South Face 5.8

 
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Charlotte Dome


High Sierra, California USA


Trip Report
Charlotte Dome's Longest Approach
Monday August 5, 2013 7:40pm

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fin dome.
fin dome.
Credit: jedster
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It's become a bit of a theme this summer. Climb mega classic, relatively accessible routes via the most annoying approach possible. If remote passes, obscure peaks, untrammeled lakes and killer campsites are annoying, anyway. We did it for Merriam the week before, and then "on the clock" to Charlotte Dome. We didn't send Charlotte Dome, but by that point, it hardly mattered. We did cross many passes, climb 3 other peaks, and dodge the summer's worst weather. I mention it here in hopes that you'll indulge my schadenfreude and try something similar.

We also cooked up a video. But rather than make you "read between the lines", I'll break it down:

Day 1: Kearsarge and Glen Passes to a camp below Fin Dome. Epic all night thunderstorms.
Day 2: Fin Dome, then Sixty Lakes Col to upper Gardiner Basin. Evening cloudy send of Mt. Cotter.
Day 3: South Face Clarence King then moved camp over "CD Pass" (1/4 mile NW of Gardiner) and then Gardiner Pass.
Day 4: Weather-aborted attempt at Charlotte Dome's classic South Face. Moved camp to Charlotte Lake.
Day 5: Exit via Kearsarge.

Video:
[Click to View YouTube Video]

  Trip Report Views: 5,428
jedster
About the Author
jedster is a climber from Bishop, CA.

Comments
Vitaliy M.

Mountain climber
San Francisco
  Aug 5, 2013 - 08:03pm PT
Spraymaster strikes again. Good itinerary, good looking steak, but should have climbed Gardiner and Clarence King as well! Those two are also awesome!
jedster

Trad climber
Bishop, CA
Author's Reply  Aug 5, 2013 - 10:29pm PT
Spraymaster, indeed. And you're crushing it down there! What are you doing on the internet, anyway?
murcy

Gym climber
sanfrancisco
  Aug 5, 2013 - 10:44pm PT
Studying the novel rappel technique at 3:30...
Inner City

Trad climber
Portland, OR
  Aug 6, 2013 - 12:35am PT
What a great Trip Report. Your video is spectacular. The heart of mountaineering is in there.
Your Merriam Pk Vid is also awesome!

Thanks!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Aug 8, 2013 - 01:44pm PT
Nice pics, nice editing nice sound track!!!!
Thank you!!!
climbski2

Mountain climber
The Ocean
  Aug 9, 2013 - 10:27am PT
So much Sierra's to see. Thanks for sharing.
JEleazarian

Trad climber
Fresno CA
  Aug 9, 2013 - 02:20pm PT
You guys have entirely too much energy. Thanks much for the video.

John
Todd Gordon

Trad climber
Joshua Tree, Cal
  Aug 9, 2013 - 03:23pm PT
cool....good one;..thanks for sharing.....
splitclimber

climber
Sonoma County
  Aug 30, 2016 - 12:49pm PT
bump for a cool video TR.
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Charlotte Dome - South Face 5.8 - High Sierra, California USA. Click to Enlarge
The route as seen from the approach.
Photo: Karl Lew