Clyde Minaret is the highest point of the rugged Minaret group of peaks near Mammoth Lakes. I have wanted to climb in the Minarets since I first viewed them from the summits of Mount Ritter and Banner Peak in 2007. There are 17 minarets  in all, but most are rarely climbed. The rock in the Minarets is of volcanic origin so it is poor quality compared to the solid granite found elsewhere in the Sierras. I climbed Clyde Minaret via the Rock Route, which is the easiest route up to the summit and relatively solid, but still involves exposed class three scrambling and a class 4 downclimb near the top. I reached the summit 5:03 after beginning, took 15 minutes on the summit, and returned in 4:27, for a total roundtrip of 9:45. Check out the complete trip report for a collection of 40 photos from the trip!

Alpenglow on Mount Ritter and Banner Peak from Shadow Lake

Since I had climbed Mount Sill in the Palisades the previous day, I was hoping for a shorter outing, but the route up Clyde Minaret proved to be involved with quite a bit of scrambling and spicy snow/ice sections. In addition, there was over 9 miles of trail (18+ miles RT) to cover in order to reach the start of the climbing portion. However, this was a delightful outing with spectular scenery virtually the entire way and excellent visibility made for some awesome photography!

Panorama from Lake Ediza

Route photo and video after the jump!

Last Wednesday I drove 6+ hours to the eastern Sierra with big mountains on my mind, specifically Mount Sill and the Palisades. At 14,153 ft, Mount Sill is the sixth highest summit in California and the second highest in the rugged Palisades group. The peak is known as the best viewpoint in the Sierra with spectacular views in every direction. The route I chose was the North Couloir via the North Fork of Big Pine Creek. The route is neither the shortest nor the easiest, but arguably the most scenic. Along the 10 mile approach I passed through a chain of lovely alpine lakes with Temple Crag towering in the background and was treated to sweeping views of the Palisade Glacier, the largest glacier in the Sierra Mountains. The climb took 10:45 to complete (5:23 up, 27 minutes on top, and 4:55 down). There was a surprising amount of snow remaining, particularly an icy patch covering the exposed class 3/4 traverse section above the couloir which required attention. In addition, I didn’t get a chance to acclimate before the climb so I am sure the upper sections were more sluggish than they could have been. Check out the full trip report with many photos!

Temple Crag from Second Lake

Palisade Glacier Panorama (Mount Sill on the left)

Here are a couple videos, the first from the terminus of the Palisade Glacier and the second from the summit of Sill. Enjoy!

Be sure to check out the complete trip report with many more photos here.

Finishing

On July 5th, I participated in yet another great Pacific Coast Trial Runs event, this time at Pacifica in San Pedro Valley County Park, just south of San Francisco. The park features pristine coastal mountain habitat, also known as coastal scrub, consisting of low evergreen shrubs and herbs. The event included distances of 9k/21k/30k/50k. All runs at Pacifica are difficult with substantial elevation gains. The 21k/30k/50k all start out with a 12k round trip climb of the North Peak of Montara Mountain (1,898 ft), gaining 1,700 feet and including a very technical section of rocky trail. Montara Mountain has excellent views of Pacifica and Half Moon Bay, but on this day dense fog covered the mountain precluding views. After Montara Mountain, the courses then continue onto the 9k loop which has two smaller hill climbs totaling 1,200 feet of elevation gain. The 30k/50k do the 9k loop twice and the 50k continues up Montara Mountain again. The 21k has 2,900 ft of gain, the 30k has 4,100 ft, and 50k has 6,700 feet of gain.

View of Pacifica from Montara Mountain from an earlier hike

I was on the fence about running this race due to some pain in my posterior tibialis (shin splints). Fortunately, the shin did not cause any issues during the run, in part due to a tight compression wrap. I ended up feeling pretty good most of the way winning the 21k in a new course record time of 1:33:28. It was nice to run most of the way and chat with Will Hudson (who continued on to run a fantastic 30k in 2:16:32).  We definitely helped each other out on some sections. I led up Montara Mountain and we reached the high point at North Peak in under 30 minutes! We then blasted down the mountain (with extra caution on the technical part) in around 23 minutes. The climbs along the 9k loop were more difficult due to tired legs from the downhill, but after finally cresting the final of many many switchbacks on the Hazelnut Loop Trail, I knew it was time to hammer the downhill home to the finish.

Serena on the Montara Mountain Trail

Caitlin Smith won the women’s and was 4th overall with a time of 1:45:52. Will Gotthardt was second in the 21k in 1:40:08 and Ryan Commons was second in the 30k in 2:31:31. Kevin Weil won the 50k in 4:29:41 with Nathan Yanko close behind in 4:31:19 and Meredith Terranova won the women’s 50k in 4:53:21. Complete results here. Thanks PCTR for another great event!

Serena and I enjoyed a great hike on Skyline Ridge with great conditions for photography. Here is a collection of my twenty favorite shots. Click on the image for larger, clearer versions!

From Russian Ridge

Looking down towards Pescadero Creek

One of my favorite shots of the day

Great layers

Horseshoe Lake

More photos after the jump!

Among the world famous wineries and charming towns of Napa Valley is a wooded state park with some trails for running. The park is surprisingly lush with dense forest including redwoods, oak, madrone, and firs. A nice six mile loop follows Ritchey Creek up the canyon and then ascends Coyote Peak on the way back. The loop is as follows:

• Start at trailhead parking area
• Redwood Trail
• Lower Ritchey Canyon Trail
• Spring Trail
• South Fork Trail
• Coyote Peak Trail
• Redwood Trail

With the exception of the first section along Redwood Trail and a small downhill on the Spring Trail, this route is entirely on single track. Coyote Peak features unobstructed views of Ritchey Canyon but young trees have obscured a good portion of the Napa Valley view. A decent view of southern Napa Valley can be seen from the shoulder heading up to Coyote Peak, but for big 360 degree views I’d head for Mount Saint Helena. In addition, I continued along Upper Ritchey Canyon Trail for 1.5 miles (3 miles RT) which is overgrown with copious poison oak. There appears to be no finite ending to this trail and it is actually more of a use path. Here are some more photos from the run!

Second growth redwoods in Upper Ritchey Canyon

Ritchey Canyon from Coyote Peak Trail

Ritchey Creek

View of Napa Valley from near Coyote Peak

A few more photos after the jump!

Serena and I climbed Mount Saint Helena which is located at the head of the Napa Valley in the Myacamas Mountains and is one of the highest peaks in the Bay Area standing 4,344 ft. The mountain is largely located within Robert Louis Stevenson State Park and is ascended via a 5.2 mile walk (10.4 mile round trip), 0.8 miles on trail and the remainder along an operational fire road. The fire road portion is a bit monotonous, but the stunning views improve the higher you climb more than making up for it.

Mount Saint Helena from Calistoga

View to Calistoga and upper Napa Valley

The lower mountain is a fir forest and the upper mountain is largely populated by pine trees with a lot of exposure to the sun. We started the hike at 8:20 am and made it to the top at 10 am. We enjoyed the summit views for 20 minutes and then jogged most of the descent, arriving back at the car at 11:25  am. We were happy to be done before the heat of the day. Since the hike is exposed to the sunshine, it is not a good idea to do it in the middle of the day during the summer when temperatures well into the 90s are common.

Views of the Napa Valley from the summit

Mount Saint Helena also receives a fair amount of snow during the winter. I hear that the clarity is great on clear winter days with views all the way to Mount Shasta. While we couldn’t see Shasta on this day, we did have great views of Napa Valley and the Santa Rosa area. We could also pick out Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo, Lake Berryessa, the Vaca Mountains, the Sierra Nevada, Snow Mountain, Mount Konocti, and Cobb Mountain, among other peaks and features.

View of the Myacamas Mountains, including Cobb Mountain and Mount Konocti

Many more photos after the jump!

Topping out at just over 9,000 feet, Thompson Peak is the highest point in the Trinity Alps, which is a section of the Klamath Mountain Range in northwestern California. The peak is at the headwaters of the most rugged drainage in the Trinity Alps, the Canyon Creek drainage, where several peaks rise above 8,800 feet. Due to the geographical location of these mountains, they contain elements of the Cascades to the north and Sierras to the south. Their height is not impressive when compared with the Sierras, but their higher latitude and proximity to the Pacific Ocean allow for significant winter snow accumulation and the existence of a few small glaciers.

Upper Canyon Lake with the Wedding Cake and Thompson Peak reflecting

I climbed Thompson Peak via the Canyon Creek trailhead in 9:42, starting at 6:20 am and finishing at 4:02 pm. The climb involved 16 miles of trail and nearly an equal amount cross country travel, entailing bushwhacking, routefinding, talus hoping, scrambling, and snow. A large portion of the trail was good for running, but none of the cross country travel was runnable. There was even some class 4+ exposed moves to ascend the final summit block. I found spectacular mountain scenery and a true wilderness feeling beyond Canyon Creek Lakes where there is virtually no evidence of human impact. The Trinity Alps, often overlooked by Mount Shasta, are a real gem and I plan on returning here for more climbs in the future.

Panorama from Thompson Peak summit

Gear: La Sportiva Fireblade, Ultimate Direction Wasp Pack, Kahtoola Aluminum Crampons, Petzl Snowracer Ice Axe

I even stepped into the video world with a short clip from the summit of Thompson Peak, enjoy!

Check out many more photos and a complete trip report at CascadeClimbers.com.

If you are looking for some E (elevation) in the Bay Area, this post provides a great list of hill climbs, including famous mountains like Diablo and Tamalpais, but also lesser known trails and summits. These ascents will not only get your heart pumping, but will also inspire you with the beauty of nature. The high point is listed in parenthesis.

• Steep Ravine - Mount Tamalpais State Park (1,500 ft): Aptly named, this magical trail on the flanks of Mount Tamalapais traverses through a redwood filled ravine complete with a rushing stream and even a ladder! When this trail is combined with the lower portion of the Dipsea Trail it climbs from Stinson Beach to Pantoll in 3 miles.
• Black Mountain – Rancho San Antonio Open Space (2,800 ft): Fanastic views of the Silicon Valley are the highlight of this climb with an exhilarating last 1.5 miles to the summit where over 1,000 feet of elevation is grinded out.

Black Mountain Trail, photo courtesy Gary Gellin

• Mission Peak - Mission Peak Regional Park (2,517 ft): Lots of steep up, with ~2,100 ft over 3 miles. Great views can be seen while ascending the aesthetic summit ridge.
• Kings Mountain via Richards Road – Huddart County Park (2,000 ft): A great climb to gauge hill climbing fitness. From the rock at East Meadow to Skyline Blvd under redwoods; ~1,700 feet of gain over 2.9 miles, virtually all of it coming in the last 2 miles.
• Kings Mountain via Lonely Trail - Phleger Estate (2,000 ft): 4.1 miles from the entrance into Phleger Estate to Skyline Blvd on great single track amongst redwoods and streams with a steep finish.
• North Peak (Montara Mountain) – San Pedro Valley County Park & McNee Ranch (1,898 ft): Gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean and pristine coastal scrub is everpresent on this 1,800+ foot climb in 3.5 miles.
• Rose Peak – Ohlone Wilderness (3,817 ft): One of the Bay Area big boys, Rose Peak is an arduous 10 mile climb either from Sunol or from Lake Del Valle. A roundtrip will have you running nearly 20 miles with over 5,000 feet of gain either way you go.

Seven more great hill climbs after the jump!

Yesterday I attended PCTR’s Mount Diablo event. The 25k distance was part of the La Sportiva Mountain Cup series so I helped answer questions at a La Sportiva booth. I also met fellow La Sportiva Mountain Running Team members and watched friends have great performances on this unusually cool June morning. I arrived at the park at 5:40 am hoping to get a run in because I had never been to Diablo before. I left a little after 6 am and I knew that if I wanted to make the start of the races at 8:30 am I would have to hustle a little bit, especially because I was taking the slower and more technical route up Mitchell Rock and Eagle Peak.

Sunlight through the marine layer

Part of the way up Eagle Peak I ran into the marine layer and never really exited the fog until close to the summit where I was greeted with gorgeous views, including the Diablo Range, mountains of the North Bay, and Central Valley. I stopped to take many photos on the observation deck and toured the parking lot area before making the return trip on the 25k course down through Mitchell Canyon.

Observation deck view

Mount Diablo is a gorgeous mountain. With its extensive chaparral, high meadows, and clumps of pine trees, the area has a different feel than the Ohlone Wilderness to the south and the Santa Cruz Mountains on the Peninsula. According to the Save Mount Diablo Map “the State Park, and twenty-eight other open space preserves make up a regional open space system of almost 90,000 acres and approximately 700 miles of public trails.” Wow!!

Panorama to the Diablo Range

Tower amidst the fog

I made it to the starting line after my run with about 5 minutes to spare. The event was super fun to watch with elite mountain runners Shiloh Mielke and Tom Haxton dueling it out to run amazingly fast times. Also, big congrats to La Sportiva teammate Caitlin Smith for winning yet another race, this time only 6 days after a grueling Ohlone 50k! I also tried on the Ultimate Direction Wasp hydration pack. It was not essential for this run, but I wanted to see how it felt because I hope to take it on adventure runs in the mountains. I loved how I could keep the camera and food on the front side in the vest and the pack itself felt comfortable on my back while running. I am excited to use the Wasp in the mountains! More photos after the jump.

The section of trail along Los Trancos Creek is definitely a highlight, but the 7.5 mile loop also offers meadows filled with wildflowers, enchanting hardwood forest, and beautiful vistas of Portola Valley, Palo Alto, and the Bay. Here are some more photos: 

Steep Hollow Trail for Dipsea-like steps

Wildflowers still in bloom

Enchanted forest

Pink Wildflower

Butterfly

More photos of views, wildflowers, and a snake after the jump and be sure to check out the Los Trancos Creek post!