 23, 2017 - 09:52pm PT

Drove by the other day - the boulder field looks really good.

Bad Climber

Trad climber

The Lawless Border Regions

Feb 24, 2017 - 06:58am PT

Prolly stellar stone...by Canadian Rockies standards. Those hardcore Kanucks would have routes all over that place by now--classics!

BAd

Gary

Social climber

Desolation Basin, Calif.

Feb 24, 2017 - 01:06pm PT

Kathy Brown told me that Vernon and the SCMA had investigated all that rock. Nothing came of it.

My guess is that it would be similar to the Easter Wall at Owens Peak.

A few of us trudged up Cartago Peak from Cartago. Had quite a bit of fun trying to figure out which spire out of the hundreds up there was the summit. They were all third class, the rock was OK.

guyman

Social climber

Moorpark, CA.

Feb 24, 2017 - 01:17pm PT

It's all an optical illusion.... the boulders are like 10 feet tall.
When your looking at those bolders... just do this, turn yourself around 180 degrees... and think what might be over them hills to the east. Or in them hills.

Ksolem

Trad climber

Monrovia, California

Feb 24, 2017 - 01:26pm PT

A reliable source told me that the ridge you can get a peek of in the upper left corner of Climbnrok's photo is pretty wild.

Yeah, Guyman and I did a recon of the up front stuff from the base, all grainy and stuff.

looks easy from here

climber

Ben Lomond, CA

Feb 24, 2017 - 01:30pm PT

A few of us trudged up Cartago Peak from Cartago. Had quite a bit of fun trying to figure out which spire out of the hundreds up there was the summit. They were all third class, the rock was OK.

Looks like quite the playground.

Gary

Social climber

Desolation Basin, Calif.

Feb 24, 2017 - 01:38pm PT

Looks like quite the playground.

Took us 9 hours to trudge up there from Cartago. Took two hours to get down, it was quite the sand and scree run.

Better to take the PCT south from Horseshoe Meadows and camp at Death Canyon. It's beautiful country up there.

looks easy from here

climber

Ben Lomond, CA

Feb 24, 2017 - 08:31pm PT

At 15+ miles from Horseshoe Meadow I don't know if you'd save much time or rubber on the approach. I might just deal with the slog up, and pack a plastic toboggan for the trip down. Yeehaw! ;D

Gary

Social climber

Desolation Basin, Calif.

Feb 25, 2017 - 08:41am PT

I might just deal with the slog up, and pack a plastic toboggan for the trip down. Yeehaw! ;D

Ha! You'd be down in 30 minutes!

pile

Mountain climber

Kearsarge, CA

Feb 25, 2017 - 10:15am PT

Pyles and Ames went up there, did some now root...last year?

Echoes the words of guyzo and ksolem.....dissapointing

Stephen McCabe

Trad climber

near Santa Cruz, CA

Feb 26, 2017 - 01:43am PT

Anybody seen any Dudleya up that way. This is not one of the rare species. I just haven't seen that population yet. The roads, fences, etc. were a bit tricky and it was late in the day, so I didn't get very far. PM me with info on that or any up towards Mt. Whitney, if you don't mind. Here's a photo of some, not that far away.

goldscott

Mountain climber

San Diego, CA

Mar 27, 2017 - 12:25pm PT

Hi All,

I went partially up the NE ridge of Olancha Peak and took these photos of the south-facing wall of Cartago Creek, from an elevation of about 7200 feet.

This wall faces SE at an elevation of 6200-7000 ft, and it's actually one drainage south of Cartago Creek, see crosshairs on the topo below.

Looks like some awesome slab, splitter cracks, and offwidth. No idea what the rock quality is like, but the boulders I was at on the NE ridge of Olancha were crumbly crap.

Hopefully this is helpful for somebody. I'd like to get up there before it gets too hot this summer.

Bad Climber

Trad climber

The Lawless Border Regions

Mar 27, 2017 - 04:25pm PT

Hey, Goldscott, that's quite a trudge up Olancha, eh? I've done it a couple of times, although didn't quite summit the second go. The views are amazing.

BAd

goldscott

Mountain climber

San Diego, CA

Mar 28, 2017 - 11:31am PT

Hey BAd, I made it to about 7500 ft. I was in my ski boots (figured it'd be a good workout and I'd be able to ski the top few thousand feet) but one of them aggravated the hell out of my ankle bone. It was a last minute decision to head up there on Friday after work, and the only beta I had was the one page description from "Exploring the Southern Sierra: East Side" by Ruby Johnson Jenkins. I misread the beta and I tried to scramble up and over the exposed, class 3-4 blocks on the ridge, rather than go left (south) around them. Turning around was frustrating, but my ankle couldn't take any more abuse. GPS track here: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move148478048

I'll try again soon.