We got an early start on Saturday, encountering snow immediately from the Mono Pass Trailhead. Our first challenge was crossing the Dana Fork
After backtracking upstream we found an easy crossing of a small side creek and then an easy crossing of the main creek. From there, we encountered mixed snow and mud through the forest up to Mono Pass. I was on snowshoes, my friend was not. Since we started early in the day the snowshoes were not necessary.
The pass proper was mostly snow free, but the surrounding peaks still held a good deal of snow, especially on their northern aspects.
We initially set up camp maybe a quarter mile down from Summit Lake behind a large rock outcropping.
The wind picked up quite a bit over the course of the day, so we ended up moving to a more sheltered location.
That night the wind really picked up, but my dome tent made it through the night. Our goal for Sunday was the nearly snow-free south ridge of Mount Gibbs.
The higher we climbed on this loose talus slope, the more exposure we gained to the wind whipping through the pass. By the time we reached 12k feet, I estimate the wind was >50mph. The summit was a mere 700 vertical feet higher, but still a half mile away. Not wanting to get blown off the ridge, we retreated the way we had come, resolving to climb this peak on a nicer day in the future.
Some views from ~12k on Mt. Gibbs' south ridge.
The hike out was uneventful and quick, providing some nice views of the other side of Mt. Gibbs
and Mt. Dana
Thanks for reading!
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2014 07:14PM by edg.
