Tower Peak

Tower Peak is a remote and impressive summit at the northern end of the High Sierra. The peak lies at the headwaters of the West Walker River that was included in the substantial expansion of the Hoover Wilderness in 2009. The usual route entails many miles of trail along the Walker River Trail from Leavitt…

Granite Balconies

Aptly named Granite Dome is an immense granite massif with numerous micro-basins occupied by a series of stunning alpine lakes. The lakes are set amid granite cliffs that afford stunning vistas of the pristine lakes from above. As the adventurer gazing over these magnificent lakes is the audience to a stunning natural performance, I like to…

Mount Davis

Higher is not always better. I’ve been to several peaks recently that are only modest in elevation but contain outstanding views. It many ways, being surrounded by impressive peaks of equal or greater height provides a more dramatic perspective. Mount Davis is one of these peaks. While relatively remote and obscure, the views are breathtaking…

Whorl Mountain & Sawtooth Loop

Continuing with the focus on Northeast Yosemite’s Canyon Country, this post describes a climb of Whorl Mountain, which is immediately across Spiller Canyon from Virginia Peak, and a tour of the Sawtooth Ridge region including Matterhorn Pass, Burro Pass and Ice Lakes Pass. I had done a similar Sawtooth Loop last year including climbs of Matterhorn Peak,…