Discussion Topic |
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DJW
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 7, 2007 - 12:49pm PT
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I am interested in finding out about some great Yosemite Valley 4th class scrambles. Obviously, there tons of technical climbs. But are there any real cool scrambles, i.e. relatively clean, not major brushy bushwacks, not trail hikes, a couple hundred feet off the valley floor would be sufficient and spectacular view/setting. Can anyone pin point a couple of goodies for me??? Will be much appreciated.
DJW
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WBraun
climber
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Scrambling is great and there is tons of it in Yosemite.
But please, if you are going to scramble alone tell someone where you plan on going and returning.
That way "if" something does happen to you we don't have to waste our time scouring the whole Park or speculating where the fuk did this guy go?
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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That sounds like a classic idea. It might give me the inspiration I need to hike to the Diving Board for a shot of the HD face I want. Then solo the Hike and down the death cables.
Here the view of the Warbler's warblings. Ya know enough photoshop to trace the route on this?
peace
karl
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WBraun
climber
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99% casual.
What's the one percent? 5.12D?
:-)
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Karl Baba
Trad climber
Yosemite, Ca
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That's a fine contribution Kevin. Looks like a good conditioning day excited, thinking and routefinding out in nature.
What do you know/see of those silver platter routes? Is there stuff worth doing in those parts?
Peace
karl
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WBraun
climber
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Yeah I know Kevin
That area has had a history of the yellow shirts responding to failed scrambles.
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JOEY.F
Social climber
sebastopol
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1/ Sierra Point...easy
2/ The Ledge trail...Stout!!!
Joe.
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Tom
Big Wall climber
San Luis Obispo CA
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I don't know about "great", but the approach to Absolutely Free on the Three Brothers was 3rd/4th, and led up to a great crack.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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the approach to Steck-Salathe is 3rd class with a few 4th class moves... and it's a great place
Pick up the Roper Green Guide (Sierra Club) and thumb through it... lots of good ideas there.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
the greasewood ghetto
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May 11, 2009 - 03:35am PT
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" The wall between the switchbacks has some nice long crack systems that are pretty grassy for stretches, but have great potential. "
True , Looks like there's face , dihedrals and splitters west of the Porcelain wall . Something in there would be an obvious link to directly climb from the valley floor to top of half dome and avoid the long approach to Snake dike in the process . http://gigapan.org/viewGigapan.php?id=14652
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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May 11, 2009 - 09:38am PT
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A very cool scramble: 3rd class up the extreme right side of Sunnyside Bench (“climbers approach”) and via obvious terraces cross over towards the top of Lower Yosemite Falls. Behind the exact edge of the Falls is a huge pool hidden at the bottom of the cataract leading from Upper Falls. You can swim to the very edge of this pool and look down Lower Falls (just as you can with Bridalveil mentioned above) and into the Falls amphitheater. It is of course totally out of view from all vantages so you can be completely naked. Wonderful place to spend a whole day or plan a romantic rendezvous!! Of course only in summer and fall. You can exit either by reversing the route or continue up to the bottom of Upper Falls and crossing over to the Falls trail.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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May 11, 2009 - 10:19am PT
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I guess another cool experience to mention is the azalea forest on the top of El Cap above the North American Wall area. There is this seepage up there and right up to the edge of the wall, are zillions of really big California Azaleas hanging out in what must be heaven for them. They bloom a whitish-yellow large flower and a wonderful odor.
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Wack
climber
Dazevue
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May 11, 2009 - 10:27am PT
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The old green or red Roper guide contains 4th class climbs ignored by the new guides.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
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May 11, 2009 - 10:54am PT
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Wack, You have that right. Here on Supertopo, there has been a lot of attention paid to this problem and ST contains much information about such "forgotten" or legacy routes. It is basically crappy how all kinds of historic and fun climbing has dropped out of the last four guides for the popular lamo overly traveled lines of current fashion. Of course the guide writers had an increasingly challenging time keeping the guides down to a reasonable size and profitable of course. Today there are thousands of routes in the Valley. I think that there really needs to be a definitive two volume edition (containing all climbs) put up and another "popular climbs" edition also (like we have currently) to satisfy the climbers new to the Valley. If a two volume guide can't be published profitably, how about looking in to getting it sponsored by AAC or other benevolent entity?
It is actually damaging to climbing to let many of these classic older climbs disappear. Many newer climbers end up with a very shallow understanding of climbing and lack the resources that the previous generation has. And there really are "fashions" in climbing. Finger cracks were really big for about 10 years and anything that was thin was popular. Pulleeze. Lame as I said above. This extends to all forms of rockclimbing.
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Nomad_Andrew
Trad climber
West Coast (usually)
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May 11, 2009 - 12:41pm PT
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I would not hesitate to pay some $$$ for a nice Yos book. Coffee table style or not. Right on.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Just stumbled into this thread
Great idea about a comprehensive book while so many of the "old timers" are still around.
With routes sketched on photos rather than topo maps and brief written descriptions a-la Roper's guides. Perhaps 1 or 2 "glamour" pics of each route for inspiration.
Warbler's descriptions are just the stuff.
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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.. . a couple hundred feet off the valley floor would be sufficient and spectacular view/setting. Gunsight to the top of Bridalviel Falls, ignoring any slings or batman lines, and climbing it as God intended.
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Adamame
climber
Santa Cruz
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Ive heard the old Indian Creek Canyon trail is pretty cool.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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My own feeling is that the climbing community should take back the role stewarding the "guidebooks" from commercial interests.
First, I have a real problem with the appropriation of "intellectual property" which was at one time in the public domain, locking it up legally in copyright, and then providing intermittent, supplementary updates based on marketing rather than relevance to the climbing community. This is exacerbated by the effective monopoly of guidebook production that has occurred because of the very low "return on investment" publishing houses see in the guidebook market.
If a corporation cannot make money on guidebooks, then why not have the climbing collective take back the process of producing a guide? This is happening with the advent of print-on-demand publishing.
Second, we could easily put together a website with this information on it... and serve it out to the community. The SuperTopoForum is one such place, Mountain Project another... and maybe even the YCA, given the historic nature of many of these climbs. In many ways, this is a preferable mode of getting the information out there on the historic routes.
Finally, climbers should be encouraged to view climbs not as a "conquest" of a particular vertical feature, but as a "journey" whose successful conclusion does not have to be attaining the summit, or the Valley rim whatever the case may be. Climbers who start out on a "4th class adventure" may very well be turned back for many reasons. Turning back is not a bad thing at all, and a skill that is badly atrophied in our modern climbing zeitgeist.
This last point is just a way of saying, go out there and do it... don't wait for the guidebook. And report back here!
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Nibs
Trad climber
Humboldt, CA
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WOW! Ed, thank you so much for posting the link to the 1940 climbers guide guide. That is really cool; appreciate the route links. Repeating the Charles Micheal FAs would be fun and enlightening. If such an opportunity presents itself, I will report back with where, how and why we turned back on each.
wow, again thanks as I note that it is not available through Advanced Book Exchange...
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le_bruce
climber
Oakland, CA
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Ed, your link and post above deserve a thread of their own, imo. Thanks much for the resource, dl'd and appreciated.
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LuckyPink
climber
the last bivy
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Great post, Ed. perhaps Ken can host it on YCA
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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This thread is a gem. Great thoughts Ed.
I gotta look for some of Roper's old info.
Tenaya canyon is grand...
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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the approach to Steck-Salathe is 3rd class with a few 4th class moves... and it's a great place
If you are going to suggest that, why not just scramble up the Steck-Salathe "descent" all the way to the top?
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August West
Trad climber
Where the wind blows strange
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Ed,
I like your idea of non-copyright guidebooks.
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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Aug 15, 2011 - 09:11pm PT
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Bump this classic for info (o/t?)
This thread speaks to me. Planning on a possible Indian Canyon father son trip this weekend. Any thoughts here on wether the flow has dropped in that creek yet?
File this question under 'Obscurata'
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gstock
climber
Yosemite Valley
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Aug 15, 2011 - 09:17pm PT
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The flow in Indian Creek is pretty low now, but you can navigate the entire canyon on the west side without getting wet.
This is a nice thread.
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Kalimon
Trad climber
Ridgway, CO
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Aug 15, 2011 - 09:35pm PT
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Ed,
Thanks for posting the Leonard and Brower guide link. What a special glimpse into the roots of Valley climbing.
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Mtnmun
Trad climber
Top of the Mountain Mun
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Aug 15, 2011 - 10:28pm PT
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I did a fun scramble up a notch in Basket Dome a while back.
When I volunteered on Mt San Jacinto, I always registered where I would be on my excursions. There are some brillient scrambles up there. I told the S&R Guys that should I go missing, look for me where the trail does not go.
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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Aug 15, 2011 - 11:35pm PT
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Thanks for the info G Stock. 4th Class Scrambles.
Is there any easy way up the front of Cloud's Rest?
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Clint Cummins
Trad climber
SF Bay area, CA
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Aug 16, 2011 - 03:45am PT
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Hopefully these overlays are about right. If not, describe what to change?
The route, or at least the first part through the crux, may coincide with the climb "Diving Board - West Side" in the Roper guide:
"Start from Mirror Lake and ascend a brush-filled gully for 2,500 feet.
The face above is class 4."
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whitey1
climber
california
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Aug 19, 2011 - 12:59am PT
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How's it for rockfall and munge?
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Captain...or Skully
climber
or some such
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Aug 19, 2011 - 01:03am PT
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I would advise takin' yer own(our own?) Munge. If he's available.
Hehehe. Dig that wanderin'. I've done a bit up there, too. Made the Rim. Not sure how. Big fat fun, that.
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Sep 17, 2012 - 10:42pm PT
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This is a great thread!
Thanks Warbler for sharing info on this way up to the west base of HD
Ed, in case you don't already know about it, here is an interesting legal alternative to copyright called "copyleft" that would provide a legally defensible framework to your excellent vision of how to disseminate climbing route information in a way that would not permit others to restrict it's use in the future:
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/nonsoftware-copyleft.html
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
bouldering
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Feb 27, 2013 - 01:19am PT
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In 1990 I went up Snow Creek. I skirted the lower fall (too steep), and slipped into the canyon above from the slope to the right of the creek. From there you can negotiate your way around several steps/ falls to the top, and return to the valley via the trail (or continue to 120). It's pretty pedestrian, the value is more in just being somewhere very little travelled.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Feb 27, 2013 - 02:37am PT
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Allow about all day
If you go to play
On or about Middle Cathedral's NW Buttress, to the far right side of it, I GUESS...
From the top of the Gunsight it is not necessary to fifth class except for one pitch out of Bridalveil Creek, to reach the summit of MCR.
I'd tell you more, but there would be no adventure, would it?
Annie Rizzi and I climbed one short, moderately steep crack, maybe a bit longer than half a pitch, laughed at an old iron horizontal (Army), which was booty, and we may have placed one or two Stoppers over the whole route. The NW Buttress description Roper delivers is just as vague as the route(s) up this meandering blend of brush, short slabs and corners, and pine trees. Take a rope, no specific length, and biners and runners, too.
If a name were applied, Do Your Own Thing might fit nicely.
And don't never drink from Bridalveil unless you're equipped with filtering!!!
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Inner City
Trad climber
East Bay
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May 21, 2014 - 05:52pm PT
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Bump this baby....love to hear more casual adventures
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em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
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May 21, 2014 - 09:30pm PT
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the approach to Steck-Salathe is 3rd class with a few 4th class moves... and it's a great place
If you are going to suggest that, why not just scramble up the Steck-Salathe "descent" all the way to the top?
Ditto that. Scrambling up the SS descent takes you to a world-class view, you will likely see NO ONE after you leave the 4-mile trail, and it's great prep before you climb the SS: learn the descent before you have to do it in the dark, and take extra water/shoes to stash at the top before your climb.
Follow the dotted line:
The wildflowers are fantastic
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Risk
Mountain climber
Olympia, WA
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May 21, 2014 - 11:49pm PT
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I tried to ascend that slab to the left of of Snow Creek Falls, but backed off (above photo). Several Tenaya Canyon scrambles below, around and above hidden falls. The far left side of the apron affords many 4th class scrambles; just don't partake at the top like I did once. Swan Slab gully area and Church Bowl were teenager-scrambles; were they 4th? Indian Canyon has the ladders and is Class 2.
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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May 21, 2014 - 11:55pm PT
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Ascend and descend Eagle Creek.
Unique.
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Psilocyborg
climber
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May 22, 2014 - 12:42am PT
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scramblin' in the valley...sh#t. scramble all over the park, man. It gets way better.
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Michelle
Social climber
1187 Hunterwasser
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May 22, 2014 - 01:46am PT
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Spectacular bump!
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ß Î Ø T Ç H
Boulder climber
extraordinaire
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May 22, 2014 - 02:52am PT
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One of the first scrambles I ever did was the ramp behind housekeeping camp that ultimately connects with the ledge trail. Clean line with tourist top-out.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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May 22, 2014 - 02:59am PT
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I never got an invite in 2011. Just sayin. lol
Em Kn0t, so the 4 mile trail to the point where you can contour over to the gully? Or just gully up? I'd be down for reversing the descent outing. I'd get my ass handed to me on SS.
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em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
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May 28, 2014 - 02:03am PT
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Em Kn0t, so the 4 mile trail to the point where you can contour over to the gully? Or just gully up?
Hi Munge,
Follow the 4 mile trail to a not-well-marked point where climber approach to Steck-Salathe heads uphill (if you reach the creek on 4-mile trail you've gone too far.) Follow vague climber trail to where the 4th-class approach to SS starts up slabs to climber's right. The descent route comes down slabs and ledges between The Sentinel and the 4-mile trail.
I'd be down for reversing the descent outing. I'd get my ass handed to me on SS.
Make my day...name a date. (Just kidding...unless the answer's yes)
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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May 28, 2014 - 09:46am PT
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More like 3rd class because no serious fall potential, but the scramble from the top or Royal Arches over to Yosemite Point is pretty fun, making as much of a beeline as you can with going up and down A couple of creek valleys (Lehamite and Indian?)
I spent a good day hiking on that with Joe Metz about a decade ago now. A few spots were slabby into dirt-clawing gullies with some downward sliding for each bit of upward progress. That part was closer to Royal Arches, and the shaded canyons were more like off trail hiking.
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JerryA
Mountain climber
Sacramento,CA
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May 28, 2014 - 11:15am PT
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How about North Dome Gully ? You could have lunch on the summit of Washington Column.
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Captain...or Skully
climber
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May 28, 2014 - 11:49am PT
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Done that a couple times, Jerry. It's a good outing....but then, it's hard to find a bad outing in The Valley.
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em kn0t
Trad climber
isle of wyde
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May 28, 2014 - 03:40pm PT
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One of the first scrambles I ever did was the ramp behind housekeeping camp that ultimately connects with the ledge trail. Clean line with tourist top-out.
Not sure about that route, but a good friend had to be helicoptered out after a large boulder came loose and rolled over her on a casual hike in the gully behind Curry Village.
This can happen any time, but more likely when you're off the beaten track...just a reminder to keep heads up for loose rock on all these scrambles. Have fun, stay safe.
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k-man
Gym climber
SCruz
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Oct 27, 2015 - 08:11am PT
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Good Stuff bump.
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kunlun_shan
Mountain climber
SF, CA
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Aug 15, 2016 - 07:35pm PT
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Fun scrambling bump.
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originalpmac
Mountain climber
Timbers of Fennario
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Jun 12, 2018 - 09:17am PT
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Epic scrambles. I have to do that Skywalk. Thank goodness. Warblers contributions are still here.
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Rausch
Trad climber
Monterey,CA
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Jun 12, 2018 - 12:34pm PT
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Wandered up the skywalk late in the evening a few weeks ago. Went about half way and turned back. It was getting dark and I kept trundling a lot of rock.
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Texplorer
Trad climber
Sacramento
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Jun 12, 2018 - 12:43pm PT
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Apparently El Cap is 4th class now.
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