I've always been interested in Tree Chute (and how navigable it is) and Phantom Valley, esp. in regards to pics.
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OK. It's time to wrap up the other south side hikes from my list of off-trail stuff around Yosemite Valley. See thread: Off-Trail Thread
This group of hikes would be #23-26 on my list.
I talked about Cathedral Spires Gully in my previous post.
Phantom Valley
Phantom Valley is named for the Phantom Pinnacle climb, which is on the large rock outcrop to the west, between it and the Cathedral Spires. The valley is a large, open area with its principle upper exit on the east side, but you can also exit to the west by angling that way after passing an outcrop. See photo.
This is a view from Indian Canyon of the route. You can see that there must snow slides on rare occasions, to keep the forest from growing up, but I have never seen any slide debris there. Because the brush changes from year to year, I can't give specific directions for the easiest route. It's all doable. I usually prefer to do this one going downhill, after entering from McGurk Meadow or one of the other chutes. You cannot get lost once you get into this chute. Coming up from the bottom, just follow the banks of the small creek that drains it, which crosses the valley foot trail at approximately N37.72 W119.6255 From the top, finding the entry is no problem because you can see the whole route below you as you approach along the ridge from the east. (The entry is at about N37.704 W119.63)
Tree Chute
This is my favorite of the ones in this note. It's just another of those neat routes that are so much easier to do than you might think from a distance.
The photo above is of terrible quality, but because it is taken from Manure pile buttress it gives a view that clearly shows that Tree Chute and Taft Chute have separate exit creeks all the way to the highway. Some maps show them merging, which is misleading because if you are entering from below you have to choose the right creek to follow. The creek from Tree Chute swings to the west as it exits the steep part. Tree Chute has a right angle bend in the middle. The dots in the following photo show the Tree Chute route, the stars show Taft Chute:
Ascending from below, it is impossible to get lost, if you pick the right creek to go up and have enough sense to make the turn at the right angle bend. You can't see it in this photo, but above the bend the chute opens into a wide funnel with the easiest exit along the right side (behind that rib of rock). There are some rock ledges at the intersection which are most easily passed on the (left) uphill side. After a big snow year, there will be a pile of lumber and debris at this point, left over from avalanches that couldn't negotiate the bend.
If you do this as a descent, there will be no route finding problem if you just manage to enter the right chute. Needless to say, there are a lot of wrong chutes here in the vicinity of Taft Point. This one is entered at approximately N37.705 W119.621 Remember, you should never go down anything that you can't easily go back up....
Taft Chute
This is the starred route in the photo above. It's very straightforward. I've only done it once, going downhill. That is because it is too straightforward and has no interesting route finding problems to solve. A simple straight avalanche chute that looks like it runs every year. Walk on the banks of the creek where you can, and in the gravel and talus of the (dry) creek where you can't. From above, leave the Pohono Trail and go down the prominent gully just west of Taft Point. There are no cliffs or ledges to negotiate.
The only memorable moment came from seeing the consternation of the tourists on Taft Point when I led my daughter off the trail and down to our certain deaths in the cliffs below....
Did I mention that I always carry a rope and descending gear when I poke around these things for the first time? I've never had to use them though. And it's never an issue if you do them from the bottom....
Glacier Point Water Works
The waterworks were well introduced in a previous thread about Union Point: Anderson Trail thread
This bushwhack runs from Union Point on the Four Mile Trail to the base of Sentinel Dome, reaching it at a saddle where a ridge runs out to Sentinel Rock. From Union Point, first proceed onto the first switchback to the left. As you ascend, watch for the service trail branching off on the right. There will be two, the unobvious real one and a larger dummy entrance that takes you up to the left and then peters out. Take the service trail and continue on to the pump house and storage tank. Then follow the large plastic feed pipe downhill to the older ledge that traverses west (the ledge that was a gravity feed to Union Point) and then along that pipe up the next creek to the small concrete tank that contains the spring.
From there, climb the bank to the right. The first few steps out of the creek bed require some searching, but after that you are in steep grove of trees. Ascend upwards and to the right. As you approach the base of the cliffs at the top of this amphitheater, you will see a miraculous break exactly at the inside corner between those cliffs and the ones on the ridge coming in from the right from Sentinel Rock. Easy steep dirt the whole way. You will exit at the saddle, and pick up the climbers trail over to the Pohono Trail, which is a short distance above you.
Here is a photo taken from the Sentinel Ridge, which shows the waterworks from another side:
You can see the service trail, the steep descent alongside the feed pipe from the tank to the old ledge (Do NOT touch the pipe, even though this place has some steep and loose gravel. The pipe is plastic and the rangers will skin you if you hurt it), along the ledge, and then along the pipe up to the spring.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2010 10:48AM by szalkowski.
