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rockermike
Mountain climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - May 30, 2009 - 03:03pm PT
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Thinking of giving Charlotte a try. Questions;
Is it too early (snow pack or wet rock)?
If coming from Bay Area, is it easier to approach from west or east (taking drive into account).
Any tricks to finding beginning of route? I've heard its tricky.
Any other useful info?
Anyone have photos that would help find and follow the route?
thanks in advance
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Dapper Dan
climber
Menlo Park
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May 30, 2009 - 03:49pm PT
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this is the start of the route .
I dont think it is too hard to find. Just keep traversing around the base of the dome and you will get to it . The supertopo was fairly accurate. The approach is pretty long overall , but not too hard.
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz Mountains/Los Gatos
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May 30, 2009 - 06:22pm PT
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a number of years ago when we did the route, we went in from the west and stayed at the campground. very pleasant hike in and you can do some cragging near the car before starting your hike.
but if you choose the west approach and stay at the campground, be aware that the bears are quite aggressive, and your sleep may be interrupted. there is a bear box at the campground, which should tell you something.
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Radish
Trad climber
Seki, California
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May 30, 2009 - 09:16pm PT
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Have been working a Prescribed burn at Roaring River, down in Cedar Grove all week. Lots of wind and some rain today, almost all day. It looks like Charlotte Dome might be ready to go, but if you wait another week, it will be better.The burn is done so there won't be any smoke. The Kings river is all white and just running like crazy, looks like class 8......................
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Sean Jones
climber
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May 31, 2009 - 12:16am PT
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Ask Doug Robinson for info on this. He can probly help you alot.
Sean Jones.
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murse
Trad climber
San Clemente
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May 31, 2009 - 03:56am PT
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bump, as i'm going up there in 6 weeks. that photo looks like the start of 4th class scrambling, is that the start of climbing?
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Dapper Dan
climber
Menlo Park
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May 31, 2009 - 12:36pm PT
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to the south face route it is .
it is a little steeper than it looks i think .
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Les
Trad climber
Brooklyn
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Jun 15, 2009 - 01:40pm PT
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How's the 40' runout climbing on P9? Pretty featured/secure friction? Or pure slab?
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ec
climber
ca
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Jun 15, 2009 - 02:37pm PT
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40' ?
Small wireds may shorten that #.
Don't go there if you have to ask...to long of a walk to get shut down w/ no rap route.
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ec
climber
ca
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Jun 15, 2009 - 04:16pm PT
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at least I clued you in on some pro...and I guess you didn't view the photo...'pure friction' I think knott, but Les featured than the rest...
 ec
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mongrel
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Jun 15, 2009 - 04:18pm PT
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Climb is probably dry all winter even, but you'd have to ski a long ways. I'd recommend the west approach, especially from the Bay. We found the route extremely easily just from the old text description, so no problem. And if you wander around a bit, so what, the rock is so featured and with abundant corners and easy faces that you could go just about anywhere. Just go up and you'll be fine. No wiggy slab anywhere high up; tons of large features, really fun. Half the pitches are probably cl. 4; we could only find the one 5.7 (but slightly PG/R) pitch. People car-to-carred it casually the same day we climbed it (which was late Oct or early Nov - last weekend the road was open; short days).
Word to the wise is, bring a bunch of slings and your Tricams, they work great in that rock. SINK THE PINK!
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Les
Trad climber
Brooklyn
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Jun 15, 2009 - 05:10pm PT
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ec - I don't climb much friction in these parts, though it is available in abundance on Whitehorse Ledge. And I've climbed plenty of friction in North Carolina. What I know from experience about friction is that it's not all created equal, and that it's generally (especially at 5.8 and under) mostly a head game. So my inquiry was aimed at gauging how much time I should spend running it out up at Whitehorse before this trip to get my friction head straight. When you haven't climbed friction in a while, and you're used to pulling down on say, horizontals at the Gunks, it takes some getting re-acquainted with. Not that I should have to explain myself when posting a simple, good faith request for little honest information.
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BW
climber
Big Pine, CA
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Jun 15, 2009 - 05:35pm PT
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It's "featured friction" from what I recall. And ec's right: little nut is bomber. Then again, there's so many ways to go you may not encounter the same thing we did.
Beware the bears. Had a beauty of a cinnimon-colored bear bite into our fuel cannister. She sneezed on the gas that exploded in her mouth and walked inches from my head to Bubbs Creek to wash it out. Then after climbing the dome we ran into her again up a tree. She came down fast and started coming right at us. I'm normally nonchalant about Sierra black bears, but this one followed us up-slope a ways. She must have been pissed about the fuel in her mouth and was holding a grudge. Not sure if this is true, but hear they relocate "problem" bears from the Ditch. Bring a bear cannister and put the fuel in it as well.
I'm biased here, but the approach from the Eastside is stunning.
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz Mountains/Los Gatos
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Jun 15, 2009 - 06:55pm PT
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our bear encounters there were a mixture of amorous and hostile. my buddy was awakened when a black, not ginger colored, bear was teaching him how to french kiss. we didn't get much sleep at all there. constant dancing, spanking, tossing of stones, whacking with sticks. got up close and personal with them and he/she tossed our heavy packs like toys and wedged the full bear box against a tree. took two of us to move it so we could open it.
remember more about the bear encounters than the climb itself, other than getting grappled on in October.
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rockermike
Mountain climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Jun 15, 2009 - 07:03pm PT
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"french kiss"? do tell more.
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ron gomez
Trad climber
fallbrook,ca
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Jun 15, 2009 - 08:02pm PT
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Les, you might check out ec's resume, if it's the "ec" I know of in the sierra, you might take his word on this. Is that you ec joe? He ain't trying to snub you, it IS a long approach for just the hike, and I know plenty of climbers with good ability that go in, get off route and have an epic. Have fun and be safe if you go. It's a classic.
Peace
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Bad Climber
climber
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Jun 15, 2009 - 08:18pm PT
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I did it for the second time after an interval of almost 20 years last year. Such a joy! Dang, it's great. EC is right about the not-so-run-out. With some careful wireds, some small cams, slings, etc, you can keep the run-outs reasonable. You will have to smear a bit on a slanting dike like feature, but I recall some decent holds.
Have a blast!
bAd
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Joe
Social climber
Santa Cruz Mountains/Los Gatos
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Jun 15, 2009 - 08:53pm PT
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"french kiss"? do tell more.
never kiss and tell.
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Captain...or Skully
Social climber
North of the Owyhees
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Jun 15, 2009 - 09:03pm PT
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Teaching to French Kiss.....constant dancing, spanking, tossing of stones, whacking with sticks......sounds like a night with Skully!
ec knows what he's talking about out there. Not elitist, just knowledgable. Have a nice trip.
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ec
climber
ca
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Jun 15, 2009 - 09:20pm PT
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'just stating the facts. Man...that didn't make me feel any better, Les. I see your point, through your explanation, thx.
Charlito, a sub-dome of Charlotte has some friction much different than on the Rowell/Beckey route, smooth and really runnout...80'
Yogi is always very aggressive there. Beware!
ec
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Les
Trad climber
Bahston
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Jun 16, 2009 - 10:16am PT
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thanks, all, for the great information, especially about the bears!! Hilarious about remembering more about them than the climb! Reminds me of when my buddy and I were camping at "Leigh Lake 14c" the night before we climbed the DSB on Mt. Moran. Didn't sleep for sh#t that night, right in grizzly country (and we were too cheap to buy any bear spray!). We hear activity outside the tent all night, and finally, my buddy says, "I gotta flash my headlamp out there and see what it is." I was like, "You serious?" So, as he's getting ready to switch his light on, I casually began to unzip the exit on my side, which faced the lake, envisioning myself flinging myself into the lake to escape a ravenous grizzly! Turns out it was a mule deer. :-)
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mooch
Big Wall climber
The Immaculate Conception
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Jun 16, 2009 - 11:45am PT
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Les -
Too bad you're ignorance clouds who you're trying to downgrade. E.C. Joe is the principal of "Old Skool High" in these neck of the woods. Heed his words and have an ounce of humility!
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tarek
climber
berkeley
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Jun 16, 2009 - 08:22pm PT
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One of the best climbs I've done. Wanted a bit more adventure, and so left topo behind. Did some 4th class ~100' to the left of start shown in pic above, then back towards the right up higher. Ended up way run out below the steep and easy final wall, at one point face climbing at least 50' above gear. Moves there were hard enough to temporarily illuminate me.
After that, went up left margin of swiss cheese type headwall--easy and spectacular. Had started late that day, and with all of the fretting on the long runout section, topped out at last light. Was expecting a nice rounded top. Where I finished leading was basically a ridge.
On the way down, tried to hook around to the start too early and ended up rapping steep slabs (as some others had done).
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mongrel
Trad climber
Truckee, CA
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Jun 16, 2009 - 09:04pm PT
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Back to the real question, to fully clarify for Les: the upper part of Charlotte is not remotely like friction as in White Horse Ledge. It's covered with holds and scoops and grippy rock. Sliding Board is WAY harder and freakier than even the crux pitch on Charlotte (about pitch 3 or 4, wherever it is).
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Anxious Melancholy
Mountain climber
Back of beyond
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Jun 16, 2009 - 10:23pm PT
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you got lots of feed back already, but my experience in about '80 was the following:
-hiked in from the east.
-interesting night watching from my bivy sack while bears tried to access our food hung from the camp's steel cables.
-excellent back country climb.
-freakiest moment was when, high on the climb, I was belaying from a #7 stopper wedged sideways in a shallow groove and my partner was leading above, without a clear sense of where the route went. Lots of grooves and ways one might go. oh yeah, and it was sprinkling. That smooth polish takes on a whole 'nother character when wet. Didn't help when my partner, 50' above the belay, without finding any where to place pro, yelled down to me that he didn't know whether he could make the traverse over to the next crack system without falling.
needless to say, we lived to tell the story.
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Les
Trad climber
Bahston
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Jun 17, 2009 - 09:44am PT
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mongrel - now THAT'S real helpful - putting it in context of something I'm very familiar with! I think a couple trips up Sliding Board, The Wedge, and Sea of Holes should get my head in the right frame of mind for Charlotte. Thanks again!
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Russ S.
climber
Seattle, WA
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Jun 17, 2009 - 02:17pm PT
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I always warning people about my failing memory.... But, at the dished out area where the hole is,(friction, up & right) you can also go leftish. It goes up the left side of an arete in front of you, then pop back right to regain the route....
Warning - as I remember this was fairly easy, but I've always regreted missing that "friction" pitch...
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Les
Trad climber
Bahston
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Jun 17, 2009 - 04:13pm PT
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FYI, Chris Mac has linked this thread to the "Climber Beta on South Face" section of the "Climbing Routes" tab, so I deleted my posts that did not contribute directly to this purpose (i.e., providing useful beta)
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Emon
Trad climber
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Jun 17, 2009 - 05:28pm PT
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FWIW here's my TR from 2005:
We had quite an adventure on Charlotte Dome, July 20-21, 2005. We left Stanford 4:30am on Wed, drove 6 hours and hiked in (came very close to a rattler and a mountain kingsnake on he trail). The NPS was requiring bear containers there at the time, even though there is a metal food storage container at Bubbs Creek campground. The Roads End station was closed when we got there, but you can rent bear containers from the Cedar Grove market.
We initially thought we would sleep at Bubb's creek campground, but when we arrived with 2 hours of daylight left, the mosquitoes were so bad that we couldn't bear to be still and decided to bivy higher up. We were very glad we did! From the main trail it is maybe 2 hrs of steep uphill to the climb. We bivied after about an hour (with packs) at a tree with a big flat rock not too far from where the trail cuts away from the creek. This turned out to be a good spot because when we came back down we hit it without having to go back uphill.
The forecast had small chance of Tstorms in the afternoon, and there was a bit of that hiking in on Wed. so we decided to try and be early. We were up by 4:30, left our campsite at 5:30 and were on the climb by 7am. The 1200ft face is more imposing than I had expected and although the climbing was easy, I was very concerned with staying on route the whole time. We did OK in that respect. There was only one part around the 4th pitch where I got decidedly off-route into harder slabs. And we remain kind of confused about some of the markers on the supertopo that we're not sure we saw.
We got our first rain on pitch 6 a bit before 1pm, I think. We saw what looked like some major booty above a crack slightly left. Perhaps a party had bailed in the thunderstorms the day before, but the darkening sky made me completely uninterested in booty retrieval. The wind dried the rock off pretty quickly; we were well above the retreat anchors shown on the topo so we continued. There was no thunder or lightening at the time. The wind changed and the system that looked to be moving past came right at us. We got a bit more sprinkles. Then...At 3:30 on pitch 10 of 12 (on the supertopo) the sky opened with rain, hail and bolts of lightening in the canyon immediately in front of us. The simultaneously cracks of thunder let us know we were in the thick of it. Luckily, that belay offers the biggest ledge of the climb. We girth hitched ourselves to a dead tree (that's probably been struck by lightening before), stashed all our metal a bit away from us, donned rain gear and huddled. In minutes water was gushing down the rock 2 ft. to our right.
The rain/hail stopped after a few minutes. So much was going on in the sky we weren't sure if we'd be in for more. After 45 minutes or so we decided to head up. Leading a wet thin 5.7 crack that involved stepping across on wet slab to another wet thin crack was the most harrowing part of the climb for me. Luckily, the rubber stuck enough. Seth led the last bit and we topped out at 7 pm. The topo has 13 pitches if you stay roped up for the 3rd class to the top, like we did. We actually did it all in 11 long pitches. We roped up just below and to the left of where the first belay is on the supertopo.
We had a few moments of sunshine before more thunder and hail amidst a beautiful sunset, which was kind of surreal. We decided the walk off would be dangerously slippery and decided to use the inviting slings on a tree to our right, understanding that it might commit us to a series of raps on steeper terrain, which it did. 3- 200ft rappels off existing stations (with some knot problems with our doubles and Seth ascending once with both ends in our grasp to free a stuck knot) left Seth stranded on steep slab. He found a decent horn where he strung a rap ring on cord. The next rappell got us to the ground by midnight. A moonlit (full moon) walk and bushwacking through manzenita got us back to our bivy a little after 2am.
We were sore, tired and happy on the way out the next day. We descended from our bivy on a trail we hadn't been on for much of the ascent. *Beta: There are actually 2 streams prior to Bubb's Creek campground. A good trail to Charlotte Dome, which we missed on the way in, but walked out on, is immediately prior to the first stream you hit at a bend in the trail. There is a chest-high boulder on the right and a cairm on the left, although ferns sort of hide the trail right at the outset.
So, that is our trip report. Kings Canyon is amazingly beautiful!
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Les
Trad climber
Bahston
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Jul 28, 2009 - 08:12am PT
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bump - anyone been in to Charlotte Dome recently? Heading in there next week so just looking for some stoke, e.g., recent TRs, pics, etc. Can't wait.
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