Discussion Topic |
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skewness
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 8, 2017 - 08:03pm PT
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So, anyone know if the road up to 2WD camp is open/accessible yet? I’m in a 4x4 SUV with standard SUV clearance, no monster truck tires. Wondering what the stream crossings look like. How about Chiquito from the Bass Lake / Beasore side? 7S02 to Big Sleep? Thanks in advance to the peoples in the know!
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nopantsben
climber
europe
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+1!
How is it to get to chiquito dome from North Fork?
Any info is appreciated. Also on what's the best option if all roads are unpassable and you decide to walk :)
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Hey Jeremy -
How's the condition of Grizzly Road looking? Still locked?
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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I generally avoid that area (too crowded now) until summer
How do you mean? Too many felled trees and such?
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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All right, I just need that to last another 12 days...
Thanks.
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looks easy from here
climber
Ben Lomond, CA
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Copy. I'll only be at about 7k, and a bit further south, so I'm steeling myself for "pretty bad".
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Gotcha JR! Is that why I only see vapor trails from you two? The Brothers Of Obscurity! :)
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Jeremy,
I'm not up to date with the locals lingo. You mentioned Chiquito is open from North Fork.
Where is that in respect to Big Sleep?
Planning to camp there memorial day as usual with the crowds assuming it is open.
Road to Big Sleep passable with 4WD?
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Thanks Jeremy,
I have been in both ways to Big Sleep. I'm crossing my fingers the road gets opened to big sleep via the short pavement side. Or at least the gates opened.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Keeping my fingers crossed the pavement side would be open then. Thank you for the updated information.
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skewness
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 9, 2017 - 07:08pm PT
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Appreciate the info Jeremy! Hope to contribute an update in a few weeks.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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May 12, 2017 - 01:36pm PT
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Buddy of mine just came down from Arnold Meadows. Minarets is open to about 3 Miles before Clover Meadow when you hit car eating drifts.
Beasore is mostly clear from Bass Lake until roughly the 7-8 mile mark.
Grizzly is still trapping vehicles about 5 Miles uphill from Lower Chiquito intersection.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 12, 2017 - 02:55pm PT
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Hi Ricky,
You are speaking local slang and it's hard for me to follow what is open.
I've been to big sleep dome / brown's meadow then offroaded dirt roads all the way to the shuteye peal lookout.
When I go to google maps and find arnold meadows it's hard for me to relate to the places I have been.
Could you help me out a little bit and refer to some of the climbing areas you can actually drive to or near?
Thank you.
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sneville
climber
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May 12, 2017 - 04:15pm PT
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As Jeremy said there is only one way into big sleep which is off of minarets. The turnoff is right near rock creek. The gate is open but in past years with less snow there are a bunch of shady areas that hold snow. Also, lots of trees on other roads needed to be cut out so there are probably a bunch on the way to big sleep. No way to tell unless you drive the road. If big sleep is not happening chiquito is good to go. I might head up there next weekend and will report back.
The ridge still has a lot of snow on the north side with big slabs of snow right up to the rock as seen from minarets road. IT will be awhile to get into high eagle. South facing stuff is good to go though.
Sean
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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May 12, 2017 - 04:40pm PT
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Fire up them chainsaws boys!
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 15, 2017 - 09:43am PT
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I am going to try and push in to big sleep on saturday, May 27th with my 4x4 club and see how far we can get. We have chainsaws and winches.
We moved the large log blocking the trail to the lookout last year where all the side by sides and other people were bypassing and wrecking the area near the trail.
What is the best place to camp closest to the minaret road/turn off to big sleep?
I assume rock creek campground isn't open yet? Any forest land would work and we don't need running water or pit toilets.
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tacetman
Sport climber
Fresno, CA
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May 15, 2017 - 02:27pm PT
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I test-drove up there this weekend, partly to see what the roads were like, partly to see if I remembered how to get there.
Minarets Rd. is good. There is one big sunken part where it goes down to one lane for 10-15 feet. Other than that fine.
The dirt road is in relatively good condition. There were two washed portions with actively running water. One of them was fine. The other bottomed-out my Subaru Forester onto the fog lights. Lucky for me the only damage was plastic clips popping off/loose/breaking so some epoxy and an apology to my wife will fix it. Nonetheless if it erodes any more than it already has it's going to be a non-starter without higher clearance.
For reference my ground clearance is ~8.75".
There were big patches of snow starting about 1-1.5mi from the normal parking lot for Big Sleep. I hiked it and there were snowy patches all the way until you turn on 7S02M. Then it's smooth sailing.
EDIT: Oh, there's also a tree fallen lengthwise onto the road. An ATV could easily get around it. I doubt I could've gotten my Subaru (or most passenger vehicles) by. As said above...fire up them chainsaws!
Approach was wet and there's a lot of snow at the belay for the first pitches but...looked climbeable.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 15, 2017 - 02:50pm PT
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Thanks for all the updates. That's good news Jeremy. My club will be taking chainsaws and one of our members has a big boy chainsaw with a long bar beyond my abilities to describe.
With 10 trucks, winches, and chainsaws we should be able to clear any treefall.
I'll post up conditions after memorial day, same as I did last year.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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May 15, 2017 - 04:10pm PT
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snowed in Mammoth today, no? Doesn't mean it stuck to the ground.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 17, 2017 - 02:34pm PT
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Any new updates? NOAA shows highs in the 60's and lows in the 40's. Has the west side seen the precipitation that the east side is getting?
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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May 17, 2017 - 07:40pm PT
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Couple of inches of wet glop in Mammoth while we got about 2 tenths an inch of rain on the Westside at 5300 feet.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 19, 2017 - 07:36am PT
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I really appreciate the pictures. We aren't taking trailers, just our trucks. That looks manageable without issue.
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tacetman
Sport climber
Fresno, CA
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May 19, 2017 - 08:38am PT
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That first picture looks like it's worsened than when it ate up my bumper last weekend. My Forester has exactly 8.5" of clearance...so anyone else going there be wary.
Randy - any chance you guys could throw down something that would serve as a crossing? I will pitch in on it.
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tacetman
Sport climber
Fresno, CA
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May 19, 2017 - 10:53am PT
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I think a couple of 2x4's probably wouldn't even need reinforcement to provide a crossing. We could even stash 'em on the side so they don't get washed out if rain/runoff worsens.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 19, 2017 - 12:13pm PT
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tacetman,
What would you want thrown down? Throwing down some dead small trees would probably make it harder for smaller vehicles to get in.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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May 19, 2017 - 01:58pm PT
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Build a kicker.
Thanks!
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tacetman
Sport climber
Fresno, CA
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May 19, 2017 - 05:12pm PT
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Crap. I'm sorry. That came out wrong. I can lug my own crap up there to get across the creek...but my off-roading experience is limited and the road was not as bad last Fall when I was up there. Do you think if I lay down some 4x8's across the stretch that it will hold a vehicle?
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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May 21, 2017 - 10:22am PT
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Flip Flop
climber
Earth Planet, Universe
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May 21, 2017 - 01:13pm PT
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Soon. I left a shop full of tools and I miss that place.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 22, 2017 - 12:48pm PT
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JR -
Gonna be out at the ridge this weekend. Ger too. Not set on where though.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 22, 2017 - 02:11pm PT
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Be there from Sat thru Monday. Give me an idea where you guys might go. would love to meet up, at least at the end of the day to crack open beers and catch up. Browns Meadow Rd open?
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 22, 2017 - 02:15pm PT
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The road that comes up from Minarets to get into Big Sleep. I'll see if John and Sue are chatting up road conditions on the SoYo site.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 22, 2017 - 02:31pm PT
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Niner Five Won Dos Cerro Cerro Won Five 7 Five
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 23, 2017 - 10:26am PT
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Anyone is welcome to say hello. We'll be the big group of modified landcruisers. We'll have the best camp fire too. :D
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 23, 2017 - 11:55am PT
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What are the local climbing conditions? Snow approaches? wet? Or?
I assume no pons, ice axe, or spring boots needed for approaches?
The muddied roads look promising and the high 60's forecast looks good.
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sneville
climber
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May 23, 2017 - 12:22pm PT
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The conditions are good. There is some snow in the shade and the base of the climbs. The walk off for Big Sleep will be wet but you could also rap afternoon nap.
Have fun, temps will be perfect.
Sean
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 23, 2017 - 12:53pm PT
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thank you.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 23, 2017 - 12:54pm PT
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Sean ,you headed out there this weekend. Sounds like Ger will be going.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 30, 2017 - 08:19am PT
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Road into Big Sleep is easy going for stock 4x4's. Not sure I'd want to try in a Rav4 or Outback. Clearance is needed to pass minor washouts without incident.
Sat we spent almost the entire day driving from Big Sleep over to the Talon. We made it with just enough time to get a route in before it was getting late.
The road to the Lookout was rough going. Only a handful of our vehicles were able to make it to the end. The climbers camp in the hollow below Talon is reachable with stock 4x4's. We encountered multiple trees, deep snow that had to be winched through to create a base for the rest to follow, and eroded ditches.
Sunday's hike to Runnel Vision Wall was uneventful with no issues. The weather was perfect blue bird skies with t-shirt weather.
Monday we drove down whiskey falls area and found the huge washout preventing people from coming in.
All in all a great weekend of climbing, road challenges, and offroading.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 30, 2017 - 10:34am PT
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Good seeing you out there, Justin! Erin and I went over the pass to do some recon work. We missed Jeremy since I couldn't get cell service (Verizon.....arrrg!). Instead, we drove to see how far we could get around the Scenic Loop, which found us about a 1/2 mile past Squaw (3 feet of snow). Also, we drove up Grizzly in order to get to Beasore. No joy. Typical snow bank in the "S" turns just before the second cattle guard. Both areas will take about a week and half to melt out IMHO. The road to Lost Eagle has several downed trees and snow still guards the way the first 1/2 mile.
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wskinner
Sport climber
San Francisco
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May 30, 2017 - 11:00am PT
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Got my 2WD van stuck on the way from Big Sleep back to Minarets yesterday in the little stream that has developed crossing the road. It should be passable with moderate clearance 2WD (and was on the way in) as long as you don't drive straight into the mud bank as I did. Oops. Thanks a lot to the two guys who stopped and helped me dig and push it out - I forgot your names.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 31, 2017 - 08:59am PT
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Yep, I know the one you're talking about.....cuts across at a steep corner.....lots of rocks and wood as points of aid. Watched a guy in an Outback high center during an attempt to cross. When it comes to getting around at Shuteye, its STRONGLY suggested that a 4x4 is the way to go. Then again, I've seen Eric Gable take a Custom Econoline Van up the steep and deeply rutted Gray Camp road.....all the way up to the upper camp! Loved that cocky look in his eyes as he barreled that rig up to the top.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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May 31, 2017 - 10:07am PT
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You saw that I ran into Justin? There's always the birthday weekend (Jun 23-25) if you're interested. Would love to see you there! Details later on where.
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Patty McGee
Big Wall climber
San Jose
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Spoke with the bass lake ranger station today and she said some 4WD crew made it ALMOST to shuteye peak (i interpreted it as close/to 4wd camp) and cleared a bunch of trees.
I got a car and i would walk most of the road anyway - anyone know how the snowpack is currently in the area? The ranger made it sound like it was still too snowy but i interpret that as a good potential for snowball fight warm-ups.
Any more insight would be appreciated!
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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That was my group. It was getting late and we wanted to get some climbing in so we stopped at the Talon.
Thetrailcrew.com is our website. We wheel, cave, climb, dive, and do a bunch of other outdoors stuff using our trucks to get there.
There is one 30 foot long snow patch that I winched passed to make tracks then the other 10 vehicles were able to drive through. A second smaller snow patch can be bypassed. The fifth picture on my post in the previous page shows the snow patch we went through.
An experienced driver in a stock 4wd would be challenged to get to the Talon at the moment. All the vehicles that made it to the top were running 33" tires, a rear locker, and a mild lift minimum.
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Nanobody
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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You can always walk. For me, walking to climbs in the shoulder season is a special delight.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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Very true. Walked to Runnel Vision Wall last Sunday.
The tough challenging road conditions made it hard to want to walk. Offroading is a lot of fun for me.
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bhorowitz
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Jun 13, 2017 - 11:18am PT
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Was up there this past Saturday/Sunday driving up Central Camp Road and then trying to make it up towards the peak. Roads were passable with a very high clearance vehicle (built up Jeeps and pickups were passing through easily). I was there with a Subaru Forester and had a fun time navigating some obstacles... definitely pushed it more than I ever have before and barely made a few of them! I would say a 2wd car doesn't have a real chance to get anywhere close to the ridge itself; I had to park my car a mile or so away.
Here is one fun water obstacle we created a little rock bridge for on the way to the ridge... water on right side was ~3 foot deep and had lots of large rocks
Also, near the junction of Beasore Rd and Central Camp Rd (on the Central Camp side) is a washed out road which would be pretty impassable without a very high clearance vehicle; just a warning if anyone wants to go that way.
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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Jun 14, 2017 - 12:11am PT
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Yep, I know the one you're talking about.....cuts across at a steep corner.....lots of rocks and wood as points of aid. Watched a guy in an Outback high center during an attempt to cross.
Musta been a total kook.
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mooch
Trad climber
Tribal Base Camp (Kernville Annex)
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Jun 19, 2017 - 09:25am PT
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The Chosen One being blessed from above. Float on!
Tiki-Ger poised for action
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Goldserve
Sport climber
CA
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Jun 21, 2017 - 08:42am PT
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A group of us were planning to go to 2WD camp in a few weeks. What are the conditions now with some stock SUVs? Do you think we have to park at the junction of central camp rd and 8029? Thanks in advance!
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mike a.
Sport climber
ca
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Jun 21, 2017 - 08:58am PT
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the road pretty beat up from the winter, last season could get there in the suby, but this year only going up there in my tacoma, i think you will need a trunk to get there, good luck!
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msiddens
Trad climber
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Jun 21, 2017 - 06:55pm PT
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GEEEER! Glad to see Ger getting some.
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Goldserve
Sport climber
CA
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Jun 22, 2017 - 07:40pm PT
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Mike, I sent you a private e-mail through this site. Not sure if you got it. Belmont gym says HI to you!
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Kique
Trad climber
Livermore
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Jun 26, 2017 - 11:07am PT
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We were there over the weekend. One of the worst parts is right off the bat a couple hundred yards in on Central Camp Rd after the turn off from Beasore Rd. There is a small creek crossing the road. On the way in its downhill through the creek. On the way out all sorts of stock vehicles are getting stuck, one tire spinning in the air, and the others spinning in the mud and making it worse by the day. Honda Element was stuck there and had to be pulled out. Stock Jeep Grand Cherokee carefully choosing a line cleared no problem. Tacoma with what looked to be 265/70 R17 tires cruised. F-150 on 35/12.50/18 well, that's not stock...
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tacetman
Sport climber
Fresno, CA
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Aug 10, 2017 - 11:00am PT
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Moose - awesome pictures. Those routes look fun. Where were the pics taken?
W
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mike a.
Sport climber
ca
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Aug 10, 2017 - 02:55pm PT
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Lost Eagle Dome Melting Wall, but do not tell any one its a secret lol 😊 happy climbing Mike A.
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Ryan K
Gym climber
the pit
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Oct 25, 2017 - 02:47pm PT
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With the warm temps, I'd love to get out to High Eagle this weekend or next. I'm guessing the creek crossing is fine now, so I'm wondering about the road generally.
Was any work done on the road this summer? How passable to 2WD Camp would it be for a Forester or RAV-4? Thanks in advance
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Oct 25, 2017 - 02:54pm PT
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Talked with a FS guy at Wagner's last weekend. The Forest Service is looking at closing Minarets Road around the 29th to rebuild last winter's washouts.
But...funding is still pending so that date is not etched in stone yet. He suggested calling the Bass Lake office before heading out as you may have to use Beasore instead...until snows close it.
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Ricky D
Trad climber
Sierra Westside
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Oct 27, 2017 - 12:38pm PT
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They pushed it out a month since they missed the 30 day notice deadline for October.
So I can get in this weekend - yay!
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Anybody have any current road beta for the Shuteye areas?
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Nanobody
Trad climber
Fresno, CA
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As of this past weekend, most of the roads were still gated. you could get into Chiquito dome (which I climbed). I suspect the roads will open soon as there is no snow left, but who knows. I would advise calling the forest service and ask about the specific road you want to access.
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mike a.
Sport climber
ca
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On May all gates should start to open up, I know the gate at 6s42/central camp Road is open, with a 4x4 can get up to the lookout, but snowing up here today and tomorrow, happy climbing Mike A.
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randy88fj62
Trad climber
LA, CA
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May 18, 2018 - 08:18am PT
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Any updates on roads into big sleep? Passenger car worthy? Wet and muddy? 4x4 required etc?
Any info much appreciated.
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skewness
Trad climber
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Topic Author's Reply - May 30, 2018 - 10:16am PT
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Bumpity bump. Anyone get up there over the long weekend?
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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May 30, 2018 - 11:16am PT
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I was up at Bigsleep area a few weeks ago, road was in good shape. Accesss in to the red area in the book still had a big tree blocking the road. Getting in to Lost eagle was pretty rough and we did not venture all the way in in our van. AWD good clearance but there was a stream running down the road and pretty much trashing it.
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